" It's Here ! November Chill ! "

I just came into the house from walking my dogs, Ruby and Roxy.

It's finally here!

The November Chill.

Oh it's been on it's way.

We've had some beautiful Autumn days.

I had my sweatshirt jacket on while my dogs were wearing their furs.

It somehow seems unfair!

I have been thinking lately of bringing my winter coat out of the closet. I suppose that will happen soon.

They say, those weather people, that we are getting some cold Canadian air swooping in. Don't my hips know that's true!

But I will handle it just fine. My Canadian friends make it bearable with their wonderful humor.

We have been blessed this year in Southern Illinois.

Our Autumn has been spectacular this year.

The cool air makes me feel alive. So I am going to post a poem that I wrote last year. 

Thursday, November 5, 2009

" The Autumn Of Her Life " by Diana

The wind was cold and dry as it brushed against her cheeks .

And even though she quickly felt the shiver of the wind flow over and around her skin,
It felt wonderful . It felt refreshing .
It made her feel alive .

The moon hung low in the sky,
glowing in beautiful warm shades of amber.





It was the harvest moon .
To her , it was the most splendid moon of the year .

She closed her eyes beneath the moonbeams
and she could hear the yellow, orange and red leaves
rustling past her silhouette.





One or two of the dried leaves touched her skin as she took
a very deep breath .

She imagined what the warm flames of the wood fire looked like
that someone unknown to her had lit in their fireplace.
That inviting scent mixed with the smoky scent of burning leaves
lingering in the air , filled her lungs and brought a smile to her face.





And while all of this was a special treat to her senses, she was getting colder now and realized that she would soon have to go back inside.

These magical days of this season were fleeting now
as were the magical years of her life .

The days grew shorter as did the years.

Yes she was getting colder now as well as older.
It was time to come in out of the chill to warm her body .

But her mind would always remain warm filled with the thoughts
and feelings of this beautiful season
and this beautiful life.

Diana Siebels

So there you have it. My thoughts about this Beautiful time of year.
There are so many things happening in my life right now.


In five weeks it will be a year since my mom passed away. This still just seems so odd to me. 


In six weeks my last child will be getting her drivers license. This still just seems odd to me.


Where does the time go? Better yet, why does it go faster as we get older? Wouldn't one think that it would slow down as we get older?


Well I certainly don't have the answers. I'm still trying to figure out what the heck my purpose is !


Three children, two grandchildren so far.
Maybe that's it.


Maybe that is what I was meant to do.


I am grateful for what I have accomplished. My children and grandchildren are extraordinary. I was blessed.


But now that they are all on their way, I think that I would like to help others in some way.


How about you? What about you empty nesters?
I am not completely an empty nester but at 52 years old, I am thinking hard on the subject.


How have you, if you've been in this situation, restarted your life?


It is an exciting yet scary time. 
Time for new ideas?

" Promise Not to Laugh."

Please don't laugh at me. O.K.?

My son brought over these lovely root things for me along with some pears today. They were from his father-in-laws garden. I am pretty sure that they are turnips. But since I've never had a turnip, 

I am really not to sure. 

So I need your help identifying these roots. And remember that I am a city girl. And my mother never had these in the house when I was growing up. I have lots of excuses for you to not laugh at me.

Here is the root in question. At least I think it's a root, I'm not even sure of that!

I do think that they are pretty. I love the purple on them. So after you have finished giggling at my ignorance perhaps you can also tell me what to do with them. 

Alright, lets not get nasty here!

Just perhaps a few preparation ideas would be nice as I would like to try them. Thank you ahead, for whatever info you can help me with.

And it's really alright to laugh at me if you want to. I don't mind.

So I finished painting my dining room today. I am so happy with it. It now matches the front room. That's what happens when you have left over paint!

I will show you what it looks like now. Everything won't be put back together until the weekend. I will post pictures sometime next week of the final result.

And please excuse the dirty chandelier. It will get cleaned when all is said and done!

There you go, in case you didn't remember the colors of the living room. I am so happy to be done with this job and am grateful that my body held up!

I am going to relax for the rest of the evening but before I go I have one more thing I wanted to tell you. 

