Fall flowers .....

The leaves are just beginning to turn here in Central Virginia. Since I don't have any colorful leaf photos to share, I thought I'd share some colorful fall flower photos.

A fall drive ........

Monday was sunny and warm, a perfect day for a drive. We decided to head north toward Sperryville. We stopped for breakfast near Mineral, which was the epicenter of the east coast earthquake. A lot of houses had chimney damage and some buildings had damage to brick facades. We didn't feel any tremors while we were there, although the news said this morning that there was another aftershock last night.





(I apologize for the poor photos. It's hard to take a picture while riding in the car at 50 mph. Hubby isn't one to stop in the middle of the road so I can take a picture.)

When we arrived in Sperryville we stopped at an antique store we like to visit. We were disappointed in what they had to offer, so we didn't stay long. Our next stop was a stand selling apples, cider, honey, jellies and jams. We got a basket of apples, two jugs of cider, and a jar of damson jelly. I love damson jelly and preserves. After stopping at a few other shops along the road, we entered Shenandoah National Park and got on Skyline Drive heading South.

The day was sunny, but it was a bit hazy in the distance. The trees have turned up on the mountain and are beginning to turn in the valley.









We didn't continue south on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but got off near Charlottesville and headed home. It was a very pretty drive and an enjoyable outing.

While we were gone, the tree service had come and taken down our tree. I was disappointed that I hadn't been at home to watch. The tree was really, really tall and I wanted to watch as they cut it in sections from the top with the bucket truck.





This is all that is left of the tree.

Blogger's block?

It's been ages since I updated my blog. I don't have any excuse other than every time I think about posting, my mind becomes a blank. Is there such a thing as blogger's block?

Things have been quiet and uneventful around here. We are still waiting for the tree service to take down the tree damaged by the hurricane. They dropped off a trailer and a bobcat Tuesday, so maybe they'll get to work soon.

Our trees are just beginning to turn. I'm hoping we can take a day trip to the mountains the first of the week. I want to get some delicious Virginia apples.

My mind is totally blank again. Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here and all is well.

My porch .......

The porch at my front door embarasses me. No matter how often I sweep and clean it off, I never know what may be lurking there. I'd hate for company to accidently step in some of the strange things I find. Yesterday morning there was the back half of a rabbit deposited on the mat. Later in the day I found the innards of some unknown animal. Then this morning I look out and Mazie Grace had a rat that she was tossing around and playing with.



Mollie Ann was very interested in what was going on. I think she wanted to play too.



Once Mazie Grace starts to eat, I have to leave for awhile, since I can't stand to watch her. Five minutes later the porch was clear once again.

A visit from Arthur Ritis ............

Mollie Ann's new favorite place

I haven't been around lately. Mr. Arthur Ritis paid me a visit and settled in for an extended stay in my neck, shoulders, and back. I was too uncomfortable to sit at the computer and was in too foul a mood to converse by any means with other people. I believe the worst is over with and hopefully I will be back to normal soon. Needless to say, I haven't been doing much other than trying to find a position that was bearable. I don't know of anything special that brought the flare-up on. Every so often it just decides to act up for awhile.

We are in the process of closing the pool for the summer. The weather report is calling for cool temperatures this weekend. Even though the days have been hot and humid, the nights have been cool. It's perfect weather for sleeping with the windows open.

We easily got the yard cleaned up after the hurricane and were thankful that we had no damage. A couple of days later a huge limb on a tall oak tree in the back yard broke off. We will have to get a tree service to come in and take it down as it is too high up for hubby to reach. While they are here we're getting the whole tree cut down. As you can see in the bottom picture, it is leaning out over the yard and will fall sooner or later taking the electric wires down with it. I'm surprised the whole tree didn't come down.





I apologize for not commenting on your blogs lately. I'm off now to catch up on everyone.

Irene cleanup ...........

We've been busy the last few days cleaning up after Irene. We were very lucky. We had no major wind damage, no flooding, and we had electricity except for two hours on Saturday. Our yard was covered in sticks, leaves, and branches. Our neighbors lost a tree and several large limbs, but all we had was small stuff. We went over the yard with the bagger on the mower and got up most of the debris. I raked up the rest.





The pool was full of leaves and I spent a couple of afternoons getting it cleaned out. It won't be long before it will be time to close it for the winter. I hope we have a few more hot days so we can enjoy the water a bit longer.



We seemed to be just on the edge of the strong winds. Just thirty miles to the east of us there was extensive tree damage and even a death from a tree which fell on a house. There are still many areas without electricity. Luckily, we are not in an area that floods.

We have much to be thankful for. I hope everyone was as lucky as we were. The east coast had a rough week - first an earthquake, then a hurricane. This week the weather has been beautiful.

Patty cake ..............