WONDERFULL AROMATIC HERBS!

Got to sleep in a little this morning,felt good.I went downstairs to get daughter info she called and needed,while I was there I started a load of laundry.After breakfast I hung my towels out and did some housework before g-son got here.He wanted some french toast when he got here so I had some also,it is pretty cool this morning so we won't be going outside for a little while.I payed bills and got some things ready for market tomorrow while he watched Scooby Doo on TV.It's funny how he has advanced through the cartoons that have hypnotized him,first it was Barney,the Wiggles,Spongebob,Blues Clues,Buzz light year and Woody and now Scooby Doo will keep him endlessly entertained and I'm sure I've missed listing some of his past favorites.After lunch one of the roofers came back with his estimate and g-son came outside while I talked to him and played for a while.Other g-ma came and picked him up about 2:00 to spend some time with him as she has been out of town.
I spent the afternoon in my herb garden and really enjoyed getting some of them ready for winter.I cut all the basil that was left and layed it out to dry along with some oregano,spearmint,peppermint,grapefruit mint,and apple mint..
I also cut sprigs of all my mints to root over the winter so I can expand my supply next spring.I used to have more varieties but some of them just didn't come back up the next spring,so this a way to insure that I will still have these next year,mint is usally very easy to root in water.
They make a beautiful window display and smell wonderful.I finished these about the time another roofer came to give an estimate.Then I cut the red okra we planted that was left to dry and sell for dry flower arrangements,I hope it retains some of its red color..I went for another long walk today,enjoying this beautiful day and praising God for the wonderful life I have and thanking Him for my blessings,when I'm walking,looking around at all his creations it's easy to feel very close to Him.
As I walked I am still amazed at how quickly things have gotten back to normal after being covered with 6 feet of water in some places less than 2 weeks ago,that's the beauty of nature.With the cattle resting in the shade and Annie getting in some water play I can't help but feel sad for people who don't have the opportunity to experience the wonders of country life.This is God's canvas and I am very grateful for every little part of it. Back at the house daughter was still not feeling to well so I fixed her some chicken soup,I had a tomato sandwich.I downloaded some of my photos so I can have them printed,as my winter project is to organize photo albums! I frosted my cakes and wrapped and cut some of them.Since I worked in my herbs today I will tell some of my uses of them.
(1) PEPPERMINT,the strongest scented of all mints makes a tea that calms the stomach and soothes sore throats and coughs.
(2) SPEARMINT,reminds me of chewing gum every time I smell it, also makes a wonderful tea that treats stomach aches,fevers,and indigestion.
(3) GRAPEFRUIT MINT, is the best mint for cooking,goes well with carrots,peas,potatoes,and lamb.
(4) APPLEMINT,has large fuzzy leaves,most ornamental mint,also makes the best mint jelly
(5) OREGANO,known as the pizza herb,used in Mexican and Italian cooking,makes a tea that treats swollen glands,indigestion along with many other things,steep some leaves and add to a bath to ease painful joints.
(6) BASIL,of which I grow the most,good with any tomato based food,I sell mostly for making pesto,makes a tea that aids digestion and added to bath water is an invigorating beauty bath.
Wow! I should never get sick with all this stuff around! I love growing herbs and finding out new uses for them.
The news is almost off and I'm headed to get ready for bed after a full,rewarding day. To God be the glory!!! I say good night with another of my fall decoration ideas.

HAPPY FALL YA'LL

UHHH!! 7:00 is early,but yea g-son went right back to sleep when we put him in my bed,but not me,I was afraid he would role out of our super high bed so I just snuggled down and enjoyed the really cool morning.He woke up at 9:00 and the first thing he said was "where's Bernie"? Bernie appeared from under the covers and then they both went under the covers and had a blast playing together for 30 minutes.We had breakfast and then g-son wrapped in a blanket and watched TV for a while.I made some phone calls to get some more estimates on our roof and maybe a new porch cover on the front of the house.One of the guys I called said he was out in this area and would be here in about 30 minutes to look it over,the other will be here at 5:00 tomorrow.G-son played outside while I talked to the man who came and when he left we were ready to come inside to warm up,it is 45 and the wind is blowing hard.G-son had a pretzel snack and I started carrying laundry downstairs. I did some housework and fixed lunch,I keep putting my jacket on and off even inside the house as it is still pretty cold and I still have my windows open.Scooby Doo came on TV and occupied g-son good enough for me to sneak downstairs and start a load of laundry without him following me down the stairs.Got a call from a friend with 2 more names of roofers and builders that I should call.
His mom came early and picked up g-son,he'll be back in the morning.I did another load of laundry and took a long cool walk ,wow it's hard to believe how cool it has gotten all of a sudden.After my walk hubbie and I rode over to a near by condo complex to buy a bike from a lady who is selling everything and moving.We need to start riding more often,I love riding bikes,but it is hard to find a place around here that's safe.Daughter came home not feeling well and went to bed.I baked 8 layers and 5 other cakes tonight,with this cool weather I have a feeling it will be a slow Thursday at market. I stuck my hand to the element in one of my ovens,I now have 2 practically cooked places on my left hand,I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.I'm listening to the news,they are talking about another tsunami that hit the American Samoa island in the Pacific ocean,I pray this one was not as bad as the one several years ago.
I have some shrubs in my yard that really stand out this time of year,most plants flowers are the attention getters,but not this one,its the berries!This is a BEAUTYBERRY BUSH ,it has small flowers in summer and then almost overnight it is covered with these gorgeous purple berries.This plant is native to the southeast,but is found elsewhere if it has been transported there.The berries are edible,they are flavorless raw,but can be made into delicious jelly that has a taste of cranberry/plum,they also make a good spicy sweet wine.The leaves of the plant when crushed have a unpleasant odor and make a very good insect repellent for mosquitoes and even ticks.Indians made a tea of the leaves and roots to treat fevers.The berries are so small I think I'll just leave them for the birds,who just love them as they do not fall off the bush and last well into winter.
Speaking of winter a sure sign of colder weather in this picture the head and ears and the feet and tail do not belong to the same dog!! Bernie and Dollie are like best friends most of the time and they both love to cuddle, even with each other.Wow it is going to get colder tonight than it was last night,brrrrr.Makes it harder to crawl out of that good warm bed in the mornings.
But I still love it!! I have this old horse collar hanging on my porch by my front door and change the decorations on it with the seasons.I love fall decorations they just make me smile! HAPPY FALL YA'LL