We have digital cable for our television. It also has music channels on it which I often listen to like now while I am typing this.

One of the music stations is called "Sounds of the Seasons".

Right now they are playing "Snowfall" by The Four Freshmen.

It is such a beautiful song. They also just got through playing "Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer".

I just love Christmas and Holiday music, don't you?

 

" I'm Still Alive!"

It was a good and productive day. I am grateful to be resting with my feet up and not to much pain. Praise God, my prayers are being heard!

I completed two walls in my dining room today. Only two more to go which, God willing, I will complete tomorrow. It looks so beautiful so far, I am so very proud of my hard work.

However it is inspiring me to do more. I just can't seem to sit still! But I have discovered that when I am working hard, my stomach doesn't hurt, unless I get too hungry.

So I guess I know myself pretty darn well. I always fall back on working when times are tough. The more I work, the less I worry. The less I worry, the less my stomach hurts. I can not just sit and dwell on my troubles. 

Did I mention that the doctor that did my endoscopy prescribed anti-depressants for the pain in my stomach? When I found this out (at the pharmacy) I was outraged! I am not depressed. And for him to assume that my pain was from depression, to me, was ridiculous.

That is when I called my own doctor. When I told him what was going on, he knew that I had been worrying too much. So he doubled my anti-anxiety medication. That did the trick. I have since cut back the dosage, have been practicing setting my mind free and praying more. It is working just fine. 

Please don't take this the wrong way. I do understand depression. I know that it is a horrible problem for people, people that I am close to. But I have never, ever considered myself depressed. Well sure we all have our moments or hours, but I have always fought my way out of it. And won. I guess that I am lucky that way.

I am however, a very, very big worrier. It has followed me around all of my life. The way I fight it is to work. So now you know why I am constantly busy. Unfortunately, all of that work wasn't enough to control it. So after having two strokes, I have to also take medication.

It has helped, but not always. So I am still moving and working. My husband has a joke about me. He says that I could never die until the entire house and yard was spotless. He thinks that isn't possible so I will never die!

Anyway back to the painting. I hope to finish tomorrow as I clean for my people on Thursdays. I need Wednesday to recoup. So if all goes well. If I make it through another day. If I can manage that ladder one more day. I will be done.

Oh I forgot, I also cooked, yes COOKED, three full meals today, hung out a load of clothes in the yard, walked the dogs and took the garbage out! I can't hardly believe that I am still here!

Just give me one more day Lord, one more day........

"Progress, I Think...."

I started at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning. I finished sanding the last few spots on the walls. Walked up and down the ladder umpteen times to wash the walls. Then I vacuumed the dust off of the floor.

Then I climbed the ladder umpteen times to tape the walls around the ceiling. Then I walked up and down the ladder umpteen times to paint the trim and around the chandelier.

I haven't had to paint a ceiling in years. Twenty-one to be exact. My 6'3 husband usually does this fun job.

 Than he has a beer. See how happy he looks after painting a ceiling?

These ceilings in this old house are all textured. Very nicely but textured. Which makes them difficult to paint. Even when you have a really good extension pole, when you are 5'2, it is very tricky.

While up on the ladder, my feet where killing me and my knuckles were starting to swell, I started calling out to God. 

Yes as I was half way around I kept saying "Oh God, oh God, oh God!". At one point I held up the brush and asked "God would you please take this brush and finish for me?", I knew he wouldn't so I said " That's O.K., I CAN DO THIS!!!!!".

And so I did. After the trim I poured the paint into the paint tray, rolled my roller in the paint and started rolling.

I had no idea how hard it was to roll a textured ceiling!! One coat was definitely not enough. That ceiling just sucked that paint right in.

My husband warned me to wear a bandanna and my old glasses. He was right about that. I had paint spattered all over me and my neck was killing me.

I finished at 3:00p.m. It came out good after the second coat. I was too exhausted to go to the weeny roast and service at church that night but not to tired to have a beer!

I was proud of my work but oh so sore! This was one weekend that my husband was SOOOO glad that he didn't come home! But he was sweet to listen to me moan and whine all evening!

