Perplexed in Paradise

The calendar says it's mid autumn,

and normally I would accept that as fact.

 

 

After all my world is filled with the gorgeous reds, oranges and yellows

I would expect at this time of the year.

 

 

But then I take a stroll around my garden

and everywhere I look

 I also see definite signs of spring and summer.

Hum.

 

It is a bit confusing.  

I tell myself it's autumn--season of grayness, endless clouds, dark, cold,

thermal underwear and rain.

And I am OK with that

(well not really, but I can survive this latter half of autumn,

 and the coming winter...I think)

But then God, and my garden,

 decide to place special touches of spring and summer in my world.

And He even gives us a warmish, sunnier type of day

and I am left feeling confused

(but a whole lot blessed).

So I ask you...

 

 

is it autumn,

 as these maple leaves are telling me...

 

 

or spring,

 as the evergreen huckleberry buds would seem to indicate?

 

 

Autumn?

 

Spring?

See what I mean?

SO many mixed signals here.

 

Autumn...

 

Autumn?

 

Well, even though I have lavender thinking it is summer

and

roses acting like it is summer;

 evergreen huckleberries and salal looking like they're enjoying a pretty spring day,

I am going with autumn because it's only then that the leaf rake

gets the BIG

work-out it had today:)

 

Anyone else perplexed in your little piece of paradise?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Wishing ALL of our veterans a very blessed Veterans Day!

Thank you for your service.

 

Photos:

Our garden the last few days.

A lot of different Japanese maple leaves...

with some lilac and other leaves. 

Simplicity rose.

Our other camellia sasanqua

the one my DH tried to kill many years ago

snicker, snicker:) :)

SHE'S BACK!!!

Autumn Songs

Where are the songs of Spring?
 

 

Ay, where are they?

 

 

 Think not of them, thou hast thy music too...

May I open my heart to this latter part of Autumn's sweet,
but sometimes subtle, melodies...

and may I always be thankful for the blessings of each season that our Creator has made.

Wishing you all a blessed November.

 

Aimee

 

Photos:

Late September in rural NW Oregon

(but we still have a lot of color around us).

 

 

 

 

Tuesday's Tasks

Yesterday was not a good day

(although it did have its bright, sun-filled, warm, lovely moments).

 

The handle on my wonderful, beloved slow cooker broke

(but the stoneware insert didn't--yippee).

 

We picked part of our fuzzy kiwi crop because of the possibility of a hard freeze last night

(but we didn't get a hard freeze and so,

 the ones left on the vine have a bit longer to get sweeter).

Mmm kiwi!

 

The turkey strips I was planning to cook expired 10/26 and not on 10/28 as I thought.

Sigh.

(But I had a backup plan--yea!).

 

But then my backup plan, chicken, didn't defrost correctly

(my fault, totally my fault),

and I was left with partly frozen chicken with

 little bits of shredded packaging paper all over it.

Double sigh with a BIG argh on top!

(but I had a backup to my first backup--hurrah)

 

And that third plan succeeded!

 

And then, of course, there are always the things one chooses to keep to themselves

(but I've called in heavenly help and wisdom on those).

So now, here we are, this Tuesday afternoon and I am finally starting on my 'to do' list for today

(I blame the late start on my warm, snuggly comforter and flannel sheets):

 

 

In the sink our lovely hydrangeas are drying

(using a method my best friend, who I've done wedding flowers with before, told me about).

 

Since I didn't have enough vases handy,

I am substituting the sink and my wire dish drainer temporarily.

I am hoping to come up with a substitute quickly as dirty dishes

 are in the other side of the kitchen sink:)

One itsy bitty setback--the water from yesterday somehow drained out last night.

Easy solution--fresh cuts to all stems and back in water.

 

 

Another of my Tuesday Tasks...

yesterday, in the midst of the many mini-storms that hit our place,

I baked a lovely pie pumpkin

and now I just need to decide what to do with it...

any ideas?

Pumpkin cookies with orange glaze?

Pumpkin loaf?

Mini pumpkin muffins?

 

 

Not part of my yesterday, but definitely a part of a recent adventure...

and bunnies are just SO cute!

 

 

Well time to get on to these tasks

(and a few others).

What tasks are you working on?

 

And for my fellow poetry lovers--a small excerpt for this beautiful, cloudless Tuesday:

 

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.

The Rainy Day (1842).

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(Public Domain)

 

You can find the full poem in many places on the web as I did.

Or here at this site:

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Rainy_Day

 

A Post to Make You Smile--Hopefully:)

Yikes.

My beautiful sun drenched, warm world has turned rather gray and cold...

and it seems like there will be no reprieve--at least not for today that is.

