Thought you’d like to see some garden and tree shots before all the leaves fall. Below is a annual decorative plant called Persian Shield. I have had it in a planter in years past. The last couple years I went ahead and put it right in the garden. This one looks a little tired from the summer sun, but still flashes of purple! And the sweet volunteer sunflower next to it!
As I have chosen to garden less and less this is the only chrysanthemum that remains. My neighbor offered me some recently, but I just did not have it in me to be out there digging right now.
Our maples are blazing bright yellow! The morning light at my chair for prayer and meditation has changed dramatically. It will only last a couple weeks this way!
One of our favorite shrubs, discovered on a drive down the Natchez Trace, then seen again at our favorite doughnut shop, is “American Beauty Berry.”
I think next year I will feed it and see if we get more berries!
She had such luxury accommodations while we traveled that I was uncertain she would want to live with us again! Lucky has the red collar.
She has settled in again and still loves Bob the best. She has gotten ornery about being in her kennel. Learned how to open it with just the slide latch on it. Bob put a carabiner clip on it. One day she got aggravated and broke that off before we got home. Stronger one on there now. We want her to continue to use it when we need her confined, like when the satellite TV guy comes.
My friend Betty introduced me to this dogie treat.
Doggie “Ice Cream” Cups
1 ripe banana 2 tsp creamy peanut butter 2 tsp honey Large (32 oz) container of plain yogurt (Greek or reg.)
Mash banana; add honey & peanut butter; mix well then add yogurt. I put into small plastic cups – usually 6 or 7 cups. Freeze.
I finally found some plastic cups like Betty uses. I got about 10 portions out of the recipe today. If you really love your pup like a kid, well, of course, you have to let her lick the beaters!
Please listen while you look at the photos! Psalm 136:1-6 (NIV2011) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
Oh the voices of those children! Don’t they bless your heart?
Do you see the Notch? Thus, the name ….Bob especially liked the heart shape on the hill.
Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV2011) I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
That is Bob undoing the combination lock on the Ranch gate. After this it was my job, or whoever was not the driver.
My sister made several houses available to us for our anniversary celebration. The houses are named after the previous owner. Our son as unable to go with us as he would have had to pull kids out of school. Our daughter arrived with her family later in the afternoon. They flew in and drove from Durango. They stayed in the “Minor” house. Cookseys stayed in the “Dot.” We were in the “Honeymoon” house. We decided Bob and I were more like the Honeymooners (think Jackie Gleason) than any newlyweds. At 50 years we felt lucky to get up the couple of steps. But this was the only house with a king sized bed and that is what we are accustomed to, so Bob chose this one.
Here is Bob on the steps of the Minor house talking with Emily and daughter, Lizzie.
Porch of the Dot house where Cookseys stayed. and Below is the Honeymoon house where we stayed.
Look at the size of this tree next to the house! Gorgeous!
A wonderful place to celebrate. We saw one person come through the week we were there. He was the water man. Our son-in-law spoke with him. Turns out this is one of the largest stands of Ponderosa Yellow Pine in the state of Colorado. Mountains, stream, ponds, blue sky, great company, shared evening meal preparation, such quiet, private quarters. We were so blessed!
Bob and I had headaches the first couple days due to the altitude. Bob had some difficulty breathing especially on exertion. We did not let that stop us from having fun though!
Correction: Pagosa Springs is in Southwest Colorado. It takes about 3-1/2 hours, about 306 miles too travel from Corrales to Pagosa Springs. We planned a stop at Abiquiui Lake at Abiquiui, New Mexico near Ghost Ranch where Georgia O’Keeffe used to paint.
Dan and Bob walking Jessie the Golden!
We had packed a lunch, but decided to drive on to Pagosa Springs as none of us were very hungry yet. And we were all anxious to arrive at the Notch Ranch.
Yes, that glorious clear blue sky was our companion for a few days before the smoke from the California fires traveled our direction. So sad, that vast destruction that is still going on today.
We are always amazed at the colors revealed when erosion peels back the layers of earth and shows such variety of colors in the Southwest states. Here is part of our drive north on Route 84.