I went to church Sunday morning instead. It was a beautiful service and it gave me a really good reason not to work!

You would have been proud of me. I sat on my butt all the rest of the day yesterday!!!

So Carpel Tunnel be damned! I am going to start on the walls today!!

I apologize for this post being so boring! This is just something that I must get done this week and it's really all that's on my mind. So I will leave you with a couple more CedarHurst photos. 

 Another view of "Alfred Atlas"!

Got to get busy, catch ya later!!!

 

" I Need to Get Serious !"

I am getting frustrated with myself. I have had all of this free time as of late and have wasted it. Yes wasted it. 

 

Everything has been moved out of the dining room so that I could prepare the walls, wash them and then paint.

 

Granted It did take a good four days to fix the one doorway. I had to literally rebuild the corner with Spackle. It was really banged up and damaged. Then I repainted it and nailed up new corner guards to protect from further damage.

 

After which I got the jig saw out and cut a new piece of plywood, primed and painted it. We put it in the doorway to keep the dogs in the front part of the house. We've tried child gates but they where a pain in the butt to open and close so often. We can just step over the board.

 

The old board was too heavy and damaged the wall. So since I did that which I didn't expect to be so involved, I sort of slacked off.

 

I baked a cake. Those of you who know me also know that I hate cooking and baking. Wastes too much time and energy for me. I'd rather be crocheting, sewing, crafting , cleaning, gardening, well...

you get the idea, anything BUT cooking or baking!!!

 

I had been crocheting another pair of fingerless gloves for my older daughter Ginny. After I finished the first one, I tried it on only to discover that I stupidly used a size ten needle instead of a size eight!

I could swear that I grabbed the right needle! So I had to start all over again as this glove would only fit an eight year old.

 

Ginny suggested that I finish them for my granddaughter Sarah, the eight year old! Good Idea Gin, thanks!

 

Speaking of Ginny, she will be here for Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday. So I need to get my butt in gear and get this room done!!!

 

Why am I in such a hurry you may ask? Well I'll tell you, just calm down! My husband will only be home one more time before Thanksgiving. This will be next weekend. There are certain things that he needs to hang in that room that I can't. Also since there is only one electrical outlet in this whole room, I pretty much demanded that he put in a new one before Thanksgiving!

 

No I am not an ogre. Simply put, this is a fairly easy job for him. We have lived here eleven years. I have had to use an extension cord going across the whole room for eleven years every time I want to listen to the stereo.

 

Here's a little secret. Come closer. I don't want anyone else to hear....

my husband sometimes plays stupid. Yes he does. It has taken me longer than it should have to find this out. I guess that would make me really stupid!! 

 

He is very handy. Sometimes when I suggest a project be it big or small, he will stand there looking lost, blank eyed. I don't remember the exact moment at which I discovered this little trick of his but I did call him out on it. Now there is no playing dumb for him anymore. He and my son are to install a new electrical outlet in my wall next weekend.

 

So you see I have to get this room done! 

 

I colored my hair yesterday. Something that I never thought that I would do again. But I did it. It is a warm chestnut color and I must say that I am very pleased with the results.

 

I asked my fifteen year old, Katie, if I looked ten years younger without the gray. She just looked at me and said "What do you want me to say mom?".

 

What does she think I want her to say? I want her to be honest and say "Oh mom, you look at least ten years younger!".

 

I really like it. I couldn't stop looking at the pretty color. More time wasted. I could have been putting color on those walls!!!

 

So today I get serious. I am not cooking. There are leftovers and frozen pizzas. After I finish my coffee and this post, I am off to the dining room like a painting warrior!!!

 

I have until 3:00 p.m. at which time I will have to stop and get ready for church. Tonight is our Reformation service. We always have a weeny roast before service. Now how could one pass that up I ask you?

 

So you may not hear from me for a day or two. I'll have to take a break sometime, I will visit you then O.K.?

 

Wish me luck, patience and a steady hand!

" It's That Time Of Year Again "

It is THAT time of year again. The leaves on the trees are showing us their awesome colors.

They are also starting to drop their leaves on the ground. Time to break out the rakes and leaf blowers.

