Foliage

Firstly, 'foliage' is sort of a funny word to me. It rolls off the tongue, yet sounds strangely complex. Ah, well...
I took this photo outside of my office on Friday. There was a break in the rain and the sun's rays were hitting the trees in a most beautiful way. I love how much variation there is in color...a bit of green remaining, some yellow, bronze and nearly copper. It's simply amazing!
Thanks God for such variety in everyday life!

Decorating :)

Ah...autumn is fully upon us and I can hear winter coming up the road :)

I don't have many 'fall' decorations, but I'm working on it. I've seen some great blogger ideas. I especially like the leaf garland of thanks. If I get around to creating one, I'll totally post about it.

Hee hee!


Here is a photo of my lonely decoration. It's a Mickey pumpkin. He comes out as the leaves begin to turn and hangs out until Thanksgiving. At that time he is shunted off to storage by all of the Christmas decorations.

I did put in a Mulberry Jar candle out on my pretty doily from Hungary.
...I'm not sure that qualifies :)

Leavenworth

I think I mentioned that I was up in Leavenworth a few weeks ago for a conference. Leavenworth is a small town that kept itself alive a bunch of years ago by theming itself to be a Bavarian Community. It's kind of kitschy, but fun for a visit. This first photo is of the main part of town with all the buildings decorated to look similar. I like the town, and having conference here, because you can basically walk everywhere with no troubles.

There are a number of restaurants in town that serve German food. I have yet to find any that I'd like to have again. This is the jager schnitzel with spaetzle (doesn't it look like corn???) and red cabbage. It wasn't awful. The cabbage was all over everything, and the sauce had a nice flavor, but I won't be frequenting this establishment again for German fare. :(

There are quite a few fun specialty shops. This one is a favorite--a bona fide Cheesemonger! So many tasty cheeses. To bad it my 'food envelope' was empty, no cheese for me. They do allow you to sample everything in the shoppe...a tasty stop!

I happened to be in town on one of the Fridays of Oktoberfest. There were horse drawn carriages, accordion players and all sorts of fall decorations. It's kind of nice :)

I honestly don't remember if folks in Arizona bother with 'fall' decorations...anyone? anyone?

I also never noticed anyone, ever planting kale and cabbages as winter foliage. I mean I've seen them in Tomorrowland...but there they plant all sorts of veggies as decoration as part of the theming.... Anyway, take a look right here--digital proof I'm not completely out of my mind.

I thought I'd leave you with a bit of video. I just figured out how to post it! Yah, I have skills. Guess we should see if it works before I start gloating! :)

This was one of the accordionists who played throughout my afternoon in Leavenworth. He said this was his favorite song. It is actually just the beginning portion of it--30 seconds to be precise--but you'll get the idea. I kinda like the accordion. It's no banjo or harmonica or fiddle..or yodeling....but it has a unique, folksy flare.

Genießen!!

country folk

I took these shots while I was down in Fall City at the farm. This first little guy did not want his photo taken. This was the best I could get. I'm not a big fan of birds...

This one reminded me of my friend Lisa's kitchen decor. Well, at least her apartment kitchen decor, I'm not sure if she still has roosters in her new kitchen. I live quite far away now.




There were also these calves eating this mushy stuff from a pile on the ground. It didn't smell bad, but it looked sort of regurgitated. I don't think it was.

I'm not really a big fan of cows either, but they were there. Sister Cole collected cows forever! I think she has more cows than anyone I know. I don't buy her cows anymore. I'm not sure if she still fancies them or not...I haven't thought to ask.

Lees, Cole...you guys are welcome to weigh in here with my random farm animal post written to help me keep up this November.
: )

a little winding road

This little stretch of road is not far from my home. I enjoy taking it, even though it usually isn't the most direct route. The road winds down this big hill into my town. As you can see there are huge trees towering over the roadway...always so much for my eyes to take in! What you can't see in this photo are the many leaves falling out of the trees all around.

Why do I stay here...rain...and the seasons.

Hope you all are enjoying the changing of the seasons!!
: )

A Sunday Drive

'Tis true...I decided to take a prverbial 'Sunday drive' out through the country. I drove at or below the speed limit, took photos and listened to music from 40's and 50's. The music, though good to listen to, wasn't wholly by choice--I only have AM radio in my auto and didn't care to listen to anything to do with politics or a local sermon. The big band and rat pack turned out to be quite fitting for the excursion!

The first shot is from the car. It's kind of cool that I can set the camera to ignore the windshield! The leaves are turning this really great goldenrod color and some are even totally RED!!! It is fascinating!

I ended up at Fall City Farms...I was a little early for the Bluegrass I was hoping to hear--actually a lot early--but I did have a chance for some fun photos! Here are some of them:

There were lots of fun pumpkins and autumn decorations...

A lot of funky things to see...and the weather was beautiful. Overall, a super afternoon. Perhaps next week I'll call ahead to see just when the Bluegrass is to ensue and I'll head back over!

Here's a parting shot of the turning leaves on the river...perhaps the Snoqualmie River?? Whatever it is...it sure was pretty!

Baking day!