FALL IS DEFINETLY IN THE AIR

G-son arrived at 7 this morning,we tried putting him in bed with us in hopes he would go back to sleep but no such luck. He said he was hungry and he did eat 1/2 a waffle for breakfast.I left on my Avon route and only 1 customer wasn't home,I stopped by a new thrift store a friend told me about last week and found a perfect little marble topped table for my bathroom and 2 Thomas the Train dvds for g-son,they are a new store and didn't have to much but their prices were great.I'll be checking them out regularly as they are on my route.My last stop was at a friend's apple shed where I had asked him to get a price on a hand looped rug for my living room,I thought the price was way high and it still wasn't as big as I really need,so I'll keep looking,thanks anyway! There was quite a few customers there buying apples,they really have a nice place.I got home about 1:00 and hubbie had made g-son a sliding place out of the back of his truck.I ate a light lunch,I've decided I'm determined to loose some weight as my insurance is offering discounts for having a good BMI and rates are going up for people with a BMI of 40 or more,mine is not close to 40 but it's not where it should be.I need to get back to walking everyday and doing some exercise during the day.G-son likes for me to do that as he gets down in the floor with me and does them too.G-son is taking a much needed nap right now and while he sleeps I've got my daily dose of vitamin D and am now working on paperwork,I always hate to see the months end (in more ways than 1). When g-son woke up from his nap hubbie was just finishing his outside work so they watched TV while I took a long walk,thankfully the bottom pasture is finally dry enough to walk in without boots.Our waterhole or what used to be our waterhole is completely filled with sand.We are just hoping our farm pond holds up,it has more water in it than it has in along time. It sure looks different now than it did

earlier this summer.As I walked today the chill in the air is causing goose bumps but it sure feels good.It is a great time of year and the air just feels cleaner to me,the sky is a darker clearer blue,I just love fall.
When I got back to the house daughter and d-in-love were here,they were playing on her new net book.I had soup and salad for supper and then hubbie and I went to Walmart.
Talked to the roofer when I got home and he said it is going to be about 2 more weeks until we get our new roof,depending on rain.We will have to nail the tarp down if the wind keeps blowing any harder than it is tonight.It has been a nice sunny day and tonight is suppose to get downright cold,upper 40's with wind feeling like 30's by morning,don't know if I'm ready for that yet!!! Get out the long pants!!! As I walked today I was amazed at these flowers as they were blooming all along the creek bank and I know they had to have been under a couple feet of water just over a week ago but they showed no signs of that day,nature never ceases to amaze me everyday with something.These little purple flowers are BLUE WOOD ASTERS they like growing in the shade on stream banks.The leaves can be cooked and eaten like greens.An infusion can be made from the entire plant and used as an aromatic nervine,also can be used to treat rheumatism.I just think it is wonderful that a little more than a week after that big flood that these beauties are perfect examples of how quickly bad things are forgotten.It is all just part of God's plan!!
By the way the camera info worked but the wind was blowing and I couldn't get a picture without these guys moving,that's why a little blurry! It was still a lot better than before.
I relaxed and watched the weather channel for a while,now I'm listening to the news while blogging.At 11:30 I'm headed to get ready for bed,g-son coming early tomorrow.
It has been a blessed day,thank you Lord.Good Night.

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE ON A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY

Church was wonderful this morning,we had a guest speaker,a 74 year old retired pastor who was so full of life and energetic love for the Lord everyone enjoyed the service and hated to see it end.His message struck home,he was talking about how to be a good Christian,can people see that you love God and are a Christian or do you have to tell them you are?One thing he said that hit home with a lot of people was when you open your mouth to say something you need to ask yourself 3 questions,(1) Is it necessary that they know this? (2) Is it the truth? (3) Is it kind? If we all did this there would be a lot less talking and a lot more listening.Funny thing even before today I had already decided I talk to much (most of it unnecessary) so I am making a gallant effort to stop and really think before I say anything,wish me luck!!!!We caught up with some friends and came home to our lunch with #1 son,d-in-love,g-son,daughter and father-in-law.We had spaghetti,salad and garlic toast,mmmm,I don't usually like spaghetti but had a small amount and some salad.After lunch everyone just enjoyed this beautiful sunny,warm day,g-son played outside and was stuck to daughter today.I emptied 1 1/2" rain out of the gauge today,so glad we only got that much and now it is suppose to be sunny and cool for a few days.
G-son is starting to get the hang of potty training and didn't dirty his diaper all day.We all are really bragging on him and you can tell he gets really proud of himself.
After everyone left daughter and I went shopping for me a laptop computer,at the first stop we found out we were not going to be able to do what we wanted,as a program that we had to have in it for her to work on wasn't compatable with windows vista and every laptop for sale now is loaded with vista.In about 3 weeks windows 7 is coming out and all these will be obsolete and some of the places we checked today said they would be put on sale in the next week or so a lot cheaper and would have the free upgrade to windows 7 with them.What to do? What to do? At our last stop we met a computer tech that works in the same program daughter does and he told her it would work on a notebook computer and they were loaded with windows XP. I didn't want a notebook because they are limited in what you can do on them, a laptop has all the options of a desktop.After lengthy conversation between daughter and this tech she bought a notebook,if it doesn't do all she wants she has 14 days to return it with just a 15% re-stocking fee.While they were conversing I headed for the camera dept and got some really good info from a girl in that dept,I was looking at a $250 camera but after talking with her I realized my camera at home had that feature and I just never knew what it was.We went to Target to get g-son some markers and chalk for a new easel his mom bought for him and I treated daughter to a Starbucks smoothie,since I came expecting to spend quite a bit of money and wound up spending none.
I took the dogs an a short walk when we got home as it was almost dark,put the outside dogs up and helped hubbie put the cover back on the unfinished well house.Daughter finally got her program set up on her new computer,she was so glad,it took her a while to figure it out but it works.I can't wait till tomorrow to try out my new found camera knowledge.
As I went down the drive one day a week or so ago I took this photo of these beautiful yellow berries.I looked up yellow berries and could not find any vine that had just yellow berries.Then last Thursday I stopped to break off a piece and take to market to show it to a lady there that can identify just about any wild plant in this area,but I found I didn't need her help as I looked at it the berries were opening to expose a bright orange berry inside the yellow shell and I knew it was BITTERSWEET a well known ornamental vine in this area and a disputed pest that can choke trees and shrubs to death by completely covering them.But it makes beautiful fall decorations,a lady at market makes it into wreaths and sells them like hotcakes this time of year.I don't care for it because as it sheds its yellow shells it sure makes a mess where ever it hangs,it is also poison to children and dogs.Birds love it and I suppose that is how it got on our property because I had some years ago that a lady gave me to take to a craft show I went to,I even planted some of the seeds that fell off but she had sprayed them with shellac to make them shine and they didn't come up.I was surprised to find this,it is near #2 son's house,maybe someone that visited him had some and threw it out.Anyway it can't do any harm where it is and it sure is pretty.He has been looking for a ground cover maybe God provided him one!! Hopefully tomorrow I can get out and see what new things are blooming or bearing this time of year. I need to go map out my Avon route for tomorrow,get a bath and have an early bedtime tonight for a change.Thank you Lord for the heart felt message this morning,give me the strength to make the changes I need in my life to better honor You. Good Night.