 

Oh well--since I have absolutely no power over the skies above me,

but do over how I respond to it,

I am posting a few pics to brighten both of our days:)

 

 

I need a pair of these in my yard!

Sooo cute, sooo bright!

 

 

And some people just call them 'cows' :)

 

 

Bright and beautiful--even the one that looks like it needs a 'wart' remover.

 

 

 

I am really into scarecrows this month.

Could it be a sign that I need to watch Wizard of Oz yet again?

I did see a cute little 'tin man' the other day...

he was just hanging out

(literally).

 

 

Ornamental corn--love it!

 

 

And to end this post on a rather peaceful,

but happy note--

and now it's time to finish off that candied apple I've been working on since Tuesday:)

 

Have a blessed and joy-filled weekend!

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

October 2013.

1,2--Tillamook area.

3,4--Bear Creek Artichokes

 (Mmm, apple dumplings) 

5--ornamental corn from Bauman Farms

(Mmm, apple cider)

6-Neskowin area

 

 

The WORD on Wednesday: Fear Not

 

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

I Peter 5:7 NIV

 

 

There is no fear in love;

 but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.

 He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

I John 4:18 KJV

 

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

 I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

 

Have not I commanded thee?

Be strong and of a good courage;

be not be afraid, neither be thou dismayed:

for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:9 KJV

 

Never worry about anything.

But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.

Then God's peace,

which goes beyond anything we can imagine,

will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.

Phil 4:6, 7 GW

 

 

The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him,

 to the soul that seeketh Him.

Lamentations 3:26 KJV

~ 

So much I could say today.

New concerns and challenges;

 old burdens.

So tempting it would be to give in to fear

(that great enemy of serenity)

and trudge down that well-traveled road

(a journey I know oh so well).

 

I know I started to...

but then chose instead a different course.

 For my heart only has room today for ONE God--

the ONE who made the heavens and the earth--

and I choose not to let fear take His place.

 

Blessings this Wednesday morn!

Aimee

 

Photos:

October 2013.

Willamette Valley.

Central coast range.

Northern Oregon Coast.

Bible Verses Info:

(KJV) King James Version. Public Domain.

 

(NIV) THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

(GW) Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations.

Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

 

Of Seagulls

Just like my mom before me,

I've always LOVED seagulls.

Yesterday we were treated to a very special visit from two of them while waiting for our

oldest granddaughter to join us...

it was not our only wildlife encounter that day.

 

 

Yes, he (or she) was really this close!

 

 

Ah! So cute. Mr. Seagull has an itch:)

 

He entertained us for many, many minutes....

 

and then, finally, went on his way.

 

 

Whereupon we had another visitor...

 

The coast,

even on a foggy day,

 can be a very exciting place!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

central Oregon coast,

October 2013.

 

O Perfect Day

O gift of God! O perfect day:

 

Whereon shall no man work, but play;

Whereon it is enough for me,

Not to be doing, but to be!

 

 

Through every fibre of my brain,

Through every nerve, through every vein,

I feel the electric thrill, the touch

Of life, that seems almost too much.

 

 

I hear the wind among the trees

Playing celestial symphonies;

I see the branches downward bent,

Like keys of some great instrument.

 

 

And over me unrolls on high

The splendid scenery of the sky,

Where though a sapphire sea the sun

Sails like a golden galleon,

Towards yonder cloud-land in the West,

Towards yonder islands of the Blest,

Whose steep sierra far uplifts

Its craggy summits white with drifts...

O Life and Love! O happy throng
Of thoughts, whose only speech is song!

O heart of man! canst thou not be

Blithe as the air is,

and as free?

~

A birthday party,

a trip through the coast range adorned in all its autumn finery of yellow, orange and red,

a meal shared with loved ones

followed by

an afternoon at the coast on a day that felt more like summertime then autumn.

A perfect day indeed!
And I hear a sweet, sweet rumor that the next week or so will be just as perfect:)

Have a great week!

 Blessings,  Aimee

 

 Photos:

central Oregon coast

© 2013 http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com

 

Text:

A Day of Sunshine

From Birds of Paradise.

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(in the public domain)

 

The full text of Longfellow's poem can be found here:

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Day_of_Sunshine

 

And you can see this page for use of the poem:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
(If I understand it correctly, the text of the poem may be used--but check it out)

 

And for those of you who made it to the end, here is a little bit of Aimee trivia.

1) I have several poets in my lineage,

including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

I am also related to Noah.

But then so are you:)

2) My favorite, and I mean favorite, sorbet flavor is lemon.

Mmm!

 I love lemon SO much that I used to suck on raw lemon slices when I was little.

