Looking Beyond and Higher

The sun is setting earlier and earlier - even before the recent jolt of changing from Daylight Savings to Standard Time again. 

While washing dishes one evening I suddenly looked up and was flooded with the joy of a prairie sunset. I had been focused so near at hand - on my world of dirty dishes and warm water. But when I looked beyond the window, I was blessed with a better perspective. 

One morning last month I woke up to the usual pain and fatigue. My focus was first on the table full of morning pills and treatments near my head. Then I found myself looking out the window at the drab and dead autumn lawn and garden. I don't know how long it look me to look higher, but when I eventually did, I was stunned by the brilliant glow of yellow leaves against blue sky!

I'll let you make the application in your own life - physically and spiritually.
Let's keep looking beyond and looking higher!

"Can I who made the green of spring not do that for autumn? for thy vanished green, for thy vanished flowers, give gold?" 

from Amy Carmichael's Rose from Brier

Autumn Voices

In spring the prairie birds are a choir or rather several competing choruses all at once, so large and strong that all encourage each other to yet louder praise! This starts as early as 4 or 5 in the morning and doesn't die down 'til the late sunset songs described in this earlier post. 

In autumn, only the hardy still sing their solos, but each voice is somehow sweeter in the surrounding silence.

October Harvest 2017

July's overloaded Haralred apple tree...

...even after a heartless thinning...

...still gave an abundant and delicious harvest.

Above: a pan of baked apples made with honey,
coconut oil and cinnamon for Elsa and me

Below: Mom and Dad's made with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon

Mom also spent a day freezing a portion of our kale harvest.

September Bouquets 2017

Our roses bushes were happier than ever this year!

Mom planted a row of white gladiola bulbs this summer.

They proved a fresh autumn beauty for us.

The Southern Belle echinacea aged with grace and

were added to our bouquets for months.

Wool Mittens in August

In order to have a stock of wool mittens ready for the Etsy shop by winter, I started knitting them again in the middle of summer... even at the lake!

Though I was spending this August-end day at the lake alone, 

a Common Loon kept me company, as did a hawk
and many other cheerful birds.

Garden produce from home made for a delicious and colorful meal.

This was a day to enjoy all the way to it's end.

September Flowers 2017

September Harvest 2017

I saved a couple pickings of Concord grapes from the turkey family.

My first attempt at drying them down to raisins took a couple of days.

Though the end product was dry and papery, they still taste yummy - complete with crunchy seeds! But the second batch (not pictured) turned out more raisin-like when I dried them for a day in the oven first and just finished them off in the dehydrator. Another time, I think I'd try only a long, slow oven drying since these are such juicy grapes.

The dehydrator worked great for tomato slices! 

Seven trays full...

...now fit into two quart jars. 

Mom already enjoyed adding them to a soup, and we hear they make great tomato paste when powdered.

October Snow

October 26th, 2017

Beautiful snow falling!

Just three days earlier we were sitting on the deck with our handwork to catch a little more sunshine.