RAINY OLD TIMEY DAY

There were 3 people helping get ready for market this morning so it went really quick which was good so we can get there early and get a parking place.It is raining pretty hard and has been off and on all night, but no flooding yet.When we got to market we still had to wait for a parking place,daughter drove her car too, so we had 3 vehicles.We finally got parked not to far away to carry all our things through the rain and got set up.There were a lot of people there,but a lot of just lookers.Hubbie went outside to help cook ham on the old wood stoves...
The rain really held the crowds down,usually there is a long line waiting for biscuits,but not today,it's a good thing they have all these tents,even the musicians looked pretty miserable under their tent.....I think these guy's are wondering when the water is gonna come through their tent! Inside the crowd was pretty good some people just wanted to get out and do something as this is the 2nd rainy Saturday in a row.It was cool and I was glad since my old timey outfit was rather warm.We took turns manning our booth and sometimes when customer spirts came it was really nice to have some help.Daughter now has a job she was meant for as young kids seemed to be attracted to her like magnets,this is one of the neighbors great granddaughters,she goes to school where daughter works.It is nice to have someone to help me as there are days when it gets so busy I can't even leave the stand long enough for a bathroom break.Unfortunately today wasn't one of those days!
Daughter is really getting creative with her cupcake business,everyone thought the ones with the spiderweb design were the best.It started raining very hard about 1:00 but thankfully slacked off by the time we had to load our vehicles.D-in-love came to meet us and we walked up the street to a resale shop,daughter found several things,I found a black top I needed,(err wanted),d-in-love didn't find anything so she and daughter went to another shop,I had an Avon order to deliver and then discovered another thrift shop on the same road as my delivery and found several more things I (needed) in there.I went to Aldi and Walmart to get a few baking supplies and I just remembered 1 thing I forgot to look for (oh well) means another trip to my unfavorite store! I was hungry so I brought home some BBQ chicken,potato salad and fried okra for supper.Made it home late after 5:00,hubbie and I unloaded,put things away and ate an early supper.It is still raining,hubbie did the feeding chores,made sure our cattle were still on the hill and watched a race on TV.I watched TV for a while until I got warmed up under a big blanket with both my little 4-legged kids,then we all dozed off,not good for me cause I'll be staring at the ceiling in the wee hours probably.I put my dogs up when I got up,daughter came in with a new hairdo,we helped her unload her stuff and put it away,then she ate what we had leftover. I looked up a recipe for an apple dessert for tomorrow and we decided we will have spaghetti and salad.It is 11:00 the rain has stopped and has moved east of us,that's a blessing for us,no flooding!I am listening to the news and I hear my bubble bath calling me.Looking forward to getting back in church tomorrow.Thank you Lord for all your blessings today and everyday and for the peace you have given me tonight.Good Night.

HOW MANY WAYS ARE THERE TO EAT AN APPLE???

Got up planning to make an early run to Ingles and got caught by a phone call from sister-in-law and what we talked about totally shattered my world today. Some relationships with people very close to me will never be the same after our conversation.
I made my trip to Ingles anyway and was back and had a good start on my baking before g-son got here. He was ill from getting up to early this morning and nothing pleased him,I have yet to figure out what he wanted me to do with an apple he brought to me and asked me to do something to it,crying made it impossible to understand him and I did everything I thought was possible to the apple for him to eat but it still wasn't right.How about a banana??!!!! I didn't have much baking to do as the forecast is for rain tomorrow so after I made us egg mcmuffins for lunch, I put g-son in the van and went to look for a new rug and chair for the living room,maybe spending some money will make me feel better.I went by one place to look for a hand hooked rug but they were closed,then went to Big Lots,G-son was fast asleep so I made him a bed in the shopping cart and looked around,I found a chair I like but wanted to look at some other places before I get it.
I decided to come home with g-son so he could get a good nap,luckily he stayed asleep while I put him back in his car seat and out again at home,he must really be tired because as big as he is it's hard for me to gently get him in and out.I layed him on the couch and he slept for over 2 hours.I fixed my clothes for tomorrow's old timey day,everyone is supposed to dress old timey.I hope the temperature is what they are predicting 68 or I'm gonna be warm.I layed down to rest also but my mind is racing still about my morning conversation.That's my way of dealing with things that hurt me,I just keep going over and over them in my mind. I feel hurt,mad,sad,
bewildered,double-crossed and just plain stunned all at the same time.I'm glad g-son is here with me today because he always makes me smile and just hugging him makes me feel better.
Daughter,#1 son came in and ate supper with daughter,hubbie and me.Then daughter started baking her cupcakes and hubbie and I went to clean the church,we ran to Ingles to get daughter more cupcake papers and saw 3 different blue lights in a distance of about 2 miles,1 was just a broken down car in the middle of the road,1 was a friend's son's truck up on a bank with 1 of the wheels off it,and 1 was a car off in a deep ravine on the side of the road.Lord just let us get our work done and get home! There was cars parked everywhere around church and I remember that a women's Bible conference was going on,one of these days I'm not going to be so busy and I'll be able to go to this to find out what it's all about because there was sure a lot of women there.We have had it in our church for several years but it has out grown our church so they moved it to the college across the road.
When we got home daughter had cupcakes everywhere, I hope she sells a lot tomorrow.I helped her between packing my things up and icing my cakes,we finished about 11:30. While I sit here at the computer I can hear it start to rain outside,at least we don't have to worry about our cattle, as we shut them up on the hill tonight.The weather forecast is for more flooding tomorrow as the ground is still so saturated,if the rains are hard it will cause another flood.I hope this doesn't happen,we need to dry out.I am praying for wisdom and knowledge tonight that I will handle things in a Godly manner.I can't help but think that phone call this morning was a wake-up call with info God wanted me to have,I just have to decide what if anything I should do now. Glory to our Loving,Thoughtful Heavenly Father. Good Night.

WHERE DID ALL THE CUSTOMERS GO ?????

Woke early,getting ready for market,bee sting pain gone but itching.Arrived at market and there were no customers so I took my time setting up,then called Avon customers and had no luck with getting any of them to come to pick up their orders either.Not that bad of a day,partly cloudy and warm,must be the time of year.As the day went on customers were few but I had a decent day anyway.Packaged some dry basil and crocheted 2 towel tops.There was a big fire in town this morning at an old inn,no one died but several people got hurt jumping from the second floor,the news said it was arson.
When I left market I ran regular errands and delivered 2 Avon orders on my way home.I stopped at a local fruit and vegetable market,wanting some fresh fruit,but they didn't have much so I settled for bananas and came home.I unloaded by myself as it is 4:00 and I'm the first to get here.I was putting the last of the groceries away when hubbie called and said there was a wreck just right around the curve before our house and he was stuck in traffic. When he came home he said someone had ran through the neighbors fence and down a steep bank into his pasture,but didn't get hurt.If you don't know this road we live on these curves around here are very tricky and dangerous and there are a lot of wrecks,one state trooper that was working one of the wrecks one time said this road is a drunks nightmare and sober man's bad dream.
Hubbie started mowing the lawn,hoping to finish at least most of it tonight because it is suppose to rain for the next 2 days again.I walked the dogs but still didn't go in the wet bottom,water is still standing in most of it.Hubbie finished mowing and we did chores,daughter came in and we had a light supper before watching "survivor" on TV. After the show hubbie and I headed to church to clean,my cousin came by wanting to visit but I just had to tell him tonight is not a good night we are too busy to visit,I hated to send him away but had no choice tonight.By the looks of things at church it must have been a light crowd last Sunday,probably because of the flooding around here.We cleaned and came home,hubbie went right to bed and I am blogging while listening to the news on TV.God is good all the time.Good Night.