We found the fruit market my sister had told us about. Stocked up on fresh tomatoes, Paradise peaches!! (yum and last of the season), corn on the cob and other goodies. Ate our picnic lunch in the cars in the parking lot as the sun was blazing. Took a tour of town. Found the grocery for a few more items and off to the Ranch!
When going to southeastern Colorado, Pagosa Springs area, you can fly to Durango, Denver or Albuquerque and rent a car. When your best friends live in Albuquerque and plan to travel to Colorado with you, then ABQ is the obvious choice. The Governor of New Mexico had a rule that if you live in New Mexico and travel outside the state, when you return you must quarantine for 14 days. We were uncertain until the very last minute if the Cookseys would be able to go with us or not. If they had to quarantine that would knock out their volunteer activities for a total of 3 weeks. We prayed the Governor would change her mind and she did!
We had planned to spend a couple days with them to get accustomed to the 5,000 foot elevation, then travel on to the San Juan mountains where we would be at about 8,000 feet. In Ohio we live at about 600 feet of elevation.
From El Dorado Drive looking towards the Sandia Crest
Not only is their terrain radically different than our green lawns and maple trees, but the wild life is too. Walking in the neighborhood I noticed the house below with weird fencing.
The landscaping is called zeroscaping.
When I asked the Cookseys what the deal is with the curved fencing at the top of the extra-tall fence they said it is to deter the coyotes from getting into the yard. We have coyotes in Ohio, but nothing like Corrales or Albuquerque.
Below is sunset on Sandia Crest, also known as Watermelon mountain because of the sunsets!
We took a couple weeks out of our routine quarantine-Covid-older generation routine and went on a trip. We were lamenting that we could not hold an open house or anniversary party for our 50th celebration. My sister offered us use of her ranch in Colorado in the wilderness on the edge of the San Juan mountains. My doctor said, “GO! Get out of your four walls.” We flew to Atlanta wearing our N-95 masks given to us by a friend who is a nurse. We made our connection to Albuquerque with barely minutes to spare.
The airports were eerie with the lack of people and activity. For the first time in years TSA did not give us Pre-check! Hum. Then the x-ray officer wondered what the folding scissors in my purse were. I usually carry those as I crochet and need to cut yarn or thread when I change colors. After examining my purse contents he let me keep them. First time ever a TSA officer has questioned those!
To give you an example of the airports these days, I made this short video on the way home. We had a several hours layover in Atlanta. I actually found a bench without arms across every seat! After wiping it off carefully, I laid down to try and rest. Once while checking my phone I realized I could show you how weird it was. Very quiet, not too many people, almost every single person wore a mask, seats marked off with huge stickers for where one could and could not sit. Of course, with artistic license (LOL), I filmed it sideways 🙂
So now that we are home and getting more settled in, I hope to write the blog more often with tales of our journey!
Not quite caught up from being away, but some things could not wait. Such as putting the sewn together dryer sheets in the space created by the screens. It was finally cool enough to open the windows and YUCK! The stinkbugs are seeking shelter AGAIN! These nasty, ugly creatures try to gain shelter in our house every autumn. They crawl in anyway they can. One person told me to mix Dawn dish detergent with water in a spray bottle. Spray them when they land on your screens. Evidently it eats through their shell? Well, it also leaves sudsy residue on the screens. Then I learned that if you cut in half lengthwise and sew them together you can put them in the space between window frame and screen where they like to enter. Their legs catch on the dryer sheets and they choose to go elsewhere.
UGLY INVADER!!
And if they can get inside, they hide in the house; in folds of curtains, behind photo frames, under bedding. They fly through the house. If you catch them in a paper towel or tissue they put out their stink which you may or may not be able to get off your skin.
I went to grill something and the inside of the grill cover was crawling with stink bugs. So once I got the dryer sheet strips in the window cracks they were literally covering parts of our screens trying to get in. At times, 8-10 gathered at once!
Below is one of the prettiest things I have seen lately! I was on hold on the phone and looked out office window. Hollered for Bob to go get his camera.
