a family affair

The last day of October - Halloween. And though we never have "made much" of Halloween, we do enjoy the regular traditions... jack o' lanterns for one. Sadie decided this year to do something a little different with hers - and Abbie's... and carved their names in each one. Maybe next year, we'll have better luck in growing our own pumpkins (the wet spring really took a toll on our garden) and if we do have better luck, I may "pre carve" a couple of pumpkins with names on them (an idea I "stole" from my friend, Kim).. we'll see, next year seems like a long ways off just now...







Tuesday (the 27th) was my Dad's birthday. Sadly it was also the day of Uncle Paul's funeral, so, needless to say, it wasn't a day to celebrate. And being a "week" day, it's always hard to pull the family together, so we opted for a birthday celebration last night.

"happy is the house that is filled with family"...
and the little sunroom at my parents house last night was certainly filled, not with just "us", but my Mom's cousin, Judy and her husband Gary, also joined us. It was a wonderful meal together and we are truly blessed to be able to enjoy such good times with each other!!!!







Here, "Beepa" blows out the candles with the help of Naomi. by the way, Beepa gets his name from Kassy.... people ask me "what is Abbie going to call you" and I answer, "we'll know when she can talk".. because that is how it went when my parents became "grands"... we let Kassy name them!!! Where did Beepa and Meme come from... guess Kas is the only one that could answer that!!!!





Everyone got to spend some baby time with Abbie... Uncle John (who is Rachel's hubby/Naomi's Dad) just loves holding his little niece.. he even opted out on dinner so that Sadie could have a hot meal... but somehow I don't think he minded his dinner being "cool"....

the ever "famous" four generation picture.. actually when I was born, I made the "five generation" .. and we have a picture of that . Life is so precious, you have to grab the moments when they come!!!!!








And here are the "aunts" great aunt Rachel, Aunt Kassy and great aunt Becky!!!!

And the cousins, Kelsey and Naomi -- (told you our family was filled with girls!!!!) My parents have three daughters, five granddaughters,and one great granddaughter!!!

so, from each one of us... "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEEPA" and we want to spend many many more with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

comin' to a close

The month of October is fastly coming to it's close and in looking at the calendar and it's events, November and December promise to be busy!!! I have completed the quilt square for next year's Acton Fair quilt. This year's theme was "school days"... and (forgive me for saying this) we had the usual ugly piece of fabric to work with. I don't mean to be cruel, but honestly, I wonder where they find some of the fabric that they want us to work with, and I also wonder if they purposely do that, just to see if we can come up with something. The fabric this year is what I made the letters out of, then, I cut the other "decorations" out of the cloth and got all the little books and apples. It was mailed yesterday, and now all I can do it wait for the fair (next August) and see what other quilters came up with for their designs. This is the fourth year that I have been a part of the "fair quilt"... and it's the sixth time they have had one... if I had known of it before, I probably would have done the other two years as well. I didn't place the first year, but I have each year since then, so that's a pretty good record.

Well, with the help of Rick's good dump truck Ed has spent the past few days finishing up on dirt hauling. Not only did we need some filling in on the driveway, but there were some places around the barn that needed some fill.

One spot was directly in front of the stalls There had been a big loam pile there when we first built the barn, and when it was moved, the digger went a bit too deep into the ground, thus creating a very wet and mucky spot. The horses didn't mind it, but it was hard to keep things picked up and clean over the summer, so Ed got that area filled back in.

And the "road" going out to the manure pile had another mucky spot there as well. So, Ed dug a "bucketful" there as well. Pretty good horse training, they hardly picked up their heads as the dirt came sliding out of the truck and then the "crash" as the tail gate closed!!! Wish I could do this sort of training on a daily basis....

The earth will need some settling in time and will hopefully do that before everything turns into the deep freeze.. but it's (almost) another thing we can check off the list........

two weeks today

And I thought time was already going was too fast, now bring baby Abbie on the scene and I might as well just throw the clock out the window!!! She is two weeks old today, and I can hardly even believe that!!! In her short time on earth, she has already accomplished a great deal.. she's been to church, to the farm, she saw the doctor yesterday, and made her debut at "steak night" last Wednesday evening.