WE'RE HAVING A BLOCK PARTY!!!!

Woke to a beautiful,sunny morning for a nice change.Hubbie has taken today off so He and #2 son,who is also off today can lay the blocks on our well house.Hubbie took off to home depot to get the blocks and mortar mix.G-son arrived while he was gone and then #2 son arrived and started getting all the tools they would need together.G-son and I came in the house and he ate his breakfast.There was no staying inside,not with pawpaw and uncle here....As work begins guess who was right in the middle of all the action.We really have these huge black tortoises in our yard,and they have hands ??????
As the sun got hotter I was finally able to talk g-son into coming inside and helping me fix lunch.
After a short lunch break they went right back to work,they finished about 4:30 and now all we lack is a roof for it! I told #2 son that I'd be glad to advertise his block laying ability but he said no that he believed he'd stick with mail delivery.I'm so glad to have 2 son's that can do just about anything we need done.They both have worked since they were 14 and in all those years have learned many different skills.
While g-son watched a Scooby Doo cartoon I put up my fall decorations and put away all the summer ones in the attic. After everything got moved out of the driveway g-son and I went to pick up my Avon order.When we came back he sat on the couch to help me and I walked out of the room for some bags and when I came back he was fast asleep.I bagged my orders while he slept.His mom came after him and tried to wake him but couldn't,he was all tuckered out from a busy day.
I took the dogs for a short walk as I have a lot to do tonight and am really feeling blah,probably partly because today while I was sweeping leaves off the back deck a yellow jacket stung me on the tender,underside of my arm and it is still throbbing with pain.Yellow jackets are the most painful of all bee stings,especially in the fall of the year.I didn't have an onion to put on it and that is what I usually use on stings to take away the pain.
I payed all our's and father-in-law's bills and stamped my Avon books.Daughter came in from having dinner with one of her friends and I got her to see if she could get a virus off my computer before it completely took it over.She worked for more than an hour but finally figured out how to delete it,those things amaze me ,how they get on here even with all the virus protection, and can block all your efforts to get them off ,well almost all as she finally found a way they couldn't block.I iced 12 caramels,4 chocolate,and 2 coconut cakes and wrapped and labeled everything I could for tomorrow.Maybe this funky feeling will be gone by in the morning.
Thanking God for all me blessings and answered prayers today.Good Night.

FIRST DAY OF FALL ,CALM AND CLEAR

Up early this morning on the first day of fall ,oh yeah,no rain,no sunshine either,but maybe later.Finished cereal and tea before well inspector came after her water sample,said she would mail me the results. Started laundry and housework after she left.Right before lunch the roofer came to measure our roof ,he said he would call later with the estimate,he needed to check the price of the metal I choose and compare it to shingles.I took the big rug out of the living room floor,not sure what is going back there yet,but tired of that rug! Keep looking around the living room trying to decide how I might move the furniture around,I used to move things around every year or so but haven't in a while,hmmm,lets see! Finished 4 loads of laundry while I cleaned house.Hung towels out in the sunshine,this may be the first time in about a month that they dry completely on the line.Went out and opened the gate to let the cattle go down to the bottom pasture,than walked down to see if our gates are still up at the waterhole.They are up but there is no waterhole,it is filled with about 4 feet of sand,no chance of hand digging anymore.We will have to come up with another watering option if it quits raining and our pond starts drying up again,right now there is water everywhere and our pond is full.When hubbie came in from work he took some of the fence around it down. I ran to Ingles for some milk and a few other things while he tightened the wires on the road fence where the tree was against it.We had hot dogs for supper when I got back,then did evening chores and I gathered my dry towels in.I went to the garden and found bell peppers and cucumbers for a salad for lunch tomorrow.It sure is getting dark earlier,you can tell it is fall now.Hasn't been much going on today,I need days like this every once in a while to just relax and unwind.Even the phone has only rung twice today,a cake order and the roofer with his estimate.We put mulch in the dogs lot and new cedar shavings in their houses,they should be more comfortable tonight.I had to get up at 2 am and put them up this morning to stop them from barking.They are always put up at night and I guess they didn't know how to act running loose in the dark.
I picked up these PERSIMMONS and layed them on this fence post to photograph and to see how long it would be before something ate them,I didn't have to wait long,when I came back an hour later they were gone.In ancient Greece these were known as the fruit of the Gods.I do not understand why and you wouldn't either if you ever tasted these fruits.Because of a very high tannin content they are very bitter and will pucker you mouth.The tannin levels reduce as the fruit ripens and it gets better after a cold frost.Several years ,actually a lot of years ago a neighbor gave me 2 little trees in small pots,I planted them never really expecting them to do much,however 1 of them is huge and produces all the fruit,the other is shaded by the first and is a smaller tree and doesn't produce any fruit.Folklore says that winter weather can be determined by the shape that shows in the seeds when they are sliced: a knife shape means an icy cold windy winter (cold wind slices through you like a knife), a spoon shape means lots of snow to shovel, and a fork shape means a mild winter.Honestly I have never looked in the seeds but now I'm curious and will let you know what they predict.
I am waiting for my last cakes to get done,I made 36 layers,1 granny pound,2 blackberry wine cakes tonight.It is 11:45 and I just glazed the wine cakes and turned everything off.I was listening to some hymns while I cleaned today and just thought how wonderful it is to worship such a just,wonderful Savior,praising his name "all the day long". Good Night.

