Sunday morning this and that . . .

These past few days have reminded us without a doubt that Autumn is in the offing . . . we've had to have the heating on  for short spurts and it has rained bucket loads . . . falling with a clean, driving force.  The air feels incredibly fresh as I dash from the house to the larder shed and back again, trying in vain not to get wet.  Beautiful are the colours of the fading garden . . . the dove-grey of the sky, charcoal of tree and silver of rain blending into almost twilight colours, and the night seems to come earlier with each day that passes.

The heart knows that autumn stands on our doorstep . . . and fears winter cannot be too far behind.  Summer dreams come down with a thump  . . .  these days being as a backfire on a prairie blaze.  The wind does it's job of whipping away all of summer as rain sluices through the air.  Branches fall . . . the chimney screams in protest.

We snuggle in close to the fire, and I feel nostalgic for the want of a whistling kettle.

 

Yesterday I decided to scrub the kitchen floor on my hands and knees.  Every now and again I think we need to get down to the lowest level to do something like this.  Often when we are looking down at things from higher up, we miss things we shouldn't be missing. At the Manor, the kitchen was the size of a small gymnasium but I often got on my hands and knees to scrub the floor. That way I didn't miss anything. 

Boy did our floor need it.  I could see where Mitzie had brushed up against things, or Todd had splattered things and they had gotten missed, so I scrubbed away, cleaning things up as best I could. When you have osteo-arthritis in your knees, hips, ankles, etc. its not an easy task. By the end of it I was laying down while I scrubbed as it was the only comfortable position to be in. I know . . .  crazy me.  Todd finally discovered what I was doing and finished it up for me.  I was aching the whole rest of the day, but one fall cleaning job was done!  Yes!

 

Two of the Elders stopped by yesterday.  Elder Anderson from Arizona and Elder Shettell from Utah. They are making the rounds getting to know the members of the Ward better. They are two very nice young men.  We have six missionaries in our ward boundaries now. A Senior Couple (like we were) and two sets of younger Elders.  It is always nice to have them in our home.  I have not fed them in a while. I need to fix that when I am at church today and slot our name in for a few meals. You can never go wrong by feeding a Missionary.  They are most appreciative for whatever you do for them, and always bring a tender sweet spirit into your home. 

 

I have a heart for all of the Missionaries.  The girl in the middle of this photo is our friend Lura's granddaughter, Lonica, who was serving in California until her visa to go to the Philippines came through.  It came through this past week and she left on Tuesday (I think) or Wednesday to fly to her Mission area there.  I can't think of a worse time to be flying into the Philippines. I am trusting she arrived safe and sound.  What a welcome to arrive along with a Typhoon!  I pray she, and all of our Missionaries in the Philippines are safe. My friend Eliza who is serving there as a nurse only has about 3 weeks to go now.   These people are amazing examples to me.

 

Speaking of amazing examples. We watched this film last night.  Its based on the true story of five men who escaped from a POW Camp in Siberia and walked all the way to freedom in India.  A journey of four thousand miles in 1941. What a grueling journey that was. Against the backdrop of stunning scenery, this is an inspiring story about tenancity and the capacity man has to fight for survival against all the odds.  The worst scene for me was when they had gotten to an area that was full of Mosquitoes.  Oh boy, they were practically breathing them.  

It reminded me of the time my ex and I, and three of our children, were driving back from Ontario to Alberta.  We were re-routed down through America via the crossing at Pigeon River, Minnesota because of Forest Fires.  One of my children was only about six months old and we had to stop in the middle of nowhere so I could change her diaper.  As soon as we opened the car door I was swamped with clouds of mosquitoes. It was absolutely horrid.  I was eaten alive in a matter of mere minutes.  I could really feel for the men in the film last night and what they were going through. Hell on earth! 

  

Can there be anything as lovely as very, very thin sliced fresh bread and butter for a late afternoon supper on a cold and rainy day?   Of course pots of jam are a must at the ready, along with something hot to drink, in our case hot chocolates . . .  These colder and wet days are the perfect days to rest the spirit with tranquil conversation . . . the remembrance of pleasant things and slices of bread, butter and jam. This is the supper of angels I think . . . even if these days all I can enjoy (and shouldn't be enjoying) is a very thin smattering of jam, and my bread whole wheat.  Simple suppers on autumn afternoons are the best  . . . 

And with that I will leave you with a thought for today  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *"There's nothing half so pleasant
as coming home again.”
~Margaret Elizabeth Sangster    •。★★ 。* 。 

  

In the English Kitchen today  . . .  Three Fruit Crumble, served warm with lashings of cream. Todd really enjoyed this!  Its filled with apples, pears and berries.

Have a wonderful Sunday!  Be happy and don't forget!

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And I do too!

 

PS - Don't be too concerned tomorrow as I need to be at the foot clinic by 9 am, so I will probably not be posting anything in the morning. I won't be back here, most likely, until Tuesday. Wish me luck!