Hello Fall?

 How bizarre a summer ~ some hot, some cold.......usually the week before Halloween has been hot, but not this year.  Very cool.  And Halloween night was cold and windy.

We decorated...

We had TONS of trick or treaters.......

Elliot and Alexa

Vivian

Graham and his dad

Santa Claws

Randy "Macho Man" Savage (aka Scott) and Amy

Thomas and Amy ~ their first meeting!!!!

Lori, David, Jesse, Meghan and Thomas came over just in time ~

Jesse, Meghan and Thomas

All of the little kids were fascinated by the pretend fire.  There were princesses, scarecrows and zombies.  I had alot of candy (chocolate and non-chocolate) and little presents for the allergic to everything kids and a huge box of gold fish that was 99% gone! Something to remember for next year!!!

And HAVE MORE CANDY next year!  We almost ran out!!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Love,

Leslie

My First Restaurant Since March 2020 (?)

 Amy, Rhonda and I ventured out to Star, North Carolina for their annual Pumpkin Patch. The first time we went 3 years ago, we got the FULL experience of a zillion people in line to look over, pick over and purchase a blown glass pumpkin.  People come from all over searching for their perfect pumpkin.

Last year, the pumpkins were for sale online only.  Pandemic version of the pumpkin patch.

This year, you had to sign up ~ I signed us up for the first time on the first day 9am on October 2nd.  Only 60 people were allowed in for 45 minutes.  Game on.  I was going for two small pumpkins.  That was the plan.  I got the pumpkins, a blown glass peach, puzzle.....and also made plans for next year.  Next year I am going for a BiG pumpkin.  Anticipation is the greatest.

Next year.......

Amy asked a couple of staff where a good place to eat was and was referred to The Table in Asheboro, NC.  So off we went.

Absolutely delicious!  We ate outside on the far side.  Big shady porch, empty lot on the side, sublime bakery goods made on site, big chalkboard on the wall of the building on the other side of the empty lot with a box of chalk for kids and adults to draw.  Dog friendly.  Lots of fun.

Downside, not many masks in line or inside.  We wore masks until we sat at the table and began to eat.  Even though it was fun, it was a bit scary.  We walked across the street for the Farmer's Market and Rhonda got a couple of Apple gourds that will dry and last for years. 

And in honor of October, I put up the Halloween lights on the back porch.

Happy Fall ya'll!

Love,

Leslie

So Long to August!!!!

 I will be happy to roll into September.  It has been a long hot humid summer.  I really don't expect September to be much better......but we are getting out of summer.

I just came in from doing some trimming back and weeding.  I feel like I just got out of a hot shower.  But, some excitement in the garden!

First ~ check out the pumpking growing under the bird feeder!!!  I could never grow one and here it is by accident!

Amy got me a lilac bush that supposedly will bloom a couple times a year and surprise!  It has blooms on it!

And then yesterday while I was doing my volunteer morning shift at the compost table at the Eno River Farmer's Market, a couple of us were bemoaning the fact that we did not have any butterfly caterpillars on our parsley or bronze fennel. So while I was watering last night I noticed something on my bronze fennel......YES!!!!!

These will become a Black Swallowtail.  I think.  But I am very happy they are here.

Amy is in her third week of imparting Trademark knowledge into law students at North Carolina Central University.  There have been some glitches but she says she really likes it.  

Today was remote learning. Educated on top, party below.

And in the wierd and wonderful world of not going anywhere in the Pandemic, I have already gotten our Halloween treat bags ~ for Amy, Rhonda and I. There are 300 here.  I think that will be plenty.

I am trying to get away from all plastic.  I don't want anything that has a long life in the landfill or causes methane gas.  Working at the compost table has made me rethink things.  Yes, I have the bar shampoo now.  Yes I have tried the toothpaste with no tube.  I don't really like that yet.  I have all compostable bags in the house.  No more popsicles with plastic wrappers.  No more candy for personal consumption that has a wrapper (except for Halloween.  I cannot force my craziness on the neighborhood kids).  I am going to take my compostable bags to Fresh Market and fill with candy from those bulk jars when I feel the need for chocolate.  It really is a deep dark hole I have gone into.  But positive!!!!!

And then there is Elliot, Rhonda's granddaughter.  They will come over and visit ~ she hasn't said much to us yet, but the words are coming.  She loves Moana and I got her a beach towel with Moana on it.

I think she likes it.

Much love to you all!

~Leslie

First Little Road Trip Since Pandemic 2021

Last Thursday, Amy and I took a road trip to meet Jane.  Amy and Jane had figured out a halfway point (between Flat Rock and Hillsborough) in Charlotte, NC.  I asked off from work and invited myself so I could help drive.

Amy had a bunch of homemade ice cream from Broken Spoke Farm that she had packed up and off we went.

I had forgotten how much fun it is to take a road trip!!! The weather was beautiful but HOT HOT HOT ~ a lucious 99 degrees!

This is where we went ~ Camp North Beach.  It was an Army supply depot built in 1941 ~ all brick, all one story on both sides of an unused train track.  There is a lot of renovation going on in some of the buildings ~ it was great.  We selected lunch from the 4 spots all along the right.  These were sort of like built in food trucks ~ you selected and picked up and then ate outside.  Since we went on a Thursday, there was lots of shady places to eat.  Very nice.

Amy and Jane in front of an olive tree

Amy's happy place

As we got into our cars, I took the photo of the Charlotte skyline.  Amy loaded up Jane's car and we said our goodbye's.

Amy and I then took off to the IKEA so we could pick up a table that our neighbor Rhonda had ordered.  The IKEA was very convienently located on the way home a couple of miles down the road.  So easy.

Everyone got home safely AND the ice cream made it!!!!!!!!

Love,

Leslie

Watching a Tree Come Down

 This is posted late, the actual event occured in May.  It was a gorgeous morning and pretty much nothing was going on until this.  I watched from the porch because it was very interesting to watch.

The tree was in the empty lot across from the house.

Now that is a chainsaw

From start to finish, it was a hot hour and a half.  They cleaned up and you would never know they had been there.  It was very cool to watch.

Much love,

Leslie