Autumn Food Coloring!

It's Fall and to me nothing could be better!  What is there about this time of year that makes you want to just rake up the leaves into a tall pile and run and jump into them like when you were in the 4th grade again?  Just open the door in the morning and let me out to play.  I'll breathe in that fresh crisp air and listen to the rustle of the leaves as I walk on them!  I'll come in as it turns dusky and then see the breathtaking colors come alive by candlelight inside!  

My eyes could never tire from taking in the beauty that is all around as the leaves change to such yummy colors.  When I look at those trees immediately this is what my mind sees:

cinnamon

cranberries

nutmeg

dry mustard

cumin

clove

oregano

basil

chili powder

curry

pumpkins and the multitude of squash colors available

...........and here is the most terrific part of the visual.........it's FREE!!!  .....we didn't have to rent a video or go into a dark movie theater to see it.

Now, for those that visit the Hastings Farm Bistro, the best part begins..........my brain sees those leaf colors in the form of:

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie 

 

Mushroom & Barley Soup .............and let's have.......Sourdough Bread with it......YUMMY!

  

Cinnamon Rolls with golden raisins & pecans or

 

Baked Empire Apple with dried cranberries

  

let's 'present' the table for our eyes to feast on while we eat!

     

oh.......and don't forget the buffet for Autumn beauty and always candy assortments!

No matter where you turn, warmth and comfort prevail in the Autumn home.........

color can be truly amazing !! 

Aren't We Just Something Though!

Take a look at these little guys.....or girls....

Aren't they just something though?

It dawned on me while I gazed on these adorable creatures that just very possibly we're not so far removed from them in God's eyes!  

'What?' you say.  Well think about it for a minute and look again at them.

I'm wondering if we don't spend way to much time squawking about all that I want and I need

and I think and on and on and on.............

without ever quieting down enough to hear what HE wants

God wants us to talk to him and ask him and come to him:

 Philippians 4:6-7Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

But we can't have his peace without quieting ourselves and listening to hear him!!! 

Calming down from our busy pace and snuggling up and relaxing in a cozy spot with his Word and simply just listening (for a change) and not chirping every minute.....ahhhhhhh...

                                

  

.......there..........now doesn't that feel better?  Amazing!

Our Amazing little Eucalyptus tree!

 

I thought it would be fun to collectively watch our little tree grow.  We planted it two weeks ago on October 11th, Columbus Day weekend.  That's funny isn't it, because I mentioned that nobody celebrates that holiday here and didn't we go and plant a tree!  

Now, anyone that knows me, knows that I love trees but I never dreamed that I'd live somewhere that I could have a Eucalyptus right in my own back yard........amazing!  In case you aren't familiar with this little species.......it has a beautiful smelling leaf and it's color is very unique as well, probably best described as a sage to blue spruce color.  Very nice against the other greens in the surrounding area. You can see that Arborvitae in the background but you can only see a glimpse of that beautiful Deodar Cedar off to the left.  That should grow up to about 70 ft.  That makes me laugh out loud (wish you were here to hear me now........lolol) only because my brother-in-law tells me that almost everything I like is going to be 70-75 ft. tall!!!

Here's the general rule of thumb that all the arborists that I know use ...... oh yes people.....I am versed in these matters you know....

first year sleeps....second year creeps.......third year leaps!!

I'll keep you, shall we say, POSTED, on it's progress.  

Just in case you aren't familiar with this tree, here is the description:

eucalyptus |ˌyoōkəˈliptəs| (also eucalypt |ˈyoōkəˌlipt|)noun ( pl. -tuses or -ti |-tī|)a fast-growing evergreen Australasian tree that has been widely introduced elsewhere. It is valued for its timber, oil, gum, and resin, and as an ornamental tree. Also called gum 1 , gum tree . • GenusEucalyptus, family Myrtaceae: numerous species.• (also eucalyptus oil) the oil from eucalyptus leaves, chiefly used for its medicinal properties.

Did you see that word timber?  Wow, maybe we'd better brush up on our pruning skills during it's first year nap time......what do you think?

Christopher who? ya'll !!

I don't get it !  Columbus Day 'didn't happen' in NC yesterday.

What's the deal? It was simply amazing to me!  Nobody seemed to care. 

Did they all just forget what day it was?  Or did everybody have too much barbecue on Sunday and simply say no to the holiday on Monday? All the kids had school and we got mail delivered right to our mailbox!

  

I know, I know, some people claim that Columbus treated those on his ship poorly, and when he got here those people already present on American soil were not treated fairly.  I was not here at the time to be able to give evidence to those facts but I can assure you of this fact..........

Some large NC based businesses for many, many years had thousands and thousands of hard working people in tobacco fields,

              (HELLO!! did 'somebody' not say smoking is bad for your health?)

and people, who knew people, that first-hand KNEW people, who were treated poorly as well.

 NOT A GOOD THING!

                                                

So what do you think..........we should ignore a place like NC who among it's accomplishments:

• Pepsi was invented in NewBern 
• Krispy Kreme donuts were founded in Winston-Salem
• The first miniature golf course EVER was in Fayetteville

                and come on people.............

• Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville NC on Mar. 7, 1914

So let's wake up people in NC.........let's cut old Christopher some slack and give him a bit of credit...........

It's not about his nationality and he wasn't sponsored by the Nina, Pinta or the Santa Marie boat manufacturing company to try out their boat line for hurricane endurance status........although ultimately that company would have gone under.   Oops! get it.....gone under? Because, as we all know, it broke apart.