Hungry Praying Mantis by r m dutina
Yes! The autumn praying mantis feasting upon a stink bug! Honey, we have a bounty for you to feed upon. This one is likely a female as the wings do not cover her entire abdomen.
Now back to her meal of choice that day. Wikipedia, the source of all truth (LOL) says: “The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is an insect in the family Pentatomidae, native to China, Japan, and other Asian regions. In September 1998 it was collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where it is believed to have been accidentally introduced. The nymphs and adults of the brown marmorated stink bug feed on over 100 species of plants, including many agricultural crops, and by 2010–11 had become a season-long pest in orchards in the Eastern United States. In 2010, in the Mid-Atlantic United States, $37 million in apple crops were lost, and some stone fruit growers lost more than 90% of their crops.[6] It is now established in many parts of North America, and has recently become established in Europe and South America.”
Yep, they have spread and we see more here in Ohio every year! And Stingbugsguide.net says: “Another distinct characteristic of the brown bugs is that they go into the state of hibernation in winter seasons and invade homes or structures where temperature does not fall critically. Their hideouts include under siding, windows and door frames. However, in spring they remain active in feeding on plants and vegetables.”
I will not honor the stinkbug beyond the photo on the screen. But that little mantis, when I finally got off the phone she had eaten that thing, shell and all!
I met Molly (AKA Linda) in July of 1970 as I visited Berkeley for the weekend. She was hanging out of the window of the apartment I had shared with 2 others during the academic year. She had met one of my roommates who had told her about me. I was working at GE in San Jose and staying with my parents during the week. She was helping travelers at AAA (which has been quite handy in all our travels). Let us just say that things were meant to be, or we ignored any warnings. A month later, in August, we decided to get married and set a wedding date of September 26th. This gave Molly’s mother and sister and best friend time to head West.
We had an outside wedding in a Berkeley park officiated by an Episcopal priest, music was offered by a lone bag piper, and the ceremony was observed by the local kids who stopped their football game to watch. We had a reception at the rather elegant Claremont Hotel and headed to Carmel for a noticeably short honeymoon before classes started. Apparently, there was someone at the reception taking bets on how long the marriage would last. We still do not know who! A 19-year-old Ohioan seeking a change of space and a 21-year-old Berkeley 5th year senior having returned from a year in Europe. I guess the odds must have seemed against us!
Well, despite the odds and the predictions, 50 years have gone by and we are still moving forward hand in hand. It has not always been perfect, but as Molly has stated: divorce is not an option, murder on the other hand…We laugh more than fuss; we trust more than question.
I cannot say we have figured it all out, but we have learned as we have gone along. Commitment, mutual support, quick forgiveness, affection, and genuine friendship. We have a common faith, we stand as partners, and we give each other the freedom to pursue interests that are not in common. We are unique individuals with different personalities-both have served us well. Our wedding cake had a red, a white, and a pink carnation on top. We were declaring that what made us unique was as important as what we were united.
Never once have I questioned whether we made the right decision, and with God’s blessing, we will share life and adventures for many more years to come.
Bob read that only 5% of married folks make it to fifty years! And here we are! Half a century. Five decades. Unbelievable!! I began the morning with Bob saying, “Look at the mailbox!” I had one eye open and no coffee yet. Look I did and I was as surprised as he had been. “Who did that?” we both asked.
When I went out to get that photo it was my turn to say, “Bob, look at the locust tree!”
Spangles and streamers in case anyone missed the balloons!
We have four cards and then this
Flowers from our dear friends the Cookseys!
Next up came a cake from Emily and Dave.
Tiny cake for two! Bob said, “We need company to share this.” I replied, “Heck no!”
Such lovely fragrance in this bouquet! Our daughter was at it again. Showering us with love and affection.
Tonight we are off to a fancy dinner. I have had “Table for 2” on my calendar for weeks now. So for whoever it was that made bets at our wedding that our marriage would never last, “Well, how much did you lose?”
Tomorrow I will honor Bob by posting his Facebook entry from today. I am not the only one in the family who can craft words. Gosh, I love that man!!
1970 Berkeley, California
And now!
September, 2020 The Notch, Pagosa Springs, Colorado