AMAZING RETRIEVAL

Woke to the sound of cars coming in and out this morning,g-son coming, daughter leaving for work.Oh good, I forgot hubbie is off today,snuggled back under the covers and listened to the gentle rain outside the window.Wasn't long until I felt someone staring at me and g-son was getting ready to shout "wake up nena" at the top of his lungs, enough of leisurely lounging for the day! Had breakfast and helped g-son find a cartoon he liked, while hubbie checked on the cattle.They are still shut up in the upper pasture and according to the forecasters they may be there a while.#1 son came through to get his dump truck to have a new tire put on it,he isn't working today because no one can pick apples in the rain. Poor apple farmers this rain may finish many of the remaining crop off, as it will cause the apples to fall off the trees,added to that they can't spray the late ones to keep the fungus from all the wet weather from ruining them. This kind of weather isn't good for any type of farming.I made 3 Avon calls to customers and finished keying in my order on the computer. With nothing else to do but sit in the house,we decided to drive to the other side of the next county to look at a 4-bike carrier to put on our truck. It rained all the way there and we drove slow.We bought the rack after making sure it would fit on our truck.As we were driving back this way on the interstate a lady came up beside us honking her horn,I thought it was someone we knew,but when hubbie rolled down his window,we didn't know her,she said we had lost our hub cap a ways back.Wow there sure are some nice people in the world,that she would take the time to do that is awesome! We got off the next exit and went back around not expecting really to find it or expecting it to be run over or bent up,after all going 70 mph with all the traffic on the interstate. Low and behold as we circled the ramps to get on the interstate where we had before,there in the middle of the lane it lay,hubbie stopped,jumped out to get it when no traffic was coming, and there was not a scratch on the thing,I could not believe it.Who ever you are out there lady, thank you very much !!!!
We stopped at a couple furniture stores to look for a small rocker/recliner but had no luck,I just can't see ( or afford) paying $300-$400 for one chair.It was past lunch time so we found a Mcdonalds and had lunch and let g-son play in the inside playground for a while,he loves these things,and I forgot my camera,darn!!!!
We stopped at a pet store for some soap and collars for the dogs and I found a bigger bowl for Chovie the beta fish ,also got a small filter for it,so the water will stay clearer.
Rain,rain,rain hasn't let up all day,I feel moldy!! When we got home I got Chovie set up in his new home,he has a lot more swimming room now.Moved some things around in my office and brought a rocking chair from there to the living room,it will do until I find another one. Hubbie and g-son are playing in his playroom.I called a man about our roof,he is coming tomorrow to give me some estimates on different types on roofs.#1 son came in and he and hubbie spread a tarp across the roof where it is leaking as the forecast is for more heavy rain tonight and tomorrow.Anyway now we won't have to rush the roofer and the stains on the ceiling won't get any worse.Daughter came in from volleyball practice and played with g-son some before he and his daddy left.
Hubbie and I put on boots and rain gear to do our daily chores, the ground is so mushy your feet just sink into it.I will have to let my dogs stay out of their lot tonight because it is flooded,I'll get some mulch tomorrow and dry it out some,hope they stay out of trouble tonight.We had leftovers for supper,daughter went to work on some of her schedules on the computer,hubbie is cleaning up the kitchen and I am sorting my Avon product inventory,I keep some products on hand,people who are visiting and come through the market sometimes ask for things and don't have time to wait for an order.I have lost count of what I actually have,so that's what I worked on tonight,I now have an accurate count of my products. Daughter came up and found some products she confiscated for herself.I got everything put away and re-arranged some files to make keeping up with father-in-laws affairs easier,(better than the shoe box they were in).As I put things in files I had to laugh to myself,I have a unique filing system,it works for me but for anyone else it probably wouldn't make sense! I don't need to do any baking tonight as orders are down and I'll just do it all tomorrow night.Tomorrow is the first day of my favorite time of year,fall, ahhh,it just seems like you get to slow down and enjoy things more and I love the cooler weather,however I hear the news talking about it snowing already out in Colorado and I'm not ready for that yet.Maybe this year we'll get to use our fire pit more,we couldn't use it last year because it was so dry and we do kinda live in the woods.
I am sitting here blogging, listening to the news,they have had to evacuate a neighboring community because of high water,they got 9" of rain since last night,wow.So far so good for us,it has just been a light rain all day,I emptied 2" out of the gauge this evening.That makes us over 9" in the last 2 days.Tomorrow is suppose to be a better day.Have to meet with well inspector in the morning to get a state water inspection sample taken and sent off.Roofer didn't say what time he would be here.A day of housework waits for me tomorrow,I would like to get my fall decorations up.
Today I have 2 different nuts that grow on our farm to talk about....this is a HAZELNUT or FILBERT.These are not near ready to eat but the squirrels love these nuts and I may not get another picture.I like to eat these nuts to and they are very good for you,rich in protein and with a high fat content they are a high energy food.Pralines are made from hazelnuts and their flavoring has many culinary uses. This is a familiar nut here in the mountains,the BLACK WALNUT grows prolificly on our farm and surrounding areas.These are very tasty if you have the patience to get the meats out of the hard shells which are covered with this softer green covering , but this covering has an extract in it that stains anything it touches and is very hard to get off,even your hands.This extract is used to make dye,and if you ever fool with black walnuts you will definitely know why! The wood of the black walnut is prized for it's durabilty and color in making furniture,flooring and rifle stocks. The nut meats are also prized for their flavor,eaten raw or used in baking and other food they have a wonderful flavor. The hard shells are used in abrasive cleaners,cosmetics,water filtration and also in oil well drilling.If you have a black walnut tree you have to be careful what you plant near it as its roots,husks,and leaves secrete a substance into the surrounding soil that suffocates many other plants such as tomatoes. I can attest to the difficulty in getting the meats out of the hard shells,we have tried several methods and you always have either very small pieces or powder after you hit them hard enough to break the hard shells.
It is 11:50,time to retire for the evening.Thank you Lord for the Blessing of today .Good Night.

5 FEET HIGH AND RISING

Sundays are supposed to be unforgettable worship filled days,but today, for us although there was a lot of praying from time to time, has been unforgettable for a not so pleasant reason.That angel that stays on my shoulder woke me early this morning as the scanner was calling emergency vehicles to the road we live on for a stranded motorist in the flood waters.I'm thinking, oh no our cattle,we always put them up on the hill if there is any chance of a flood, but no forecast last night were for flooding,only light rain. I jumped up yelling for hubbie to get up,we were out the door fast with a flashlight as it was just getting daylight,I went one way,him the other,all the time praying please don't let them be trapped on the creek bank across the flooded bottom.But those prayers were not to be answered for there on one lone little green spot stood our whole herd,with water rising rapidly around them.I started to cry as I didn't see any way to save them and with the fire dept.right around the curve,but I knew it would be useless to ask them to help as they were busy rescuing people from the water.Hubbie looked up through the bottom and thought he could wade across where it was not so swift and only a little more than waist deep and maybe get the cows to follow him back that way.One of them is an old retired milk cow and she will follow you if you call to her,it was worth a try as long as he was very careful and would turn around if the water got any swifter.So he got across okay and got to the cattle but when he called to them,they wouldn't come into the shallower,calmer water,but as soon as they looked across and saw me they waded into the very swift part and started to wash downstream,hubbie tried to stop them but got caught in the swift water also and thankfully was able to swim to a tree and grab on till he could regain his balance.Some of the cattle were sinking and swimming in circles and only the hand of God could help some of the smaller,lighter ones get across,and Thank You,Thank You,Thank You, they all some how finally were on the hill beside me.#2 son arrived at that time,as I had called both sons and they were coming as fast as they could,hubbie was able to get back into the calmer water and make it across without any help,Thank You again!We got them in the hill pasture and shut the gate,then came in the house,hubbie was freezing,he got wet clothes off and took a warm shower and got back in bed trying to warm up.Forgive us Lord as we are going to miss church this morning.Our neighbors were now going through the same thing to get their cows out of the water in their pasture across the creek,they were up to their necks in the water, but they also had safe success.I guess this is truly what is called a flash flood because it caught everyone by surprise even the animals.I don't know how much rain we got but my rain gauge holds over 7" and it was running over this morning and it was still raining.Hubbie finally got warmed up and we had breakfast,we walked down to #2 son's house to check on the stranded motorist and they had gotten the lady out of the car but left her car in the water.Some of #2 son's friends were on his porch taking pictures as one of them had never seen anything like this before,she was from Sumter,S.C. and was sending pics back to her family of all the water.There was a lot of water but we have seen it a lot worse.It's hard to believe I walk under these trees everyday that I walk and my head doesn't touch the limbs,I'm 5'5" tall so that is some deep water out there.From the looks of this tree we will probably have fence work to do when the waters recede. There was a lady who drove down to take pictures of the water,then drove up to the porch where we were standing and believe it or not after she ask her questions she proceded to back into the big willow tree in son's yard while turning around right in his front lawn,people are so disrespectful of other peoples property,she didn't hit the tree hard,but it was just so ridicules to do what she did.

