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Getting Around

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Thursday - A beautiful and somewhat warm morning inspired me to hop on my bike and ride the roads around town. I haven't ridden roads at all this year because of *cars*, or rather inattentive drivers. But today I put on my safety light and high vis jacket and it was gorgeous.  I stopped off at the beach to just admire the lovely day. It looks like good weather will be in short supply for the coming week.   I love that this little slice of nature runs right next to the Main Street in town. One little problem occurred when I rode off the shoulder a bit, to let cars pass me. My handlebar hit a garbage can, causing me to wobble and nearly fall over. The adrenalin rush set off my vaso-vagal response and I could feel a fainting spell coming on. I dismounted and sat down by the road as fast as I could, and avoided a full on faint. I had to wait 10 minutes before the shaking stopped and I could continue my ride. This was not a big deal as I've dealt with this since I was a kid. The n...
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October Already

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  Pokeweed berry season means fall has truly arrived. Three days of constant rain meant I needed to amuse myself inside. The apples my neighbor gave me are now two loaves of apple bread and two jars of applesauce, all headed into the freezer.  Apple treats for the winter. I was going to make kale chips, but then it was just easier to chop, blanch, and freeze the kale for soups and casseroles in the future.  It's Tuesday now and I'm going to rant a bit. It was supposed to be a cloudy day and I had a bike ride planned. The forecast apps all confirmed this, but my eyes revealed light rain. I scrapped the ride because it's not much fun to get soaked as the back tire will spray water all over your backside when it's wet. I thought I might be overreacting, but it proceeded to rain all morning and even now at 3pm. I know why the forecasting is sh!t these days - funding has been slashed at the NOAA and the National Weather Service. You need data to forecast properly, not just o...
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Shades Of Happy

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Susan, Peggy, and I set off to hike Sleeping Beauty on a gorgeous fall day. We unintentionally met up with several of our hiking friends who were doing the same hike, so it was an impromptu lunch gathering at the top.  Peggy, me, and Susan were first to the summit. 📷: Amyjean It was fun to meet up with them and catch up on each others lives.  Margy, an 80 year old  woman I met on the Norway trip, was happily climbing still. As one of the hikers pointed out, we range in age from 62 - 80 and this is what makes us happy! The three of us are introverts, so we discussed that on the hike down, and found out that Peggy has not read Quiet, by Susan Cain . I'm adding a copy of that to her gift at tonight's party. She is a classic social introvert.  I'm happy that all I have on my agenda today is making meatballs for the party. As I do, I will be making a giant batch so I can stash a few in the freezer for future me. Halloween decor has started popping up lately, and my neigh...
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Shades Of Pumpkin

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A pretty wildflower and pumpkin display at Saratoga State Park. I made a couple of loaves of pumpkin bread on Sunday, and now I'm seeing pumpkin everywhere! I am not a fan of pumpkin spice everything, just baked goods like pie, muffins, or bread. I used some of the free pumpkins from Home Depot that I froze last year to make this bread. It tastes great and my nephew and his girlfriend got a loaf when they stopped in for dinner. The rain is falling quite regularly, so pumpkin colored mushrooms are popping up regularly too.  What made me stop and take a photo of this caterpillar was it's bright green head against it's pumpkin colored bristles. It's not a great photo because I had to crawl on the road to take it, and a car was coming. I have been looking for a large bird bath all summer for the backyard. This one appeared on the curb two houses down from mine, for free, on Saturday. That is my favorite price, so I lugged it home. It is heavy terracotta but is deep enough h...
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Homesteading

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  Neighbor Annette stopped by the garden and while chatting, we decided to taste my nasturtium flowers which are edible. They were terrible and we both spit them out. I'll stick to just admiring the flowers with my eyes! Monday - A 20 mile bike ride with the girls, followed by groceries and errands, left me exhausted and good for accomplishing little else. I did watch The Emmy's for the first time in - ever. I was mildly entertained.  It's getting late in the season for these Monarch caterpillars - I found three in the garden. They are going to need two weeks to change into butterflies and I hope the weather holds out for them. Tuesday  - It's apparently homesteading day. I took a bag of glassware to the Doors Of Hope thrift shop, which is my self imposed entry ticket to shopping there. I have to get rid of more than I buy. I bought 4 jars to store my tea harvest - lemon balm, tulsi, peppermint, and lavender.  I donated crystal bowls and wine glasses I've been stor...
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