Simply Autumn

 Simply autumn . Pictures from the front of our home where the Japanese maples are dropping their leaves on the evergreen shrubs underneath.

 The shady and secret spots of our property hold little pockets of moss and mushrooms.

One of our ducks napping in the fallen maple leaves of autumn, simply autumn... my favorite season.

Whimsy in Autumn

We love the fall ! Whimsy and I appreciate a good walk through the autumn leaves. This is my favorite time of the year. Apparently the dictionary defines autumn not only as the season between summer and winter, but also as my season in life . Autumn:"time of maturity or decline  ...autumnal : past middle life"*. Hopefully the "decline" part isn't too bad yet because I still don't even feel like I am past middle age. ( after all , it's perfectly reasonable to expect to live to be 120 years old, isn't it ? )

*Webster's Collegiate Dictionary  1941

Hobbit Style Root Cellar

I had the good fortune to meet the people who built this root cellar . They allowed me to check it out and photograph it . I decided such a wonderful hobbit-hole needed to be shared with you ! Above you can see the entrance to the root cellar , or cold storage, built to preserve the vast amount of fruit and vegetables this family grows.

If you walk up their driveway this is what you'll see. A beautiful rock garden where the plants thrive in extreme temperatures This area of the U.S. has very hot summers and very cold winters. The rock garden is actually the roof of the root cellar. You can see a pipe used for ventilation of the root cellar sticking out like a periscope.

The home sits below some beautiful mountains and overlooks meadows where elk, deer, cattle , and wild turkeys graze. Breath-taking views everywhere you look, and they've taken a simple root cellar and turned it into just another view worth looking at and enjoying.

Inside the root cellar ( they hadn't yet begun to fill it up with their harvest when we were there ) are bins for potatoes, onions, apples. There are shelves for all the canned goods they preserve themselves.

I could easily covet this fine hobbit hole .

Root cellars, larders, and pantries full of food canned and preserved by us that was grown in our own orchards and gardens is such a rewarding endeavor well worth everyone knowing and practicing to some degree. Wouldn't it be fun to look forward to stashing the hard-worked-for goods in a hobbit hole like this ?

Tea-Time Tuesday ~ Lusterware & Weaving

I love this blue Lusterware teacup. I have a set with 6 cups & saucers, matching sugar & creamer with teapot . The set also came with dessert plates and salt & pepper shakers. I especially love the simple colors of this Lusterware. ( BTW, I've seen lusterware  also spelled lustreware , and this spelling is also correct. ) Blue is one of my favorite colors and when combined with the yellow-gold inside of the teacup it seems rich. The black handle enhances the teacup.

This piece of weaving goes perfectly with the tea-cup and fits in nicely with autumn décor don't you think ?

This hand-woven piece is one I found in a pile of linens being sorted for the estate sale my husband's family had after both his parents died recently. Being a very amateur weaver myself I recognized a hand-woven treasure instantly and found it had a tag sewed into one hem. I am 99% sure this piece of weaving came from my husband's aunt , Marion Lowery . She was a home-economics teacher in our state a few decades ago and collected such items on her many travels. Before she died she gave all of her precious items to family and friends , and my husband's mother was her niece.

Needless to say, I snatched this up completely aware of my good fortune in discovering my husband's family was happy to allow me to keep this hand-woven table-runner. After bringing it home I looked up the name on the tag and found The Fireside Industries of Berea College ~ Berea , Kentucky * is still weaving treasures today. They also have an interesting history* that surprised me and made me even more appreciative of their ongoing education in American crafts.

"Weaving is at the heart of Berea College Crafts. In the early 1890’s, Berea College President William G. Frost was astounded by ‘kivers’, woven coverlets produced in mountain homes. He established Berea’s “Fireside Industries” as a way to preserve traditional Appalachian crafts and to provide parents a currency with which they could pay for their children’s education. Berea College, through its support of traditional mountain arts, became a leader of the American Arts & Crafts movement and the Appalachian Craft Revival. In 1900, a Berea coverlet won a gold medal at the World’s Fair in Paris." quoted from Fireside Industries web-site.

