Cat? Cat,?... Do You See a Cat?....

There seems to be a ruckus going on under my pine chest in the diningroom. I hear a rattle of a kitty toy...
Apparently JenJen has a new "hide out!"

Who me? Would I hide on you, Mom? Not ME!

A Sunday Drive,...

This photo is dated 1931, Lake George on the back. Pictured are my mother on the right, my grandfather in the middle and my mother's school friend on the left. A Sunday drive at that time in history meant getting dressed up in your finery! Perhaps a dinner out in a restaurant.





Here are my grandparents and my mother's friend Anne. At the same location in Lake George, NY.

A few years pass and by the mid-1930s my father, (on the left), was now part of the Sunday outings. This was taken at Ausable Chasm, a tourist attraction in a nearby town. Everyone is still dressed up and looking very formal.

By the early 1940s my grandfather had passed away, my mother and father were married, and with friends, would still go on Sunday drives, but in a much more relaxed setting. Note the picnic basket and gallon thermos jug in foreground. My grandmother was often invited along on the picnics. Clothing was more informal. But my father was still wearing his hat. That hat hangs on a peg at our camp and my son, his grandson, always wears it when he goes out fishing. I still have that picnic basket!

They would find a back road, pull off for a picnic, and the men would read the Sunday paper while the women would spread the blanket and set out the picnic lunch.

Families and friends enjoying time together, a simpler time. Long before the shopping mall, video games or the internet. Perhaps even a better time?

Winter Reading,...

If you aren't a skier, winter time here in the Adirondacks is a great time to do some reading. My grandson, who is at college in SUNY Cobleskill, was assigned this book. When he told me about it I immediately wanted to read it. Just finishing a book, I'm now ready to start this one. And today when reading Betsy from Tennessee's blog she was talking about a book she and her husband are reading. She invited others to share their current books. What great timing Betsy!


"Maiden Voyage" by Tania Aebi, 1989. ... "an exciting tale of an extraordinarily brave and romantic adventure", a quote from Walter Cronkite on the front cover. The back cover describes the story as the tale of an eighteen-year-old girl without a life goal. Her father offers her a challenge of either a college education or a twenty-six-foot sloop. But only one. She couldn't have both. The catch was that if she chose the sloop she had to sail around the world alone! Even though this book is now 20 years old I think it will have excitement and lessons for life within the pages. Those things are never outdated. I can't wait to turn the first page later today after my weekend chores are done!

I ordered mine used from Amazon.com for $6.99 and was very happy with the nearly new condition. OK,.. I'm off to do laundry and then settle down with my book!

Who's Been Walking on My Deck?...

It seems that my resident birds have been pacing back and forth waiting for me to fill the bird feeder this morning.



Here is one of the two I keep filled... This has thistle seed in it. The other one has sunflower bits in it with suet holders on each side. Each group has stated their preference. The Goldfinches and the Pine Siskens (!) prefer this one. The Chickadees and Bluejays prefer the other one that hangs in the carport.

This morning's gang... I have a few Pine Siskins mixed in with the Goldfinches. They eat twice as much and are very territorial.

Here are two more suet feeders that I hang from the edge of my eaves, a very bad shot of a beautiful woodpecker enjoying supper just before sunset.

I enjoy them and I never begrudge the money spent on birdfood!

Mother Nature...Second Round! ...

Here it is on "Snowy Sunday" again, and on their invitation, I've tried to post the animated snowstorm from Laurie and Chris's blog but as I'm tech-challenged the snow is suspended in mid-air!
After our big storm that began Friday mid-day, and didn't end until Saturday morning my world looked like this...

My driveway was plowed by late-afternoon on Saturday,... and early this morning I'm shoveling off my deck. What is this in the air? It's starting to snow again!

Yes, Virginia, there IS a snowstorm! It's starting all over again,... round two!

Great-Grandma's Fork...

This morning as I was cooking bacon I was using my old fork,...as usual. I always remembered it in my mother's kitchen drawer. When she passed away I brought it to my kitchen. My grandmother lived with us when I was growing up and she always used it. It was old then. So somewhere along the way I began to think of it as my great-grandmother's fork. It could even be older than that.


It has a wooden handle with tiny brass nails holding it together.

And one tine is worn down from decades of use. Obviously by several right-handed cooks!