Hubbie and I came home to start lunch,I am going to make a ham and mac and cheese casserole that everybody loves with some fresh lima beans,and salad,mmmmmm,it was delicious!! Daughter picked up her grandpa and finally found a way around the flood to get here for lunch,she finished her dog setting job this morning.#1 son,d-in-love,g-son and #2 son all made it today as it is still raining outside.#2 son went home to make keep up with what was going on down on the road,#1 son's family left to go to a birthday party,daughter,hubbie,father-in-law and I were sitting in the living room watching TV,when hubbie said, oh my look at that!!!There was water spots on our ceiling! We went on the front porch and took a vent out of the soffitt and ,oh no, there is rotten wood under the shingles where it is leaking through.A new roof is going to be coming,that's what I get for thinking that our construction projects were over! I'll call someone tomorrow and get estimates.This day has got to get better!!!
Hubbie left to take his dad home and it is still raining lightly,but the water is receding pretty fast.Daughter and I put on boots and went to check some of the fences we could see,we have found in the past that it is easier to get the junk off the wires while it is still wet before it dries and hardens.Hubbie joined us when he got home,well the day did get better,none of our fences got washed down,a few stretched wires is all the damage we have.It is about 6:00 now and it looks different now than it did this morning!The lady came and got her car,she said she got a ticket,but there were no signs when she came down the road.Hubbie will have to pull this big tree away from the fence with the tractor when the ground dries,at least it didn't tear the fence down. Our waterhole gates are supposed to be here,I wonder if they are still under there,this calm creek sure looks dangerous today.We came up to the barn and put water and hay out for the cattle,then came in and ate leftovers for supper.
I went in my office to work on my Avon order,hubbie and daughter are grooming Dolly and Bernie.I put my order on the computer while I listened to the news,it is still raining and more is coming they say.May be another interesting day tomorrow!
It is 12:20,time to bring this day to a close and hope for a calmer one tomorrow.It is all in God's plan,I just keep believing He has everything under control and will not put more on us than we can bear. Thanking God for all the help He gave us this morning. Good Night.

"ELAEGNUS" WHERE IN THE WORLD DID THAT NAME COME FROM????

A rainy market day usually means bad news and today actually started out busy but quickly went down hill.I did okay because of my orders ,I had 12 cakes sold before I got there and that is always good.Unfortunately my girls didn't do so well today,daughter came in after lunch and helped me.
Next week should be better as it is ole timey day Saturday and that always brings a crowd,I just hope this weather breaks before then.When we left daughter was going with a friend to another of their friends wedding,it was outside so bless her heart maybe she can sneak it in between showers.
I went to Go Grocery, Aldi and Walmart for supplies and groceries,made it home at 4:00.Hubbie was working on the footings for our well house between showers. We unloaded and put everything away and I put some chicken and acorn squash in the oven for supper.I started to walk but didn't get far before the rain started back again,poor dogs, they have been in the house all day,but they hate rain. Hubbie fried some potatoes and onions to go with our chicken and squash.After we ate we decided to watch Survivor a TV show that we missed Thursday night on the internet,but to our surprise it was re-airing tonight at 8:00. I called daughter because she missed it to and she was just getting back to the house where she is dog sitting from the wedding so she got to see it also.She had fun at the wedding,caught up with a lot of old friends.She said it didn't rain during the ceremony but poured afterward,they had tents set up and everyone had to stay under them,but it still turned out good.I'm glad we haven't had that hard rain up here,the wedding was in the next county and she said they drove through hard rain on the way back up the mountain.This is WILD ONION or WILD GARLIC, this one is growing right beside my greenhouse.The whole plant is edible and the leaves make good addition to salad or potatoes,anywhere you would use onion,garlic or chives you can use these wild plants.They are in the Lily family and there are more plants in this family that look a lot like this but they are poison,the way to tell is by the smell,any edible wild onion has that distinct oniony ,garlicy smell.I remember when I was young my dad trying to kill these out of the pasture because they made the cow's milk taste like onions in early spring when she grazed on them.Here is a really interesting berry it is called ELAEGNUS BERRY or AUTUMN OLIVE ,I only recently noticed these on our property,but they seem to be spreading pretty rapidly.The berries are edible,tart tasting and contain 7-17 times more of the antioxidant lycopene than do tomatoes.
Lycopene has been proven to reduce the risk of prostrate cancer.There was a lady at the market that sold these for jelly making,but I have never tasted them,maybe when they get riper I'm gonna try some.I continue to stay amazed at all the food that God has put right at our hand and we don't even know it.This land is made for us to survive on without commercial products and just think how healthy we all would be if we still had to make use of it.When I see old photos of my parents and their families and friends, one thing always jumps out at me,there are no fat people!!!!!!!!!
Well this week is grinding to a halt and it has been a good one as they all are in one way or the other. I enjoy every moment God gives me and each Blessing is wonderfully appreciated.As I go to church tomorrow to worship Him please join me in the love of our Precious Lord.Good Night.

