Dear Neighbor . . .

 

(source)

 

FRIDAY, October 31st, 2025
Estate Lane, Nova Scotia

13*C/56*F light rain with

heavy rain expected soon

Dear Neighbor,

Happy Halloween on this dark and rainy last day of October. The rain is supposed to continue all day, along with some high winds, but is expected to clear by this evening. I expect we will still get plenty of trick or treaters. I do so love to see the wee ones in their cute costumes. I don't mind seeing the older ones either, but the little ones are always so cute and endearing. I love to see the parents also. It brings back a lot of happy memories of taking my own children out trick or treating. 

I remember one year our oldest boy wanted to be a robot, so we fashioned him a costume using some cardboard boxes and dryer hose. My husband covered the boxes with plaster of Paris, and painted everything silver with a can of spray paint. It ended up being quite heavy, but Anthony wore it anyways. He was thrilled with his costume even if it weighed him down.

Such an exciting night for the children. 

 

(source)

My brother's procedure went well yesterday, and he messaged to let us know he was home and resting. Our Sister-in-law gave the following update:

"Thanks for your prayers. Dave is home now, has had some soup, and is ready for bed. No heavy lifting for a while. Dave's ablation procedure was tricky, but the doctor felt she was able to get the two tumours. Follow up CT scans will confirm this. The biopsy results won't be ready for 10 days or so. Tomorrow will be a quiet day of rest."

It was quite a long day for them yesterday. I am sure that they are both really tired after the ordeal, and my sister-in-law takes care of her father who has dementia as well. He is in a care home facility, but she still spends quite a bit of time there with him making sure everything is okay and seeing to his needs. It is one where each resident has their own little apartment. He is as independent as he is capable of being, which is a good thing in many respects.  Cared for, but independent. Everyone should be able to end their days in this fashion.

 

(source)

I remember when my children were, well . . .  children. We used to get them each their own small pumpkin to carve.  I would line the dining room table with newspaper and put a big bowl out to put all of the insides of the pumpkins and the trimmings in. (Remember those big green Tupperware bowls. It was my bread making bowl.) This was a real fun time for them. So exciting. The faces would be drawn on first with a marker and then carved out, with much supervision I wish that I had photos of these times, but alas I do not.  I carry the memories of them in my heart.

Did you carve pumpkins when you were a child, or with your children?  We didn't make Jack-o-Lanterns when I was child. I suspect my mother couldn't abide the mess, or the expense of buying a large pumpkin that would not be eaten.  It's okay. I don't remember ever feeling deprived.

I never quite knew what to do with the seeds. I remember roasting them one year, but I wasn't sure how you were supposed to eat them.  Do you peel the white outer skin off or what?  I found them to be most unpalatable and never roasted them again. It was like eating a mouthful of straw.

 

(source)

Our leaves are mostly down now and after the rain and wind of today I suspect that not many will still be hanging on the trees. Oh, how I have always longed to visit New England in the autumn.  The photographs that you see are so beautiful, with the old wooden houses, barns and churches. I suspect that in reality it is not all that different than it is here. It is the Maple trees really that bring the most color. I saw a beautiful photo of the blueberry fields in the Wentworth Valley the other day and they were scarlet.

What a wonderful thing it is that we are treated to such a special sight as the changing of the leaves in the Autumn.  A final blessing before the cold grey starkness of Winter descends upon us.

I don't mind the Winter, not really. I know it is cold and that it can be dark, but I am one who enjoys the cozying in of it all.

I am having my winter tires put onto my car on Monday as well as having the oil changed and everything Winterized. It seems that it was not long since that I was having the summer tires put on. I do hope that I get another season out of all of them. We shall see. Hope springs eternal as they say!

 

(source)

Our clocks fall back this weekend.  I am not a person who embraces change very well, and I hate time changes most of all. It seems to take me forever to catch up with them.  

The days are getting much, much shorter now as the nights begin draw in earlier. It will be getting dark around five p.m. after the time change.  

Darkness is descending. And I know for many this is associated with negativity. Certainly the limited daylight hours and lack of sunshine do take their toll. But I have always found that changing my mindset, ever so subtly helps me to reclaim this time and to savor the darkness. Embracing your inner child is the key . . . and for me it began with the unadulterated magic of transforming trees.

Then there is the delight of the first frost when Jack Frost paints all of the dead branches and dry grasses with his crystal brush, making everything sparkle in light of the rising sun. 

 

(source)

Unexpected fairytale mushrooms that sprout up in the yard. I pointed one out to my sister the other night as she dropped me off after our supper out with dad. It looked like a small table sitting in the now green grass of my lawn . . .  just awaiting the ministrations of the fairies to set it up for their midnight feast.

Bare branches . . .  dried berries clinging to them, a treat that awaits the birds that winter here.

Whether you are in the countryside or in the city, so much daily magic can be found. You just have to stop, slow down, and look around. 

 

(source)

I have finally switched on my heating. The cats are enjoying the in-floor heating in the bathroom. I had no idea it existed prior to last Winter. It has made a huge difference in the temperature in the bathroom when I come out of the shower. I would not want to be without it.

Blankets have come out of my cupboard and feature here in the living room on my sofa.   The fans have been cleaned and put away until next year. Knitwear is becoming a staple.  

It is hard to know what to wear some days.  You begin the day in woolies and sometimes by mid-afternoon you are shaking them off.  It is a time of transition I suppose. A bit of Winter in the morning and a touch of summer in the afternoon.

I light my candles with abandon now and enjoy their glow as it warms my heart of an evening, or even sometimes in the afternoons. Today will be such a day.

 

(source)

Time in the kitchen soothes the soul. Bubbling pots of soup, squash roasting in the oven, tea warming on the back burner. This is the time of year that comfort foods, heartier foods call to our souls.  I start to crave a good stew, loaded with lots of root vegetables and a thick gravy to dip my bread in. One of my favorite things is just a slice of thick rustic bread, buttered thickly with hot gravy ladled over top. I could quite happily sup on that any night of the week. 

I suppose it is a bit like nursery food.  And this is the time of year we do crave that sort of food, comforting and soul warming.  Thick rice puddings, pasta bakes, soups and stews.  Bakes filled with the seasonal deliciousness of autumn fruits and warm baking spices.

The wind can whistle down the chimney all it wants if I am sitting in front of my electric fire (just to take the chill off) with a hot bowl of sustenance in front of me, a wooly blanket across my lap, in a room lit with candles, soft jazz playing on the radio. One cat laying next to me snuggling into the warmth of my side and the other across the back of my chair, paws outstretched and caressing my shoulders.

This is bliss.  And it doesn't happen any other time of the year but now.  It may feel like the world is willing us to hurtle through the season . . .  headfirst into the festive countdown, but there is still much of autumn left to make the most of, especially when the darkness begins to descend . . . 

And with that I will end this missive to you on this cool wet morning with . . . 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*Go placidly amid the noise & haste

& remember what Peace there

may be in silence.

~The Desiderata  • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。*

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 

In The Kitchen today  . . . . Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. A small batch. 18 delicious cookies to enjoy with a hot drink or a glass of cold milk.

I do hope that you have a beautiful day this last day of October.  Be blessed. Don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!