I'm sure it will survive to be passed on to my daughter or teenaged granddaughter, both of whom are excellent cooks. Thank you to you grandma,... whichever one of you that it belonged to!

Warm,...

This morning I needed to feel warm. I've been fighting a cold and it's fairly well over, but I still have what my mother called a "hang-on" cough. As it's a workday, I've had my cereal (Total) and o.j. and toast. Usually I wait for my coffee and have it when I arrive at work. But this morning I just had to feel warmer,....

This mug was a gift from my older son many years ago,.. it's surviving with only one very tiny chip,... and filling it with the quick version of a mocha cappuccino really did the trick. I'm warm!

Along the River,...

It seems like this time of year is so dreary,.. the bright colors of fall are gone, and all that is left are drab browns and greys. These leaves are still clinging to bushes along the river near my house. They are actually a copper color. A welcome break in the dull colors.

The Bouquet River (pronounced "Bo-qwet.") with the early morning fog,...

Not a ripple to mar the surface!

Flags are Flying!...

When I was growing up, my father was a deer hunter. I listened to many stories of hunts and he always referred to the white tail on a deer as a "flag." This morning on my way to work I spotted three deer in a grassy field. Can you see them?

As I pulled to the side of the road and got my camera ready off they went,... flags flying!

Wanderlust?...

Every day I drive over this railroad crossing to and from work. Looking south it disappears around a curve, but to the north it stretches in what seems like endless tracks to,... wherever! I wonder how many hobos in years past have been lured to hop a freight car out of wanderlust, not just desire to find work in another town during hard times?

A Ghost to be Afraid of?...

This little fellow is guarding my carport,.... I'm sure he will scare away all the goblins this Halloween!

I've had him for years, he has a bulb inside that lights up,... I fell in love with that face and my grandchildren all ask when "Casper" is going to come up from the cellar.

Happy Halloween, Casper!

7:45 a.m.....

Looking east from my back door,...


Looking west from my front door,...

A view like this today makes me forget about my morning coffee ... well,... almost!

Working,...

Hello everyone,....

For a few weeks I am working a second job so my posts will be a bit sparse. I have an interesting trip planned for this coming Sunday so early next week should be at least two or three days of "Adirondack Travel" news and photos.

Columbus Day weekend will be my last camping trip for the season and that should also give us some interesting photos and a travel report. I promise some Canada geese, St.Lawrence River, and Adirondack history all in the near future.

But for now,.. back to work!

Stay tuned,...

The Morning Drive,...

Views like these make the drive to work this time of year worth it! .... Just after 7:00 a.m.

Morning Coffee,...

This morning the sky is bright blue, sun is shining brightly......

I take my coffee out on the deck,...

Midnight is content to just relax ...

I am hiring some work done, clearing out undergrowth so that I can see down the hill into the woods. Often deer walk through that area. I want to be able to see them better.

The area is really beginning to open up nicely. I will keep a fringe of trees at the bottom to ensure a bit of privacy from the farm fields and road below.

"What's that?" Middy hears some clucking down in the woods,.... hmmmmm? She's checking it out! I recognize it as the sound of a hen turkey clucking to gather her brood of chicks as they make their way along. Eventually I see some movement down there but too far away for a good picture.

So we go back to relaxing and enjoying our morning on the deck,...

All is right here on the hill....

Monday Morning!

Daylight comes early this time of year. By 4:30 the birds are singing and I'm wide awake. Two more weeks of school and then it will be summer vacation for eight weeks. But this morning it’s time to get going,.. At 5:30 a.m. it's out to the kitchen for my jump start for the day, a glass of o.j. and then a banana and a slice of toast. I’ll spend time on the computer going through some of the forums and blogs that I read and post to every day.



Then it’s pick up things to be mailed, my wallet, car keys and bottle of water and it’s out the door! Today I’m mailing my old cell phone to be donated to a member of our troops in Iraq. No matter what our personal politics are, the men and women in harm’s way deserve our support.



When I get outside in the morning I always stop a few minutes and appreciate the sights and sounds. Beside my carport is a patch of wild daisies. I will let them finish blooming before I mow that area. The full length of my house (48') has a flower box along the foundation wall. It's mixed with perenniels and annuals.

By 7:00 a.m. it's time to back out of the carport and head out the driveway … it’s off to work!