(174:  13 November 2009, Today’s view of the pond.)

I have an extensive to-do list today and don’t have time right now to do much more than post today’s view of the pond.   I’ll come back later with something nicer if I have time for it.

(173:  Swimming in Lake Michigan.  Chicago, IL.  October 2009.)

M and I had quite a day yesterday.  We rented a brush cutter (pretty much like this one) to mow the meadows.  It’s been at least two years since the meadows have been mowed.  They seem to benefit from a good cut every now and then.  My only regret is having to cut down the wildflower meadow at this time.  The birds and other animals chow down on the seeds throughout the winter months.  The seeds are still there, on the ground now.  That will make it a little more difficult for the birds to get to them once the snow starts accumulating.  But, we had the brush cutter now so it had to be done now.

M did the majority (about 99%) of the mowing/cutting.  I used the brush cutter for a little while to give him a break.  It’s a powerful tool, grinding up brush and small trees.  I had a little trouble turning the first time.  I was near the pond and the look on M’s face was priceless.  I’m pretty sure M thought the brush cutter and I were going right into the pond.  I did have the good sense to let go of the drive lever a few feet away from the edge of the water.  It’s nice to know M can move that fast if I (or an expensive piece of equipment) ever need saving.

I did most of my hard labor time in the garden, still trying to get it ready for winter.  It’s taking much longer than I thought it would.  I’ll be back out there today, if there’s time.  We have a long list of things to do today.  M is on his way back to Hartville to return the brush cutter and to pick up some lumber for some winter projects.  After that we’ll be headed over to a friend’s house to pick up a desk she’s giving us.  I don’t remember what other errands are on the list, just that it’s a good-sized list.

The weather has been perfect for working outdoors.  Clear, sunny, and in the 50’s.  It’s supposed to stay that way until Sunday.  We’re not used to this much sunshine this time of year.  It’s a wonderful thing.

I have not been taking many photos lately.  I don’t feel like it for some reason.  I didn’t even remember to take a picture of the brush cutter.  I did break out the camera briefly yesterday to capture some of the wildflower meadow before it was cut, but that’s about it.  I have taken tons of photos over the past year and barely had time to look at them so a break from taking more is in order right now.  I also have to come up with a better back-up system.  I’m running out of space.

That’s it from the Bogs for now.  I’m hoping to get caught up with everyone tomorrow.  Hope all is well out there in Blogland.

P.S.  I was looking over my search engine terms and noticed that a lot of people are looking for “Amish washing machines.”  Check out Lehman’s for all your non-electric laundry (and other) needs.  For those specifically looking for washing supplies, you’ll find it here.  Yes, it’s true.  They still make wringer washers.  All of which reminds me that it has been a while since M and I have made a trip to Lehman’s.  We ought to do that sometime soon.  It’s a great place to do some Christmas shopping.  Someday I may even get one of these.

(172:  Melting frost on Emma’s pumpkin.)

My granddaughter Emma grew her own pumpkin this year.  I captured it in the morning just as the frost had melted and pearled into dew drops.

(171:  Cleaning up.)

It all depends on where you put your focus, doesn’t it?

I’m on my way out to the garden.  It’s gray and cloudy and in the 50’s again today.  A good day for outdoor work, especially the kind of outdoor work that makes you sweat.  Without the sun beating down on me, I doubt there will be much in the way of sweating.

(170:  Flower and rust.)

I’m going to be busy over the next two weeks.  We’re having a party on the 22nd.  It should be great fun, but before it’s great fun, I have to get things in order around here as well as decide on the menu for the party.  We may have that settled.  I’m not sure yet.  I still have time to think about it (and think about how much prepping and cooking I want to do).

On today’s agenda:  Laundry and gardening.   I am extremely grateful that I have a washer and dryer, and the electricity and gas (we have a gas dryer) to do the laundry.  Given the amount of laundry that accumulates so quickly around here, I would have spend days doing the washing if I had to do it all by hand.

(169:  Caution.  Time change.)

I took this photo at the Ash Cave Gorge trailhead.  What caught my eye was the small sign at the bottom cautioning us about the time change.

Since the sign is probably difficult to read, here is the zoomed-in, cropped version:

I’ve always thought it was a good idea to pay attention to the time and/or the position of the sun while hiking, unless you don’t mind wandering around in the woods after dark.

Anna and Preston at Surface & Surface Photography are taking a look at signs in Kansas.  Head on over and see them for yourself.

It’s been a nice weekend here in the Bogs.  Busy, but nice.  We hit a couple of the farm markets yesterday to find some good deals at the end of the season.  I made a huge pot of vegetable soup yesterday.  Today I’ve been prepping, blanching, bagging, and freezing cauliflower.

The weather has been amazing.  In the 70’s and sunny today!  I’m glad M left a few screens in some of the windows when he put in the storm windows.  I opened up the house as much as possible to let in the fresh, wonderful, warm air.

I was listening to The Splendid Table on the radio yesterday while making the soup (seems appropriate, doesn’t it?).  I have been thinking that I’d like to make more curries and I reckon Lynne Rosetto Kasper, the host of the show, agrees because she featured Raghavan Iyer and his book 660 Curries.  I rushed right to Amazon.com and put it on my wish list.  Since the recipe for Slow-Roasted Bell Pepper with Red Lentils is online, I’m going to jump in and give it a try sometime this week.

(168:  The annual bonfire.)

We had our annual bonfire last night.  I suppose I ought to say that M had our annual bonfire last night as I was only out there for a little while, watching stuff from the past year go up in flames.

Of course I took my camera along.  Being in an abstract frame of mind lately, I didn’t bother with the tripod.  I wasn’t looking for crisp and clean and clear.  I was looking for light and shadows, shapes and patterns.  It was fun.  It was different.  And now I’m enjoying and having further fun with some of the results.

(167:  Ash Cave and the waterfall.)

(166:  Looking up.)

After our train ride on Saturday we went to Hocking Hills State Park where we walked the 1/4 mile Ash Cave Gorge trail.  It’s an easy hike, the trail being wheel chair accessible.  One of the things I enjoyed most were the spots of fall color against the background of the gorge walls and the deep, dark green of the hemlocks that line the gorge.  There were not a lot of leaves and colors left after the winds that came with the rain earlier in the day, but there were still some browns and yellows here and there.

In other news…

The snow came down pretty heavily yesterday morning, but didn’t stick.  The ground is still much too warm for that.  Today is another of those gray and gloomy days, with some rain expected.  Temperatures will be back up into the 50’s tomorrow.  It should be a good weekend to finally finish my Winterize the Garden Project.

(165:  A hot job.)

I took this photo of one of the student volunteers having fun as a blacksmith.  Although it looks a little cluttered and disorganized, they seem to know what they’re doing.

It’s a gray and chilly day here in the Bogs with a slight chance of snow in the forecast tonight.  A good day to be standing next to a fire somewhere.

Later…

Here it is.  Snow!

(Today’s view of the pond.)