Everyone was so excited and happy to see her, there was a big crowd!!! And - her usual self - she was a good as gold. She (we) is certainly blessed with wonderful people in her life............

by the way... (because some folks have asked) the "residents" of Turkey Manor are in their "new home" (the freezer!!). We did a "test" run with one, and I just have to say... he was mighty good!!!!!!

dirt, dirt, dirt....

Before I talk about our dirt, I just want to share with everyone that Mocha is "famous". Perhaps you remember that last February our friend, Dusty Perin, came and did a photo shoot with Mocha. She had been hired to get some photos of mini horses for a new book... now there was no guarantee that Mocha's pictures would be used in the book, but it turns out that they were!!!! I haven't seen the book in real life (will be ordering a copy of it soon)... so, I don't know "where" the photo is, or what it represents, but she's there!!! So, if in your travels, you come across this little book, take a peek.....

Next topic... dirt! Ed saw all the fun that Rick was having in HIS dirt, that he just had to get back to work with ours ----boys and their dirt piles!!! Actually, Ed is trying to beat the freezing weather, and have all the dirt in place before it becomes in movable!!! It's a big job, and the little tractor has to take it in bits and pieces, but, it's doing it and I can see the face of the house better and better!!!







The nice thing is, this is "good" dirt, it's actually loam, so we should have a nice lawn come spring time (plenty of grass to mow!!!) Ed is having to haul in some gravel for the driveway, but with Rick's dump truck, even that job is going very well.







It was pretty exciting when he made it to the top of the dirt pile and began pushing from there... I am hoping that by the end of next week, there will be no more piles!!!!!

And I just had to get some photos of this house that is all decked out for Halloween. This is the prettiest little house, the owners always keep it as neat as a pin. And I like the decorations, because they are tastefully done and fun... not all "creeped" out!!!!

I am quite certain they made all these and it's just all in fun.......

Abbie had her two week check up today and is doing very well. Sadie is feeling great and got the "all clear" from her doctor as well. It feels like things are getting back to "normal" around here, and I even managed to get Tonka out this afternoon and play around with him for awhile... nice to do some work around the dump truck!!!! so do I dare jinx myself and say.... "we're on a roll"......next blog... baby Abbie goes to her first "steak night"......

The great pumpkin.....

After such an emotional day at my Uncle's funeral, it was nice to come home and get into my pj's and just call it a night. Actually, I have been "bumming" all week, because my Tuesday night dog training classes did not fill up for this session, and so, it has been decided to put these classes off until the New Year. As much as I love being home at night, I feel like a "slug" not "working"... but as Ed so wisely said, "take advantage of this time, because after the holidays, you might be busier than you like".. so.. guess that's what I'll do.







I bought a couple of pumpkins to carve and roast the seeds from. After all, Abbie has to have her first pumpkin, even if she has to wait before trying roasted pumpkin seeds!!! And I was so very excited to find out that "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" was on TV. By the way, what IS with the TV lately.. I hardly watch it anymore, but is there anything "good" on??? I can find all the Halloween horror films on most any channel, but what has happened to the nice family shows... like the "great pumpkin".... The girls (when they were little - actually even when they were big) and I always watched the Great Pumpkin each year!!!!!



Course during all this "exciting/traditional" time.. Miss Abigail just napped in her little swing...

These were "good pumpkins" full of nice plump seeds, and not too much "goo"..

We got a nice big pan for roasting!!!!

and Abigail slept................

That's OK, I personally, enjoyed "Charlie Brown".. it made me think of one year when I was little... my sister Becky will remember this too.. I am sure...

Becky HATED to wear hats!!! and we walked to school back in those days. Well, one October morning, off we went to school... Becky was wearing her hat, until she got down the street, then the hat came off, and was stuffed into the lunch box. Well... my Mom (who is very clever).. just "happened to drive by" and saw Miss Becky without her hat on. She pulled over, told her to get that hat back on her head.. and that she would NOT be watching Charlie Brown later that evening... a punishment that was horrible!!!!

And, good to her word..there was no "Charlie Brown" for Becky that year!!!!