(something I wouldn't recommend by the way).
I also love to chew ice.
(ditto above remark).

3) I once ate a dog cookie
thinking it was an animal cracker.
It wasn't (gag, gag),
but now I have a little more understanding as to why dogs beg when they see us eating our food.

4) I once had a whole lot of people looking for a room that didn't exist at a very famous
National Park Lodge.
It's funny what can happen when you don't realize you're holding a room key upside down.

5) The best pineapple are the ones you get right in the fields.
I am NOT lying!
Ditto strawberries.
Speaking of Hawaii,
In addition to eating fresh pineapple and papaya there, I've had poi.
It was at its best -- I thought -- followed quickly by big bites of pudding
(no offense meant to any Hawaiians who might be reading this post; it's JUST me).

6) I grew up loving International food because when we ate out that was what we generally had...
one of the first restaurants, I remember, was a Japanese one where we sat on pillows around a low table. It wasn't until years later that I learned there was a pit under the table for your legs.
LOL.
I still LOVE International foods;
my DH on the other hand 'tolerates' them.

7) Of all my ancestors, the ones I would most love to meet are the women.
I am amazed at them!
How did they find the courage to sail to America to start a new life,
when I am scared of hiking in the mountains by myself?
How did they find strength to go on and not give up when they lost not one, but several children?
I SO wish I could just have all of them over for a chat and some tea...
If you could have an ancestor over for tea (or coffee) who would you pick and why?

Argh. One thing they couldn't answer is why is my html going crazy this week:(

 

 

 

Amidst the Pumpkins: Bauman Farm

It isn't autumn for me,

 until I've had at least one pumpkin smoothie

(slurp, done!),

enjoyed a cup of hot apple cider

(VERY yummy with a splash of salted caramel as I found out recently),

toured a kiwi farm

(baby and fuzzy kiwi--nom nom),

viewed my favorite tree adorned in it's fall finery

(aspen, Sunday under a blue sky)

AND

been to a pumpkin patch!

Yesterday was my day to checkout the latter,

as well as spy out places to take the grandchildren--should the 'need' ever arise.

LOL

AND

it just SO happened a friend had business to take care of in the Woodburn area

AND has some grandkids of her own so wanted to check out the place too:)

So that's how we found ourselves at Bauman Farm in Gervais, Oregon!

 

 

After some long chats with a couple of staff there

(these people know the meaning of GREAT customer service let me tell you) and a bit of browsing,

we went into one of the buildings to admire the gorgeous display of ornamental corn...

I felt like a kid in a candy store!

 

In addition to the ornamental corn,

the farm had tons of squash, sweet corn,

pumpkin (yep I bought a pie pumpkin), gourds...

well the list just goes on for they have a farm store with a bakery and a whole lot of apples and veggies, jams and more!

 

I NEED me another scarecrow,

and this one was adorable--

but I restrained myself

(at least on this -- my first visit there).

Wonder if I could make one?

Or more then one...

has anyone done so?

 

This little ornamental plant caught me eye!

It's called 'pumpkin on a stick'.

LOVE it!

Mmm. Love those mums too:)

 

It's a very happy place!

Everyone seemed to be having a good time--

kids and adults alike.

 

Of course we had to stroll by the famous Pumpkin Hill.

 

And being an animal LOVER--the barn was a MUST!

 

And I had to check out the

BIG,

BIG

and

BIGGER

pumpkins!!

(for a comparison check out the fire extinguisher on the wall)

 

 

Lots of activities to do on a weekday

but even more on a weekend--

one that I would LOVE to do is some 'gem mining'.

Just like my grandpa--well sort of:)

 

I just have to go back--

because

we have a maze to conquer,

more apple cider to buy,

a bug train to catch,

a fort to explore--

after all autumn and pumpkin patches come just ONCE a year:)

 

In addition to exploring the joys of autumn we've been hard at work on my little dream-come-true

(hence the fewer blog posts),

 

doing some autumn cleaning

(ditto the above statement),

 

and trying to get healthier

(ditto, ditto).

Helen of http://lifestylehelen.blogspot.com/ 

has got me motivated to do some walking daily

(ditto, ditto, ditto).

 

I LOVE autumn!

What aspect of autumn do you enjoy the most?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

A HUGE thank you to Bauman Farms which gave me permission to take

"hundreds" of photos and post them here:)

Here is their link should you be in the area

(or just wanting a great day trip)

http://www.baumanfarms.com/pumpkin-weekend-activities.aspx

 

As always, I am not associated with the farm except as a happy visitor:)

 

Sorry guys and gals, because of the number of places we went to

 yesterday, I didn't have my DSLR with me. Hope you still enjoy the photos!