Well I woke again today to the sound of rain outside my window,actually pretty hard rain this morning.And yes I know that this post is actually going to be about yesterday because it is now 12:30 am.I forget to thaw my coconut for my icings tonight and had to wait for it to thaw,thawing it in the microwave makes it to juicy and it will not stay on the cakes,(oh the problems we bakers have!!).
Anyway back to how my day went,after my regular morning chores (in the rain) and breakfast I baked 6 caramel, 4 coconut, 4 chocolate,1 german chocolate, 1 red velvet (uh,I hate those),but it was for a wedding rehearsal dinner along with 7 other kinds,then I baked 1 apple butter cake,1 blackberry wine and 2 pear breads.I finished at 1:30 and ate a salad for lunch,then went to deliver the Avon order I missed yesterday and had a nice visit with my friend/customer. I then went to Ingles for the stuff for the coconut/pecan icing for the german chocolate cake.While I was in the store I got the craving for a greek salad,so I bought all the fixin's for that and came home and made myself a large greek salad,mmmmm it hit the spot.
And glory be!! the sun came out so I headed outside,cut some basil and oregano to sell at market tomorrow and just sat down for a few minutes and soaked up the warm sunshine that hasn't been seen since Monday.Hubbie came home and we did chores and I walked a short walk ,because you know what it looks like rain any minute again! We went to church and finished cleaning. #2 son was waiting to get a hair cut when we got back and daughter came in and started her cupcakes.It is so nice to have the hustle and bustle back in the house same as it used to be when the kids are around.I iced my cakes while daughter iced her cupcakes,she made some look like frogs and did some in ice cream cones,they were really cute and tasted so good.When she finished she left to go dog sit for a customer.D-in-love came in with her cakes and cookies,we wrapped and cut them and she went home,I'm still waiting on my coconut to thaw! I went downstairs and got boxes ready for my orders and cut and wrapped them.I'm glad I slept a little late this morning now. That bed is gonna feel good if I ever get there. Counting God's blessings and praying that He will always be at my side.Good Night.

LONG RAINY MARKET DAY

Up and about early this morning on the way to market in the rain.Wow I just feel soggy!
Market was slow today,I crochet tops on 5 towels between customers,their wasn't even many sellers that braved the soggy conditions today.Got a visit from d-in-love and g-son,but all he wanted to do was run around so they left.
After market I had a bunch of errands to do,banks,P.O.,Aldi,Walmart,6 Avon deliveries,but missed my last one because she left work at 5:00,I'll have to go back tomorrow,and I discovered when I got home I forgot the icing supplies for a german chocolate cake I have on order for Saturday.I didn't get home until 5:30 today,loooooooong day!! While hubbie and I were unloading my van my cousin came to visit again,I know he is lonely but Thursday is one of our busiest days ,so he just had to follow us around to talk,he didn't seem to mind.We ate supper of chicken,fried squash,lima beans and tomatoes.After we ate I took my dogs out for a short walk,it is still misting rain but they have been inside all day.Cousin Mike left when I got back in the house and hubbie and I took off to clean the church.I vacuumed the pews and all the corners we don't usually get into tonight and that always gets my back,I do it with a small vac,I carry on my shoulder and there is a lot of bending and stooping.
Tonight's wild flower is the very invasive JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE VINE.This vine is capable of suffocating any plant it can climb,by thickly entwining it's leaves.It has very fragrant flowers that are used in many aroma related products and the flowers are antibacterial and antiviral so they can be used externally or internally for many medicinal purposes.Studies in China have shown it to cure some different cancers including breast cancer (wouldn't that be wonderful). I used to pull these flowers off as a child and suck the sweet tasting nectar out.
This is a grass called FOXTAIL that grows wild around our place and the only reason I'm putting this in here is because in looking up something else I discovered some disturbing info on this grass.
The tiny seeds in these tails will stick to a dog's hair and they tend to burrow into their skin and then continue into organs to cause serious illness.They can also invade eyes,nose and ears on animals and require professional removal.In some places these seeds are considered parasites because of their burrowing nature.This scares me as I had never heard of any thing like this before,I need to be careful and try to keep my dogs away from this grass.
It is 11:30 ,I forgot to turn the TV on to watch the news ,and my back says it is time to lay down.Thank you Lord for your blessings today and forgive me my shortcomings. Good Night.

PRAYING FOR TOLERANCE

Got up on time today,let dogs out and took a walk with them.Another dreary,rainy day to look forward to.After breakfast I cleaned out my canned foods cabinet in the kitchen and moved some new canned stuff in there so we won't have to go downstairs every time we need something.I was just finishing up when g-son arrived,he wanted to stay outside in the rain.I hate days when he has to stay inside all day,but with his imagination running wild these days I'm sure he will come up with some fun.
We had lunch,me tomato sandwich and pasta salad,him peanut butter sandwich and milk.We found a scooby doo cartoon on TV and he wanted to watch it,so we piled into the "cliner" as he calls it and relaxed....Bernie and Dolly like lazy days so they get a chance to get in the recliner with me also.
After the cartoon we went to Ingles,I needed some dark brown sugar for my caramel icing and a few other things.While we were in the store it started raining harder,luckily we had taken in an umbrella and g-son held it over our heads all the way back to the van.
He helped me carry everything inside when we got home,he is getting so big and loves to help with little jobs,he gets so proud of himself.
The plumber came by this afternoon for the last of his money for the job,now only 2 more things to complete this adventure,the state water test and a building around the pressure tank and well,right now we have it covered with a tarp and just hope it doesn't blow off.G-son was entertaining this man while I went in my office to write him a check,I could hear him running his mouth a mile a minute and when I got back where they were,g-son was sitting at the computer,showing off his fair picture that I have as my background and pushing keys on the keyboard like he knew exactly what he was doing.He is so funny sometimes and is really getting quite social,unlike most kids who would have followed me into the office instead of staying with a stranger and talking like he had known him all his life,(maybe that's not a good thing).
When hubbie came home g-son wanted to play in his playroom,so I had the time to pay our weekly bills,uugh! I couldn't find a receipt for something hubbie bought, and that bugs me all to pieces when that happens,he has a special place to put his receipts and still can't keep up with all of them and then he acts like it's no big deal.Well I just hope one of these days Uncle Sam thinks it's no big deal also!! Then his brother called and said their dad's arm where he has a knot was bothering him and maybe we should take him to the doctor and the guy who is painting his house needed some boards for something.Excuse me while I scream!!!! You are also one of the son's,dang it,if you think he needs to go to the doctor,take him.If the guy needs some wood,you get it.Why in the world would you call my hubbie and ask him to do it ?????
Okay this is what this blog is for,I won't say the above to hubbie or anyone else because I have seen these situations tear apart so many families and I love my brother and sister in law and their kids and don't want that to happen.So I can get on here and scream to high heaven and it does me good and does no damage to my family.I asked God to give me the grace and patience to get through this,as it is already a bad situation and I sure don't want to make it worse.And about his arm,maybe I shouldn't think this way,but his home health nurse is in agreement with me,that whatever the knot on his arm is at his age 85 the treatment will be worse than just leaving it alone.Okay enough of the screaming for tonight anyway!
Daughter baked some cupcakes tonight for me to sell at market tomorrow,I'm so glad her and d-in-love are getting interested in the market,because it's like hubbie said about me the other day "the old gray mare,she ain't what she used to be"normally that would hurt my feelings but sometimes you just have to face the truth!!
I started icing my cakes, 12 caramels,3 chocolates,2 coconuts,then wrapped the caramels.My I sat down here at 11:30 it is now 12:20,how time flies when you're having fun,HUH?Tonights wild plant is POKEWEED,most southerners have heard of poke salad or as old timers called it poke salit.My mother used to call it spring tonic because she said" it would clean you out",I only imagined what she meant by that and it was enough to keep me far from the poke salit she cooked up every spring.Pokeweed contains toxins that are poisonous to mammals but not birds.The only time people can eat it is when the leaves are very young and tender in the early spring and them you have to boil it at least 3 times in clean water each time to get the toxins out.Many authorities believe that some toxins still remain and maybe that's why "it would clean you out"? The berries of the pokeweed make a red ink or dye and during the Civil War many letters home were written with poke berry ink.I think I can live the rest of my life just wondering what poke salad taste like!
I have remembered and learned alot about our wild plants while doing these little stories,I hope it has been as enjoyable to you,I'm also going to do some nuts and other edible berries and plants as they come in season so stay tuned!!
God give me understanding and tolerance in the coming days,and help me remember it's all in Your plan. Good Night.