It IS a holiday you know!   President Roosevelt in 1937 named October 12th, Columbus Day and Congress, in 1971, declared it a Federal public holiday (that means America!) 

                              

Columbus Day celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 on the American continent, and guess what??

I'm an American, no matter what State I'm in!

Happy Columbus Day Chris, you 'good 'ole boy' !!

oh..and would you please pass me a cold Pepsi and hand me that Krispy Kreme!

Bait & Gas

It's funny but all 6 of us kids each have lots of stories that start with 'when we were little, I remember when we would go fishin'........... 

Now really, at least for us girls, it wasn't like we went often but we always look back on the fun times when our family would rent a camp on a little known lake in central NY, full of weeds and lily pads but a fun- to- fish place.  We never kept them or ate them, but boy oh boy!! we were gonna get the BIG one!  

Eventful fishing, yes....productive no!  Couple of things that stick out as memorable to me--

-Trying to find a doctor, on a Sat. morning, in the tiny town nearest us to remove the fishing hook out of our oldest brother's ear!  How in the world did it get there you ask???........let's just put it this way.......he became much more proficient at casting as he grew up!

- Then there was the time that everything was just 'peachy' in the rowboat until my sister let (at least that's how it all played out) the fish not only take the worm, but the whole fishing pole and reel!  Oh boy, THAT fishing expedition was not fun anymore!!

Can't we JUST HAVE FUN!! I was thinking!   Okay......maybe tomorrow besides, now we're out of nightcrawlers and minnows.

Early on Sun. morning my dad sent me, the new driver, and my sister to get bait and gas.Keep in mind that this is WAY before everything was open on Sundays and we are not in a 'thriving metropolis' or any facsimile thereof. 

Now our dad has pretty much held the world's record for driving "on fumes" although sometimes having as much as 1/16 of a tank of gas,  but now we're heading out to who knows where with a 9 passenger V8 station wagon to get worms for bait and gas for the car and guess what?? ( Dad was definitely going for the 'on fumes' title this weekend I was soon to see)

For me, it was a chance to drive so let's go!

    +     +  

We drove, and drove and found the bait shop just fine but no gas stations were open.

Did our dad not KNOW that gas stations just aren't open on Sundays or what!!!

I don't know, but I can tell you that after driving around for what seemed like an eternity, I was thrilled to see a car parked outside of a gas station and a couple of workers inside this one place. Sweaty hands by now I drive up to the pump and turn off the car while we wait for the attendant to pump our gas.  No problem.... Linda and I will just listen to our tunes until he comes out to us.

He keeps us waiting for quite awhile but who 'gives a birds beak' !!! .....we've got the Beach Boys on the radio and life is good!

I guess it was several songs later when a guy interrupts our music session and calls into my window-

Oh, miss.........we're not open yet!

Fine, I'll wait, I reply.  

 

Believe me, in my mind I didn't care if I had to wait even an hour

because at least I made it to the gas station and we're not sitting on the side of the road somewhere at the mercy of anybody who just might be out on a Sun. morning in rural America.

Well miss, you've got quite a wait he smiles at me.............didn't you notice that there are no nozzels or hoses on these pumps?  We're not openin' for another week yet!!  

                

We drove away, sheepishly, and then we started laughing and I'm not kidding you, we laughed so hard we thought we were gonna..........yup.......but we didn't..........

We were directed by this man to a station down the road 'a piece' ( WHAT in the world does that mean ???)...... now, turn right, turn left, and then go ............you've got the picture but miraculously we made it to the station, got gas and then drove back to camp,  still laughing our heads off!!

Oh, but I can just tell you .....this would have been a whole other story all together if we'd have run out of gas and not brought that bait back to camp for our next fishing trip. Be sure of that!

 

Although, when I think about it.......what was the rush??  We were already down one fishing pole and the brand new reel so what were our chances of catching 'the BIG one' today anyway?

You know, it is pretty amazing that a grown girl has resorted to catching fish this way but when I think about it........it's probably Linda's safest way!

GO FISH GIRL!!!!  

Shine Baby Shine!

Just look at this guy..........

I'll bet you're thinking that this would have been a good picture if the flash didn't go off on his glasses aren't you?  Well, I hit the 'do not shine' button on the camera and so I'm thinking that it's simply because he 'shines'!!

  Call me crazy but do you think that there should be a law or something against somebody looking so happy and cheery after working 8 hrs. and of course before that having set the alarm to get his power walk in???? 

Let's try to figure it out .............could he be smiling because:

• He can have his fresh-brewed and favorite choice beverage whenever while he's working?

• He has to wait on women all day that smile and say........ 

                   I don't know, what do YOU suggest?

• He has just gotten to sit for the first time in 8 hrs.?

• He's outside in 70 degrees with NO HUMIDITY listening to the band and the fountain in the background at the place he calls "his" village?  (You'd better hurry back Tom, he's taking over!)

• He is waiting for a grilled salmon sandwich with some exotic sauce on it?

• AND the most likely reason..............we are together!!!

Shine all you want Mr. Barista....you are amazing!

On a Side Note..........

On a side note to my little story about the DMV office:

I just thought of something while in the shower last night and it's pretty amazing.......

.......(no, not that I was in the shower) but the actual revelation to my brain.............

My sister didn't even request a special plate or say please or anything and guess what????

She got an easy to remember prefix  alright..............  how about:

                                   XTC

Now I don't know about you, but when she and her hubby ride around town, don't you think that people now KNOW how special they are?   oh yeh they do!  

Then I've got my other sister with this plate:

With these results, I have got to rethink my strategy for that 'all so special visit' to the DMV!