Happy October!

Well, just like that, September is gone and October is here.  The trees are starting to turn their beautiful colors and the farmers are harvesting the fields.  Oh, to be a farmer, reaping the fruits of a summer full of labor!  The harvested corn fields look like a carnage has taken place--jagged stalks sticking up at all angles, random ears of corn strewn here and there, yellow leaves laying everywhere...and the animals have feed for another year. 

The beans are turning their beautiful shades of yellow and brown, and will soon be ready to harvest and sell. 

The trees are exploding into vibrant shades of yellows, golds, reds, oranges, and purples, seemingly overnight. 

The world, always beautiful in its own respective season, is changing once again.  And once again, the Lord has reminded us to take notice of His creation, and marvel in awe at the world that He created for us.  How can anyone look around and deny that we were made--created?  Every leaf, every blade of grass, every flake of frost...all were created by the One who loves us more than anything else He made (and He made everything!).

Happy October!

War of 1812--Battle of Mississinewa

Is it just me, or is the fall the busy time of year for others too?  I find my task list seeming to be a mile long at times.  Things seem to pop up on the weekends, and the weekends are my only time when I feel like I have the energy and focus to do the larger tasks that need doing.  The big thing on my list right now is making more pumpkin puree to freeze--but finding time to go out to the pumpkin farm is not easy!  I hope I don't have to forgo making the puree this year due to other commitments, but it's not looking good.

This past weekend, the hubs and I traveled to Indiana for the annual Missisinewa 1812 reenactment and camp.

This commemorates the battle that took place in December of 1812 on this site, where American troops clashed with the local Indian tribe, but is not a re-enactment of the actual battle.

Hubby and his family went to this every year (usually) when he was younger, and we've gone several times since we've been married. 

Hubby, who has a degree in History, spent his time as a graduate student studying the War of 1812 as his history concentration, so he's well-versed on all things War of 1812, and he always enjoys seeing the battles replayed. 

I enjoy it too, because I love living history. 

There are food vendors, general store tents, furriers, potters, jewelers, and all sorts of other fun things to see. 

I love seeing the re-enactors cooking over a wood fire outside. 

I love all of the artisans and specialists that sell unique items. 

I purchased two hand-made wooden spoons, a bar of tea tree soap, and a tube of all-natural mint lip balm.  However, this year, we went on Friday, when all of the schools also take field trips to see the battle.  Without going off on a tangent, it was a bad choice, and the kids were so ill-mannered and rude that we regretted the decision to go.  But I was still able to take many pictures, which I love to do.  So enjoy our time-travel trip back to the War of 1812!

Beautiful Sunrise and Foggy Morning

Awake, my glory!  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn.  I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.--Psalm 58:8-9

With fall comes all sorts of dramatic weather changes.  The temperatures fluctuate frequently as cold fronts try to bring in the eventual winter chill.  Because of the changing seasons, we've had some wonderful morning sunrises--the kind that make you smile and thank the Lord for His creation.  Allow me to share with you just a few pictures from my back door of an absolutely beautiful sunrise and a very foggy morning!  Just for the record, I did not Photoshop any of these pictures (other than to add the copyright). 

This was a stunning sunrise...it just got brighter and more vibrant as the sun got higher.  I didn't want to stop watching!

 

I love foggy mornings...they just feel so tranquil and peaceful, like I'm the only person in the world.

I couldn't even see our neighbors' houses.  Very thick!

Fall Photos and Northern Pygmy Owls

Aah, finally...a nice, cool fall weekend!  I've been waiting for this for a while.  It was sixty-six degrees in the house when we woke up yesterday morning, which was nice but a bit chilly for me, so I had a great excuse to turn on our heater in the living room.  It's been a quiet weekend.  We are happy for it, since hubby was traveling for work the past two weeks.  We just spent time together and relaxed.  I made venison stew and another batch of monster cookies.  I have a recipe for apple spice "donut holes", which are actually baked in the oven in mini muffin tins, but haven't made them yet.  I'll be sure to share the recipe if they turn out to be good!  Since I don't have much to report, I'll just share some random 2011 fall photos from my collection with you.  I hope that the colors will be good again this year, but the drought might have had an effect on that.  Anyway, enjoy!

Gourds in the Garden

Entrance to Litzenberg Park

Great fall colors

Litzenberg Barn

Vibrant

McKinnis Homestead

Leaf.  Silly!

The fall season usually triggers thoughts of cool weather, leaves changing, the smell of burning wood, and owls.  So without further ado...

The Owl Corner
Northern Pygmy Owls

Photo by Paul Higgins, found on utahbirds.org.

These cute little owls are found in the western United States and north into western Canada.  They are distinguished by special markings on their neck and tail: on the back of their neck, there are two black spots that resemble a second set of eyes, and on the tail, there are thin horizontal white stripes.  They also have small spots all over their brown or reddish-brown back feathers.  These owls are most active at dawn and dusk, and prey ranges from small songbirds to rodents and insects, and some amphibians like toads and frogs.  They are small in size, averaging about 7" tall, but they can carry prey up to three times their size.  They typically bring the prey back to the nest, and will store prey in cavities inside trees for the winter.  They also store food in the summer, but in relatively small amounts, because prey is more abundant in the warm weather.  They typically only have one mate for life, and lay a typical clutch of three to four eggs.  Scientists are still collecting information on this species.

Information taken from owling.com, utahbirds.com, birdweb.org, and owlpages.com.

Almost every day of our lives, we will encounter those who seem to have no morals or dignity.  It could be on t.v., or in person, or through contact online.  We as Christians are held to a higher moral standard in this life than those who are not believers.  So how do we handle it?  The Bible outlines several ways to deal with these encounters, and I personally like the instruction given to us in Psalm 37: "Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity." (Psalm 37:1-11)  God knows and God sees what happens to us.  He may allow certain things to take place that are unpleasant or uncomfortable at the time, but they are meant to make us into the children that He asks us to become.