Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house . . . .

Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse . . .  Cat . . . 

I would like to say with 3 cats in the house- only 2 shown here that we are mouse free but living in a 200 year old house there will always be mice, they have lived here far longer than we but amazingly we are in our 28th year in this house- how did that happen. 

Oren always loves to hang out and sleep here every Christmas season

Maggie finds all kinds of fun unique places to catch a nap.

Christmas Lights . . .

The Village gets in on the parade light action

Local Fire department. all decked out. 

That is a trombone with Light Sabers on the end of it. 

The school districts Transportation dept.  Plastic colored bowls and pool noodles are part of the decorations. Very cool

Cougar Tech 2228 rolling through town

I saw this lovely wreath on our walk back to the car. 

Looking into our kitchen from the outside. 

Our beautiful new pond all lighted up 

This guy stands by our door welcoming all to food and fun in the country. 

Christmas Tree Thoughts . . . .

Do you prefer live or artificial trees? Cut-your-own or pre-cut?

we always get a Cut your own.  We started this when the property that we border on 

One of my favorites

"My grandma made this many years ago"  " I love all the handwork and therefore love that went into it"

"a new ornament for 2015" 

What is your favorite ornament?

Are there any special tree-trimming traditions your family follows each year?
  We try to get it up just after Thanksgiving, each child puts on their own ornaments, my husband does the lights. 

When do you put it up and when do you take it down?

Colored lights or white lights?

 We put it  up the weekend after Thanksgiving, we take it down in January as we can. 

This year we have white lights but sometimes it is multi colored. 

- See more at: http://dawnathome.typepad.com/by_sun_and_candlelight/#sthash.oTzvYevq.dpuf

Weekend Wanderings October 2015

These are from last weekend 10- 17/18-2015  but it has been a busy week so I did not get hem posted sooner. Hoping to go somewhere different this weekend.  Lots of life and color still out there. It was quite cold last weekend- snow in the air and lot's of Bird activity!!  There is nothing better than getting outside- so centering and inspirational.

Sunshine and Shadow

 This was the sun rising in the East and the shadow was the weeds in from of the pumpkin and I was just in the right place at the right time.   There is beauty all around us if only we can see. 

Have a fun weekend - some pumpkin carving and Halloween cookie baking on our schedule!

Wordless Wednesday . . .

Quilts in progress . . . .

I have been busy trying to layer up a few Quilts that are just waiting . . .  I like to use my big Picnic table outside for this.
  I also have  just finished quilting a big star Quilt and need to get the binding on it now and then a label on it.
I plan to take a couple with me on my Sewing, painting get away weekend at the end of this month and we'll see how far I get with them.  I think the top and bottom quilts I will quilt mostly with straight lines so they will go quicker.  The top one was a bundle of  fabric from a Quilt show in the spring and the bottom one was using leftover 3.5 squares from a year long project that I did.  I will update with progress as they go along. . . .   wow - typos from auto correct when I first posted - sorry I think I have them all now.

Weekend Best Shots . . .

This was a beautiful fall weather weekend . . . warm sunny days with beautiful cerulean skies.  The Trees here in Western NY are just starting to change colors in some of the hills and valleys.   We did a lot of around the house work most of the weekend.  The boys participated in Xylems I Solved Water Program and won first place for Water Quality which came with a 1000K prize for the Robotic team.  I  made a road trip to nearby Fingerlakes town for a Grape Sundae and Crumb Top Grape pie as requested by the family.  Some Spring Bulb planting and moving perennials around- adding a few things by our new Pond but mostly planting that will wait for the spring time.  Spinach salad, Kale chips, Roasted veggies, fresh green salad and a few last fresh green beans.  So much yumminess this time of year.  Today is another drop dead gorgeous day but most of my work is inside- having a hard time with that.

Natures Art

NATURE is what we see, 

The Hill, the Afternoon-

Squirrel, Eclipse, the Bumble-bee,

Nay-Nature is Heaven.

Nature is what we hear,

The Bobolink, the Sea-

Thunder, the Cricket-

Nay- Nature is Harmony.

Nature is what we know

But have no art to say,

So impotent our wisdom is

To Her simplicity.

_ Emily Dickienson

This is what I saw on an early morning run this past week- captured with my phone so- not great quality but none the less a great masterpiece of Nature.  There is no substitute for time spent in nature -  it anchors us in this world full of rushing and electronics.  It calms us in a way that nothing else can. I just love being outside, in the yard, the garden, the woods! 

Late Summer at Chestnut Hill

I know once again I disappeared . . . but I have been busy sending kids off to college and high school, Getting back into the swing of things- but really not much routine swing left it seems. Every day and week are full.  work, Appointments, house and car and body Maintenance.   All very time and soul consuming.   We have in the past week - had mice take up residence where they do not belong and that also takes up time. Needing to determine the exact location of their doorway such that I can then put a lock on it and throw away the key if you will.   Everything has such a Golden hue this  time of year. The sun rises later and sets earlier. The Shadows are getting longer while it is getting quieter outside.  We are still working on a new project- a pond we have created but I will have to save that for a full post later.  It has taken no tie for it to fill with life- frogs, bugs, dragon flys - all so much fun to watch and enjoy.  The flowers in the garden are fading but we are busy trying to get some bulbs set in.  The vegetables however are rich, full, and  plentiful.    Enjoy the late summer days for they are Fleeting - Fall begins here tomorrow I believe. 

Art in the Garden

The garden, historically is the place where 

all the senses are exported.  Not just the

 eye, but the ear - with water, with birds.  

And there is texture, too, in plants you

 long to touch

William Howard Adams

Several years back I painted this canvas to put in the Garden.  I sprayed it with a UV resistant spray to protect it from the elements and I must say it has done very well. It has endured buckets of rain, sunny hot days.   It adds color to the garden on dark days or in between flowering plants.  This year I added the piece of metal the my son was practicing on welding. It is a pretty cool looking piece of Art I think.