I have grown to appreciate more simple things as I grow older. Carefully and lovingly done weaving, knitting, embroidery, quilting~ any needlework, worked in classic colors and designs is timeless. Simple tea things , home made meals and desserts, a simply but prettily set table offered with true hospitality are treasures one cannot put a price on .When you share a tea time or a meal where such hospitality is  woven through-out it is always a memorable time. For me the classic blue Lusterware and hand-woven table linen set the scene for sharing a cuppa with people I love as the weather outdoors keeps us inside.

I am joining these ladies for Tea-Time Tuesday :
Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *
Martha at Martha's Favorites *
Ruth at Antiques and Teacups *
Bernideen at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog *

The Dangers Of A Wandering Mind

 If I were new to blogging now , I might be inclined to name my blog Thoughts & Tales Of A Wandering Mind or some such title. My mind wanders even more when I am indoors crafting , cooking, cleaning. "Mind: noun~ a beautiful servant or a dangerous master." AU

Last week I began again my seasonal making of little flocks of sheep for nativity scenes. I have my piles of wool, containers of items to adorn the necks of the sheep, ( miniature leaves, bells, hearts, raffia ) paint , and my needle-felting tools.

 When I finally sit down to spend a few hours of crafting my mind says "ahhhhhh , now I can wander". As I am making the sheep my mind wanders over and around the many shades of black & gray wool I have and I think maybe my sheep should be spotted just like my real flock of sheep. So I make a few spotted sheep.

 But hey, my mind wanders over to the bright colors I love and there are lovely bags of turquoise wool I dyed last spring. Maybe I should make polka dotted sheep !

No... I'll make some black sheep, some gray sheep, some brown sheep. Should I make black, brown, and gray ears for those sheep ? I have so many bags of wool from sheep of all different shades. My mind's eye wanders over the little boxes of jewels and seasonal adornments I have for the necks of my sheep, but I also love the sheep unadorned. Should I simply forget the adornment?

Can you see how a simple little wool- crafting can become a real winding road for a wandering mind ? Maybe even lead her to a few dead-ends and detours. And then of course I have to spend time thinking about actually following up on some of the ideas my wandering mind gathered during her meanderings. (not all bad, this can be fun too !!! )

Mostly though, my wandering mind will flit, fly, and even settle on thoughts I have not brought under control. Fearful thoughts, worries, concerns. Often, because I am alone while crafting , there is no one to help me keep these thoughts in check,so I will turn on the t.v. for distraction and watch the news. Big mistake, the thoughts become more fearful , more worrisome, and then if I am not careful the darkness of depression begins creeping in like a low cold fog. "Fear is a slinking cat I find beneath the lilacs of my mind." Sophie Tunnell

I looked up a few quotes and Bible verses to write down and remember  because I know God , my God, does NOT cause fear and worry. He is the God who cares for me and should trials and tribulations be a big part of my life He gives me the ability to be happy and rejoice anyway. "Fear is faith that it won't work out." Sister Mary Tricky

~"Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow ; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has troubles of its own." Matthew 6:34

~"Fear cannot take what you do not give it." Christopher Coan

~*"Put off timid , fearful, and troubled thinking. Put on love and sound judgment in the power of the Holy Spirit ( Based on II Timothy 17 , I John 4:18 )

~"There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them." Andre Gide

~" Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7

Yes my wandering mind meanders here, there, and everywhere when I let fear take hold, and that happens as I sit crafting at my comfortable dining room table  in my home that has all the modern conveniences and plenty of food. My family thus far is safe and healthy, all truly gifts from God. Yet I know even if none of these things were the case...if we had no home, no food, or family members suffering tragedy, I would have no excuse for the fear and worry. And I am ashamed.

How did this post get from crafting little sheep to fear and worry ? How do I get from crafting to being overcome with fear and worry ? By letting my wandering and meandering mind travel and dwell on them. Scary and dangerous , the wandering mind. Time to re-train her and bring her back from her wayward travels. " We need to brace ourselves up and realize that we are responsible for out thoughts , attitudes, and actions." Pursuit of Holiness

* quoted from Biblical Counseling Foundation book on Self-Confrontation.

