Home again, comfort, and life is but a dream

- Receiving this flower for representing my father at my parents' church on Sunday in my home town in honor of All Saints' Day. The church is adjacent to a cemetery that has graves dating to 1804. I always mean to take some time to walk around it again and will one day. Author Flannery O'Connor is buried here, as is Bill Miner, an "American criminal" according to Wikipedia. He was called "The Gentleman Robber" and is said to be responsible for the phrase "Hands Up!" His gravestone says he is "The Last of the Famous Western Bandits."

- Having a comforting cup of soul warming soup for a snack at work. It is always cold there this time of year and although I've grown accustomed to it, it never hurts to have something hot to drink.

- Coming home from work to three young neighbors out playing. They are loudly singing, with great hilarity, "Row, row, row your boat" - except they have changed the ending to "life is but a strawwww!"

Weekend visitors, watched pot and apple scent

- Some inside visitors over the weekend due to the first frost of fall. They look as if they are longing to go back outside and with a high temperature of 68°F predicted for this afternoon, they will.

- Mastering my mom's four-minute egg - somewhere between soft and hard boiled. The secret seems to be watching the pot until the water boils and then setting the timer for four minutes. That old adage, "A watched pot never boils" is true unless you busy yourself with some other task in the kitchen and pretend as if you are not watching. :)

- Somehow ending up with too many apples, and so there are about a dozen of them in the refrigerator. And enjoying the blast of Fuji apple scent I get when I open the fridge.

Drizzly day, panda cam and a good story

- A windy drizzly day, but the trees sure are beautiful.

- Checking in on our Giant Panda, Lun Lun, and her as-yet-unnamed cub, the panda cam showing them having a cuddle. This is her third cub and I like to go to the panda cam at random times during the day to have a look.

- The librarian smiles when I check out a couple more books on CD - I tell her how much I love hearing a story when I am out and about during the week or on the road for travel. Listening to a good yarn makes it all so much better.

I hope good things are in store for you this weekend, my friends!

Tradition, promise of glory and which bridge

Photo from the Forsyth Daily News

- This is my hairdresser Tim (on the right), who regularly attends Native American pow wows in the area and participates in dance competitions. I get a haircut last night and hear about his latest adventures while sipping a glass of red wine. He will be hosting a Sweat Lodge and dinner for friends in a few weeks, saying he likes upholding the tradition of the original Thanksgiving celebration.

- Waking for the second morning in a row to a gentle rain falling. It makes traffic bad, but is so worth it since the promise for the weekend weather is glorious.

- The November quote on the calendar in my home office: "The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn." David Russell, Classical Guitarist

Standing in line, representation and earthy

- A little political sign madness - it is good that it is over, so these signs can go away. It is always enjoyable to chat with the people around me in line at 6:45am - waiting for that 7am voting time and even more fun when the director of my volunteer organization walks in and joins the line. We didn't know we lived in the same neighborhood.

- The Wednesday email for the weekly farmers' market near my house. I love this (partial) list of what they will have: milk, cream, organic bread, local honey, doggie treats, tarts, pies and cookies. Even the dogs get homemade goodies - how nice.

- And a surprise healthy treat at a late evening meeting - someone brings in pumpkin bread. Earthy, moist and the right color for fall - kind of orangey.

Refuge, ravishing and there's always next year

- Sunday morning at my sister's house and the view from the back. No other houses as far as you can see. They used to have cows in that lower pasture, but getting water to them became a problem. Now the property is a wildlife refuge of sorts - deer routinely wander through.

- Finally getting a much needed pedicure. The most fun of the whole thing for me is choosing the color my toenails will be painted. The OPI line has the most delightful polish names - I chose a lovely deep red polish with the name "Ravishing Dahling."

- Halloween update - no trick or treaters. But I might have missed the little ones - I got home from Florida a little after 8pm. This time I was prepared with Starburst candy and Gummi Bears. They are in my plastic pumpkin for next year. :)

Miles from nowhere, like a song and new outfit

- A packed dirt road in the wilderness of northern Florida. It leads to my sister and brother-in-law's home and acreage, as well as to other farms and plantations. There is a controversy right now that a newcomer to the road wants it paved. No one else wants that. The road adds to the charm of the area, I think.

- We still have my father's SUV and I feel close to him as I drive it to meet the family at my sister's church in the country. He loved this area, with its miles and miles of farmland, grazing cows and giant live oaks. The last family member who drove it left the radio set to a country music station and it seems fitting to hear Kenny Chesney sing about the boys of fall while I drive the truck of a man who always bought Fords.

- A little boy in the childrens' choir my sister directs throws his arms around her legs and looks up, asking "Do you like my outfit?!?" He has a new one especially for this morning since he will be singing with the others in front of the church for the first time.