Old Man Autumn

 This popped up on FB this week- Old Man Autumn by Christopher Bell 

It startled me.  I've had Jimi on my mind, well even more than usual.   He loved trees and sticks and the kids at Halloween. Of course, he always had a walking stick in his big hand.  Those look just like his eyes looking at me. 

He would have loved that costume.  

Actually, this is a better pick from the Gingerbread House Party- With his stick.

Of course, November has become the Patron Month of Lost Mothers. Mine, Ol' Mother Hubbard's (who was a mother to me) and Ceece's.  

Someone near and dear to me has had cancer return for the third time in a different place.  Boo Hiss.

Another beloved friend had a successful heart transplant, but has endlessly battled one awful infection after another. 

My job is really a challenge this year. And like your life, a few more other things. 

So, cry me a river, then sift the joy. 

Last Sunday, after dinner, I had the boys help me clean out my pin box.  I've never been much of a jewelry person. I settled on pins for a little bling.  A  walk down memory lane. 

Last night, Ol' Mother Hubbard held her annual Halloween party.  There were pirates and glamour girls and lots of good food and fun.  Aunt Tish's friend John and Timothy played and sang. 

I haven't spent my normal amount of time in the garden since Ol' Maple fell and killed a bunch of stuff. Old Man Autumn will really present himself this week, as we are getting close to our first frost.

Rae shared that coleus and a few other flowers could be cut and put in water to root and grow through the winter. I absolutely love coleus in the front garden bed.  This was in early summer. 

Looks a little different now. 

The nasturtiums have hit their stride.

This crazy thing was new to me this year- a popcorn plant. It does smell just like movie popcorn, but I didn't think it was ever going to show the popped corn blooms.  

I was wrong.

Even when they've drooped their heads, I enjoy sprinkling petals. 

Ahh, the hardest thing to part with.  Fried green tomatoes one last time.  Yum. 

I've tried and tried to find a plant to grow all over the little tea house.  Rae grew this little vine from seed and it very nearly got the job done. 

Gardener E. gifted me with a couple of new plants, so I got them settled in before the cold hits.  We've had some good rains and the  ground was great for transplants.  Not much left to do garden wise. I want to put in a few garlic and pull the dahlias after the frost.  That will wrap it up for 2021.

Happy Fall ya'll. 

His Ticker's Ticking Like They Say It Should

 This poor ol' blog doesn't get much attention anymore.  I still like to capture memories here. It has been over a month, but the big news this week needed to be shared.

If you've walked this road with me for a couple of years you know that in April of 2019 we heard some fairly devastating news.  Handy Man's heart was in a way bad way.  Your heart pump ejection fraction should measure between 50 to 70 percent. His was a low 20 with one hundred percent blockage and an enlarged area fixed to blow at any minute.  We had to wait for a few weeks on the Cardiac MRI and longer still for the surgeon to determine if was willing to even try a repair.  He finally said he would and I don't think anyone was more surprised than him, and his cardiologist, that Handy Man made a fairly speedy recovery after having 210 cc of his heart amputated. His ejection fraction in surgery was 14. 

The cardiologist could hardly wait for his echo about seven weeks post surgery.  Now his number was up to 40.  The cardiologist was thrilled.  So were we. What a miracle we are still thanking the Lord for.

That doc left the practice and his new doc wanted to see for himself I guess, so another echo. This time his number is 50 which scooched him right into the normal realm. Wow.  

I find it so very strange that the surgeon didn't seem to have any interest in following him. I don't know, maybe he does, as these tests all go through the same network, but as concerned as they were about there being any kind of hope, you'd think he'd want to know how it all came out.  Oh well.

As with everyone, I've been ever so concerned about carrying Covid to him, or to anyone who might not be able to fight it.  Handy Man, though vaccinated, did in fact get it, but for him, it was quite like the flu.  I've been exposed, fairly up close and for a good length of time, three different times now.  If I had it, I'm not aware.  Bless people's hearts, it is just weird and scary. 

I made another trip around the sun and enjoyed time and good food with family and friends. 

Mom's birthday came and went. My friend Gardener E. shares that birthdate, so I had her over and gathered the last of flowers and the tomatoes, green and ripe and fixed some yummy stuff she loved and served it on my Mom's china and my Granny's utensils.  

On a very dry day, after a series of very dry days, our creek was suddenly flooded.  Bizarre! We called our neighbor who knows everyone in Floyd County and he said someone above us was draining their pond. Good to know. 

Most of the Gramerlings came over one night and we tried out making these very crazy Japanese gummies.  Lots of oohs and ahhh and then we sampled the cute little things. 

I had also gathered some flowers and spices and made them each a grapevine wreath to decorate. 

For weeks, well months now, I've been working on this little playroom.  Doing some very hard parting with lots of kiddy things that held so very many sweet memories.  Time marches on.   I knew two boys who would enjoy a painting experience, so I let them help.    I can't pick paints. This was to be a very soft yellow.  Umm, it is screaming Laffy Taffy Banana Yellow Glow.

Even after mixing cup after cup of the trim paint, it is still so yellow. 

I surely did enjoy my friend visiting to show me the ropes of room painting over my fall break.  Then we took a little road trip, had a great time.  Unfortunately, she was unknowingly exposed the day before, so has Covid now.   Please, I hope this will be over soon. 

I had another great brunch with  another friend.  

Today, the boys wanted to get in the creek and Finn asked if he could take Pap's crowbar, which is as large as him.  He had just found two baby snakes in at the base of that big Maple that fell a while ago.  

So, we're enjoying the afternoon and Gideon and I were waxing eloquent about the warm sun, and the light breeze..... To which Finn added, "And the sound of the crowbar  hitting the rock." Such music on a beautiful autumn  Sunday.  

So, back to school I go.