Apple Retriever

Who knew you could get fat on apples ? Not apples baked into pies, sweetened for applesauce, but just plain apples ! Beatrix retrieves and piles apples near our front porch all day. She gets them from our orchard and she doesn't wait for the apples that fall onto the ground, she will pick the apples herself. Of course she eats her fill of apples before stockpiling them. She is a Labrador Retriever who tends to gain weight easily ( like most of us ) and she is on a diet of 2 cups of dog food per day. She had already lost weight and we were helping her maintain a healthy weight until the apples ripened and began to fall during wind and rain storms. She wiggles and wobbles as she runs now.

Fortunately she can only eat so many apples and because she stockpiles them near the front porch my sheep are benefiting from her labors. Good dog Beatrix , my sweet, stout, and loving Apple Retriever.

Feather ~Our Little Home On Wheels

This is our little home on wheels, a 16 foot Jay Feather Sport by Jayco. She is small , but I love her. This is our home during the 5 nights spent camping at the Puyallup Fairgrounds while we exhibit my sheep during the Western Washington Fair. So much nicer than the years I would drive to and from the fair every day, at least a 45 minute drive each way. Not a forbidding travel time unless you take into account I leave for the fair before 7:00 a.m. to  get there in time for a very long day and return home around 12:00 a.m. to get ready for the next long day. Now we ( grandchildren & I ) simply walk to the camp-site in the parking lot and climb into our cozy little trailer.

I don't know about you, but I am always curious about the set-up of travel trailers , campers, and R.V.s when I am camping. I resist the temptation to knock on some of the trailer doors and ask if I can see their set-up and how it works for them at the fair especially. I thought you might like to see my teeny home away from home.~ When you walk in the door you step right into the only living area of this small trailer. A table, two sofas, and a mini-kitchen. The sofas convert into a bed when you remove the table and tuck it into the storage slots made especially for it under the top bunk. We have only used it as a bed once , for a granddaughter.

I love the stove, oven, & micro-wave. Yes, I do use them all. I usually roast a chicken and bake muffins, brownies, and cakes when we camp. I cook a lot of side dishes too. I have a full set of pots & pans just for this trailer , plus stainless eating utensils, and all the cooking and serving utensils a person would need in preparing and serving an average meal. I usually serve our meals on regular dinnerware. ( yes, I wash it too  in my nice little sink ! ) There is a refrigerator and freezer in Feather's mini-kitchen and they store a surprising amount of food. Enough for at least a week's worth of meals for our family and I usually have left-overs after our trips to transfer to our home fridge or freezer.

The sleeping quarters are minimal for sure. A double bed that is NOT a double, but still, after we added another really nice foam mattress on top of the mattress that came with the trailer, it is very comfortable. When my husband & I are camping I get the short side of the mattress and I fit there very comfortably. The top bunk sleeps only one, usually a grandchild. During the fair our oldest grandson sleeps here and I share the bottom bunk with a granddaughter. When my husband & I are camping with no grandchildren I use the top bunk for storage and have some very attractive large baskets for that purpose. ( I use the bath tub to store grandkids' back packs & suitcases during the fair. )

The bathroom is VERY small and has a bathtub with shower but no sink. That is a drawback, we use the kitchen sink for brushing our teeth and such, but for me, that is no sacrifice for the privilege of owning this little Feather and all she has allowed us to do.

My bathroom storage. A cloth shoe rack attached to the towel bar gives me plenty of storage that can be left attached through-out the year and even during travel. I keep the sunscreen, insect repellant , anti-biotic wipes, lotions , shampoo, soap...  and any other such items you might need when camping in the pockets.

I do love chickens and have quite a few chicken pillows ,throws, & other items that fit right into Feather as if they were made for her. I couldn't convince my husband we should call her our little "Chicken Coop on Wheels " , so Feather it is. ( Chickens have feathers !!!! )

Because Feather is so tiny I am trying to be creative with her for comfort and storage. My husband is a bit taller than I am and he has long legs. Sitting at the table can be uncomfortable if we have a long spell of cold rain while camping and stay indoors. With this small hassock he can sit back and rest his legs, and when he isn't using it I do. I store my crock pot in the hassock too. ( I use my crock pot often when camping where there is an electrical hook-up.) I love sitting at this table late nights when we're camping, reading while I listen to rain outside.

Our little Feather might be small, but she has a lot going for her. She can be easily towed or backed into campsites, does not require a huge vehicle to tow her, is comfortable, easy to maintain, and we own her outright. I think we have many years to come of happy camping with Feather !