We've also seen the beautiful Autumn moon in full.

But around my house it is also time to get the yard prepared for winter. 

My mother's wooden table and chair will be brought into the garage to preserve it from the cold and snow. The hose will be wound up and put in the garage as well. 

My bike will be brought to the basement and the mower will be winterized. The latter will please my husband to no end I'm sure!

The planters will be emptied. The Cannas will be dug up. Some of the plants will be cut down.

Around my house it is also time for the annual

"Meeting of the Gnomes"!

You see,

along with all of the yard ornaments that are to be packed away,

there are also several gnomes that will go into hiding from the cold and bitter winds.

I suppose, as usual, they will be discussing this past summers garden.

You know, did she water enough, did she plant that in the right spot?

And what about that toad? Did she take good care of him?

All that I can say is that this summer was one of my better one's. And if I must defend myself, I will say that I planted several new perennials. All of which seem to be doing well.

 

This is my mini Pine Tree. I love Conifers!

I can't wait to put a little string of battery operated lights and some cute little ornaments on it.

When I mention this, my husband just shakes his head at me!

I honestly think that this annual ritual of winterizing our gardens would make many people sad. And as pretty as our yard looked this year (it improves year after year) I sort of look forward to it.

I love fall and I love winter. Granted February seems to drag on a bit for me but all in all I can say with honesty that I love each season. Watching the subtle and not so subtle changes still, after all these years, excites me.

Autumn being my favorite season because of the smells and colors. The cooler temperatures and the tasty Autumn treats.

And my most favorite, Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday.

Family gathering to share good food, fellowship, hugs and love.

Winter with it's uncanny silence. Glistening snow. Cozy nights snuggling with a warm blanket, glowing fire and a good book.

Oh and don't forget the hot chocolate with marshmallows please!

And then there is Spring. Filled with new life and hope. The smell of fresh dirt after a good rain and as always seeing that very first green bloom.

Summer brings to mind tasty B.B.Q.'d food. Drinking beer with my husband while playing board games in the yard. Planning out that years garden and the excitement of seeing the blooms and fruits of our labor.

I sure do hope that my garden Gnomes thought I did a good job this year. Our yard may be tiny but it is magical to us. 

I suspect the Gnomes have helped some with that!

So what about you? Are you preparing your space for winter yet?

Do you look forward to winter?

Do you have Gnomes too?

" Good Morning Folks "

Good morning everyone! I woke at 5:30 this morning. Not unusual for me. We had some storms going through our area so I had to hurry the little dogs along on their morning walk today. It is very windy and has rained a bit. Yet still very warm, 71 degrees. I may have to give Katie a ride this morning if it is still raining, we shall see.

I still have quite a few sculpture photos from CedarHurst. The above one is called "Dolmen" and is cast concrete. The size of some of these sculptures is amazing to me. It makes one wonder how they were constructed! The next two photos reminded me of the original movie
" War of the Worlds " I don't know why, it's just what pops into my head when I see them. And I see them several times a week on my drive to church!

 
They are called " Three Travelers ". They seem like alien travelers to me!

I don't know what my thoughts are on the one above. It is called "Eastern Leanings". Mmm, I just don't know!

How about this one? It looks like something out of my husbands tool box! I could not find the name of this one. It frustrates me because I know that I found it somewhere and now I can't. Sorry : (

I think that you'll get a kick out of the next one. I know I did. I took two photos at different angles. It is called " The Ties That Bind " .

You can click on the second one for a better view. I really liked this one, I found it very, very interesting and unusual in a familiar sort of way !

That's it for today folks. I must get busy working in my dining room today. I have a doorway that has been giving me problems. More than I first had anticipated. But I think it is almost ready and then I will wash the walls. I won't paint until the weekend.

The schools here have five days off starting Thursday! Five days! Thursday and Friday are teacher in service days which Jake and I always joke and say that they are actually ordering pizza and having kegs of beer! I guess Monday is a holiday. I'm sure you'll all let me know. Gosh I lead such a sheltered life. Thank God I have all of you to keep me on track!!

Hope you enjoyed the sculptures, I have more to post later. Have a beautiful day, Love Di ♥