Last Monday was my regular day off and it was a perfect day to bake! I spent the morning cleaning up the rest of the house and preparing for making some tasty treats! We had a staff meeting on Tuesday so that is always a good excuse for me to whip up something fun. I also planned to take some pumpkin donuts to CG Tuesday night.

Here is a photo of all the ingredients I would be needing:

Doesn't look like much...and really, the ingredients involved were rather simple. I was going to make some cinnamon rolls with caramel icing, a quick apple crisp and the pumpkin donuts.

The donuts were the most intimidating...and actually were the easiest to make. To bad I was on the phone while mixing the ingredients and forgot two of the key flavor makers so they tasted awful! Ah well, I'm going to give them another go for CG this week. :)


This is one of my favorite gadgets that I rarely have a chance to use.This fall I'm trying to find as many recipes that would require it's use as possible!



These are the fun skins of the apples after being peeled, cored and sliced--I think they're fabulous!



Here are the finished crisp and cinnamon rolls. The rolls look pretty wrecktastic, but they tasted yummy!
Actually, after another look, the photo of the crisp just looks rather boring!
If I do the crisp again I will put a little of the crumble between layers of apple for a little more texture. Always something to improve!










I have no idea why the photo of the rolls is this direction...and I can't seem to fix it!

It was a fun day in the kitchen. I really wish I could afford one of those fancy gel mats to aid in the salvation of my tootsies! Standing for a couple hours on the ceramic tile produces some serious aches! All Fine Kitchen Supply Fund Donations can be forwarded to ocm :)

My next adventure...I want to do some traditional butter cookies. I'm hoping they're yummy and not too difficult. I'd then like to venture into the world of truffles...hoping that in the end I can do some of both for some tasty and lovely Christmas gifts!

We'll see!

Levaquin-Magic-Three Books-A Motherboard-An Aspirin & Ice

I've been away...a lot can happen in 21 days.

As noted a few posts previous to this--I was ill. Nasty-scurvy-sick...at one point fearing pneumonia sick. Yes, the green caterpillars did show up, unwelcome guests that they are. Thankfully, Levaquin again lived up to it's killer reputation and rid my meek self of all the nasty germies! Woo-hoo!

This could lead easily to a rant (again) about antibiotic resistant germs and how I feel every single person ever is responsible to help to prevent them...but, I will refrain.

OK, that's not wholly true. I will not rant. I will however copy the 3Ds of antibiotic use. Read them, know them, abide by them.
"Remember the 3 Ds of appropriate antibiotic use:

1. The right Drug. Use only the antibiotic that your healthcare professional prescribed for your condition, and not one used by another person or for another illness.
2. The right Dose. Take the prescribed amount of your drug at the correct times.
3. The right Duration. Even if you start to feel better, continue taking your drug for the full course (the prescribed number of days) to ensure that no bacteria can survive." -www.levaquin.com

   

Thankfully...I was up and (almost) running as I headed to Walt Disney World for a much needed and much enjoyed holiday with a some of my best friends in the world! The weather was great & there weren't really any crowds. We ate lots of yummy things and visited lots of exciting attractions. There were wild animals and scary monsters...water slides and pool chairs to relax & read in! I started and finished three books--THREE!! Having long flights helped this endeavor...but seriously, I love to read! Overall--a vacation so good I forgot what day it was...brilliant!

I guess this means I should catch up on book reviews...I have a little collection I have failed to post :) tee-hee Procrastination!

When I arrived home I found that yet again I had to call Dell XPS support due to the failure of the absolute piece of junk computer I bought from them. When it works it works...I just live in anticipation for the next failure (yes-over a year of struggles with the machine and the company). Thankfully with some prodding the motherboard was replaced within the week....and for the moment I have a computer. Errgh...don't let it's shiny appearance fool you. XPS 1330--junk.

Senor Normie-norm spent a couple of nights at the kennel and then with his puppy friends at his sitter's place whilst I was away...he loves the other pups. Sadly, prior to my departure I was beginning to notice him falling a lot more and beginning to struggle getting up off his puppy bed.

Upon my return he continues to struggle. He shows no real signs of pain, though lots of frustration. He has his vitamins and we're looking into something from the veterinarian. For now an occasional aspirin, a little heat and his cushy puppy bed are keeping him happy. He sleeps lots...and seems to have an aversion to my Canon. This is the best shot I've gotten this week-poor, I know.

Which brings me to the final word in my lengthy title: ice. Here in the Pacific Northwest, fall is here. The leaves are turning (photos to come), the air is crisp and invigorating. It is wonderful. Why do I stay here? The weather. Yup, I love the rain and the seasons! This however is not a post about the + & - of living here...it is about the current season I am experiencing.

Yesterday as I started my auto to leave for work I was a little surprised to see my first icy windshield (windscreen for those across the way) of the season. Today, it was fully coated in a nice sheet of the stuff. Time to start defrosting early! This photo however, is not of my windshield ...and it's not a great shot overall...but it is the frost lingering on the grasses about 1030 this morning.

So, there's my update. Now back to my regularly scheduled life, I hope! Now for you...what's the weather like? ...any fall holidays you're looking forward to? ...what are you reading (or trying to read)?? Fill me in, update me all of internetland!~

Happy weekend!

: )