BUSY DAY HOUSECLEANING

Oops,did something I haven't done in a long time this morning,after I cut the alarm off I fell back to sleep.I'm glad hubbie called me to move my van so he could dump some gravel or no telling how long I would have slept.It's 9:00 and that means I'm already an hour behind and the day hasn't even started yet,oh boy!!!
After I grabbed a bowl of cereal and cup of tea I started laundry and housecleaning ,my house hasn't had a good cleaning in about 3 weeks,since the plumbing adventure started.I wonder how it gets so dirty around here with just the few people that live here,my goodness,I worked steady until 4:00,only taking a break for lunch and did 5 loads of laundry during this time,the 5th load was all my little 4-legged friends beds and covers that haven't been washed in a while.Got a call from a neighbor that has an apple and vegetable farm,she said the hail pretty much wiped them out,in one of their orchards it actually cut apples in half,she has some of the hail balls still in her freezer,she said it looked like snow falling,hopefully insurance is going to cover their loses.
I went outside,rounded up all the outside dogs and put flea drops on them,they are getting better about these drops and don't run and hide anymore.Went downstairs and found a place to put all my canned goods in a cooler place,they have been stacked on a bench in the living room.
Hubbie came home,took the tractor and spread the gravel he dumped today.Daughter and I went over to one of my Avon customer to get her an account set up on my website so when she goes back to Florida she can order her Avon on the computer.She is an older lady but was surprisingly sharp about internet use.After we left we tried to find a place that had some honeycrisp apples left but of the ones that were still open nobody had any,that is daughter and I both's favorite apple. We came home and had a sandwich for supper,put my dogs up.It is raining as it has been since about 3:30,not hard rain but just enough to make it messy outside so no walking today.I need to get started baking since I skipped it last night.I made 34 layers, 1 7-up pound, 2 blackberry wine,1 apple butter cake.It is 11:00 and my last ones are still in the oven.I am listening to the news and blogging.I haven't taken time to post anymore of my native plant uses in the last few days so tonight I will start that back.CATNIP grows wild in a large patch in one of our pastures and when I walk I always pick leaves and enjoy their aroma.It grows wild throughout America and appears to drive cats into a rolling frenzy when they get in it,thus the name.Leaves of this plant are edible and add minty flavor to salads.Chewing raw leaves will relieve digestive disorders.A strong tea made with the leaves will stimulate sweating thus reducing fevers from flu and colds,the tea will also calm the stomach.Catnip oil is a favorite in aroma therapy.
This plant is called CHINESE LANTERN,it is obvious why.This is a member of the nightshade family,with potatoes and like potatoes unripened fruit is poisonous.The leaves have been used for many medicinal purposes,including treatment of malaria.It's main use is decoration as these lantern shaped pods are easy to dry and will remain intact for a long time.They are a very popular fall decoration.I had a big patch of these,unfortunately it was where our new water line is and they all got dug up,but I'm sure they will be back next year.This is a beautiful plant that God put here for our enjoyment.

Well all cakes are out and the blackberries have been glazed,I am ready to call it a day,at least my house is clean tonight and everything seems back to normal now,at least for today. Thank you Lord for all your wonderful blessings. Good Night.

THE FAIR IS IN TOWN AND WE DID IT ALL

Woke to bad news, a friend has suddenly died,she works at my first Avon stop,so I had to skip that stop this morning.Instead I went to another stop of a good friend of hers to ask what happened.
I was told she had colon cancer and didn't know it until she started hurting really bad last Wednesday and went to the emergency room,they tried to do surgery Thursday,she died Friday.
She was only 51 years old and the picture of health,her and a friend ran 4 miles everyday and she walked on her lunch break.God has a plan for her I know because she was a very devoted Christain lady and had a deep love for our Heavenly Father and it showed in everything she did,
Heaven is a better place with her presence.
I ran all my other stops and finally went over to see the girls that worked with my friend,it was a sad scene,her sweater and all her things were still on her machine and no one could bear to move them,I felt so sad for all of them.
I got home about 1:00 and hubbie and g-son were eating lunch.Hubbie finished and went outside to figure how many blocks to build our pump house.I ate and started getting g-son ready to go to the fair,he is so excited but he is needing a nap so we left a little early so he could get a good nap before the rides open at 4:00.We put him in the stroller when we got there and he slept while we looked at all the exhibits and did some shopping,I'm a sucker for unusual Christmas decorations.
We ran into 2 other sets of grandparents from our church with their grand kids,we got them all together on one ride but couldn't get them all looking one way.......
G-son had a ball it was pay one price ride all day and he was pointing to another ride before he finished the one he was on.Hubbie and I enjoyed the fair to,it brought back memories of when our kids were small and we used to take them,remembering the excitement on their little faces.We spent 4 1/2 hours just enjoying and watching g-son enjoy every aspect of the country fair,the rides.....I think we figured he rode about 25 times,almost 3 times on each ride.Yes he loves rides and wanted to go on the big rides like this one,he kept pointing at it and saying that one next,now to me that just does not look like fun at all!!!!We pretty much did it all from the animals,except I wanted to bring them all home,I actually did want to put a bid on some baby ducks and chicks but hubbie said no,but as soon as we get around to building a fence I am getting some of these goats.And of course we had our share of fair food ,corn dogs, butterfly fries and cotton candy,with real lemonade to drink,good thing it's only once a year,and I'm not going near my scales for a while.It has been a wonderful evening and I know this is a lot of pics but these 2 last ones I've just got to add on here............................................ As fate would have it what goes up must come down and after a precious wonderful afternoon, when I got home my bubble was busted by news of the break-up of daughter and b-friend,don't get me wrong I have no special wish for this certain guy to be around,I just don't like seeing my daughter cry and hurt over any boy.Unfortunately I have seen this coming now for about a month,but it's hard to know what to say in this situation before it actually happens.Lord please give her comfort and strength and the vision to see past this to wait for the one You have chosen for her.It is getting late 12:15 and I am worn out,looking forward to a day of house cleaning tomorrow,on yeaaa!!!!! God be with me and guide me I love you. Good Night.