I thought that there might not be any "Charlie Brown" for Abigail this year, but about halfway thru the show, she did wake up. And even though she was more interested in her bottle than the TV.. I can officially say, that Abbie and I (and Sadie too) watched the "Great Pumpkin", ate roasted seeds, and will have jack o' lanterns to lite...

traditions continue.....................................

sending home

Today my family and friends gathered to bid farewell to Uncle Paul, my Mom's brother. He passed away on October 21 at the age of 82, very unexpectedly. Which, for him, was a blessing, but for the family - a shock.

I have so many wonderful memories of my Uncle Paul, but I mostly think of him as a farmer. I know that I was always a little jealous of my cousins, Dave, Carolee and Kevin, as they lived on the farm and we lived in the "village". I can remember when Carolee got her horse "Charlie" and how I wished that we lived were I could have had a horse. I remember going up upon occasion and helping out with haying, and the black Angus cattle he raised (and how mean they were). I remember many holiday gatherings.... and I feel so very honored (happy) that my Uncle Paul and Aunt Doreen came to our "timber raising" last fall and to our "open house" this past spring.. and my Uncle saying to me.... "You got quite a place here"......

The family had a private graveside service, the day was cool and gray, but the trees all around us were in their full beauty. And after the graveside service we went onto the church for a memorial service. Here the true testament of his life was seen in "living color"... a church absolutely filled to capacity!!!! And people running about looking for extra folding chairs..... I have always felt that if one "needs a bigger church to hold all their friends", you certainly know what kind of life that person has lived. Many folks stood to tell their favorite stories......happy stories that made us laugh

I made a comment on my facebook page that God blessed our family with the arrival of Abbie.. and that as her life begins on earth... Uncle Paul's life begins in heaven

"to everything there is a season" ----- Godspeed Uncle

OH MY!!!!!!

Our friend Rick was having a bit of work done in his back yard and things didn't go exactly to plan!!! this certainly turned out to be one of those "oh my" moments!!!!

With the work of another machine, a skidder, and some good friends.......

All's well that ends well, and the "digger" is once again on solid land........

getting organized....

First off, how do you like my new title picture?? Yesterday, as Ed and I were doing barn chores, we heard a plane land on the air strip behind the farm. Ed said.."suppose that's Dale?" so we ran out of the barn just as a pretty little blue and white plane flew over the farm. We gave a big wave, and sure enough, the plane tipped it's wings in a "hello" sign. It circled once and then came around again, so we knew it was Dale!!!! I wished I had thought to grab my camera, and take a shot of her flying by... she gets so many good photos of the farm, maybe she would like to have one of her flying.... (next time Dale!!!)

As previously reported, we have the outdoor wood furnace chugging.. it's doing a great job at keeping the house warm, and for this winter, it will be our main source of heat. Right now we are just burning "junk wood", which is a two fold blessing.. warmth and clean up!!!!!


Here, Ed is loading the wood furnace.. which isn't such an exciting shot, except that.. look who's helping...

Annabelle... we thought she was a "barn cat", but now that she has discovered us working up around the house, she comes and hangs out with us there!!!! Ed thinks she'll be a "house" cat before it's all said and done... I say "NO.. I need a barn cat".....

When the builders finished their work early last summer, they began to clean up around the house. Normally, they would take away all the scrap wood and it would just end up in a landfill somewhere. Knowing that we would be using the wood furnace, I couldn't bear the idea of all this "free" heat being thrown away, so we asked them to pile it up and we would take care of it.


With all the "other projects" happening over the summer, moving the piles wasn't high on the list, but now that Ed is trying to move dirt around, and the thought that snow isn't that far away... it's time to get these piles into a usable fashion.

Ed took some palates that had been left behind and made them into wood racks. The open ones are for the bigger pieces and the "green" boxes for all the little stuff that can either go into the furnace or in the wood stove.

We had some big piles that needed to be sorted thru, but it didn't take as much time as we thought. And by placing the wood on the palates, it's easy to move them around with the tractor. Once we have all the dirt in place, the palates can be kept near the stove, but for now, they are in the garage..keeping dry on a very rainy day.

When the work was done, not only did we end up with several nice loads of wood, but everything looks so much neater!!!

Now we can move some dirt and get rid of those "piles" that have been making me "crazy" all summer.

I don't know if it's a "new england" thing, or if it's the same with anyone who lives with a "cold season".. but this time of year, I just get a feeling to get organized and picked up, days are getting shorter and cooler.. it's time to button up......