A cloudy, but gorgeous Autumn week

 

Warning!  Lots of fall foliage photos ahead!  I just can't help myself - even when it's raining!  Here's one I took on Saturday when I was out running some errands. 

Last Monday, October 16, I took Elizer to preschool, got groceries, and made cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for us and for Anthony and Lori.  Seeded rye bread is our favorite with a variety of cheeses.  When I make grilled cheese sandwiches for them I just put them together (lots of butter!) and pack them with wax paper in a plastic container.  They grill them when they're ready for dinner. 

I picked up Elizer at 3:30, as usual, and we took dinner over to Anthony and Lori's.  I took these pictures as we drove up their private road.  It was a cloudy day - as most of the week was, unfortunately.

Some of my rose bushes were having a bit of a resurgence.  It's good I took this picture that day, because they are really fading since then.  Still no frost, though.

I bent down to get a better picture of this low-hanging one.  I couldn't believe it!  I have no idea where that pink came from!  This is not my rose bush that has the two-tone flowers!  I LOVE it!

Destiny worked till 11 pm that evening, so Elizer slept here that night.  I think she came here to sleep after work.  Grandpa and Elizer had fun with stickers after his bath.  He was decorating an Amazon box.  

On Tuesday morning, after I dropped Elizer off at preschool, I had to open my phone camera again to capture all the beauty I was seeing on my way back home.  I just point and shoot, keeping my eye on the road.  When I get home I see what I got, deleting lots of them, cropping others.

That's Beaver Stadium behind those trees.  We pass it every day, often several times a day.

We see these beautiful Penn State horses every day too.

That day I updated my blog and also looked in my photos for pictures of each grandchild to update my hallway wall display.  I think my photo order will arrive today and then I'll get busy on that display.  It's very out of date.

It was cold and cloudy, and I didn't feel like going to a park after I picked Elizer up.  On the way home I got the idea of going to the airport to see what we could see.   At least we could be indoors.  We got to see something we never did before - a guy watering the plants that were very, very high!  It was so fun to see how they do that.  

Then we watched a whole process.  First, we saw them load the last few pieces of luggage into a back door of the plane, then we watched all the people walk out of the airport and up the ramp into the plane. When everyone was on board, they pulled the ramp away, then closed the door which actually had steps attached.  It was fun to see the steps collapse as the door was going shut. 

Then we watched the plane back away from the building, so we went outside and waited as it taxied on the runway.

After a while I decided that it must be taking off in the other direction and we probably would not be able to see it from the side we were standing.  So we started to walk toward my van.  And then we heard it get LOUD, and there it was  - taking off almost right beside us!  I didn't even have time to get a good video!  That was exciting!

After dinner Dick took Elizer to get a haircut.  It was TIME!!  It hadn't been cut since June and was getting really shaggy.  Dick took this picture of him looking at himself in the mirror.  What a great haircut!  

Just when I think that face can't possible get any more handsome than it already is.....

On Wednesday I made baked sweet and sour chicken and refried rice for us and for Anthony and Lori.  I took some of it over to their place after I picked up Elizer from preschool.  On the way back home we stopped at a park that is closer to their place than to ours.  It was such a damp, "raw," cloudy day, but he didn't care.  I did, haha!  

Thursday morning was EXTREMELY foggy as I drove to Destiny's place and then on toward preschool.  But just as we were approaching downtown State College, the fog lifted and the sun was shining, and there was a hot air balloon!!

I had to go to Walmart after I dropped him off and again did some point and shoot photos as I drove, just to prove that we really were having sunshine.  I knew it was going to soon disappear behind the clouds that would last most of the day.

As is usual on Thursdays, I did our laundry and spent lots of time on choir music prep.  After I picked up Elizer and brought him home, there was a praying mantis at the bottom of our front steps.  About two weeks ago there had been one right outside our front door, and he was so disappointed when it had disappeared.  So we were really excited to see this one (maybe the same one?)

It was walking over toward his bike as I took this video.  You can listen in on our conversation.  I was saying that maybe it's going to get up onto his bike.  He said, "But it doesn't have a butt to sit on!"   After a while it disappeared into the flowerbed. 

That evening we had choir practice. 

On Friday morning it was raining lightly.  But there were still some photo ops.  Beautiful leaves can't be hidden by rain!

I made meatballs and spaghetti for us and for Anthony and Lori.  If you ever want a really good meatball recipe, I have one!  

Destiny picked up Elizer after preschool and they left for Lancaster for the weekend.  

I took Anthony and Lori's food to Dick at work for him to take to them. (Did you follow that, haha?)  I came home to fold laundry and watch more episodes of Virgin River.  

On Saturday I slept in till 9:00!!!!!  That is unheard of for me.  But I may have been up too late Friday night, enjoying the luxury of watching my show and knowing I could sleep in if I wanted.  

Later in the morning I went to the bank and a few other places.  Again it was cloudy, sometimes rainy, but I got a lot more gorgeous pictures.

Dick had been archery hunting at Anthony and Lori's that morning.  Later in the afternoon we went to Home Depot to look for a new sink for the hallway bathroom.  Our search was successful, and we came home to get lots more done.  He installed the new sink and switched out his summer and winter clothes. I did music prep for Sunday morning, switched out my summer and winter clothes, and updated our picture bulletin board in the kitchen.  I hadn't done that since COVID!  Lots of good memories as I went through all the cards and letters that I had been collecting since then.  Also, I had ordered a new memory foam topper for the guest room bed, and it arrived that day.  I worked on getting that bed put together.  

I brought that beautiful rose indoors.  And how about my cactus getting ready to explode with flowers soon??

Sunday morning we went to church, then came home for a simple lunch of hot dogs and sauerkraut.  I prepped the music choices for next Sunday then decided to take a short nap in the guest bed to try out the new foam topper.  

Later we video chatted with Bjorn and Jess for a while.  Charlie was napping, but we got to see him anyway.  He's a busy boy, so he sleeps hard!

Later in the afternoon we drove to Duncannon to meet Alex's dad to get Elizer back.  Destiny works on Sundays.    I didn't even get a picture of him.  But I did take this one was we drove.  

On the way to Duncannon I was having fun reading old blog posts from 2013 and 2008 to Dick.  I'm so thankful I took the time to write all those memories down.  So many things we have forgotten until I read them.  

So much suffering happening in the Middle East right now.  It's hard to comprehend or imagine or even to have adequate words to discuss it.  But the Lord hears and knows and cares.  

That's it till next time.

All kinds of fun!

 It's starting to look and feel like Autumn around here.  Thankfully, no temps in the 30's yet!  Not looking forward to that at all!

My roses are still blooming somewhat.  I spied this one yesterday on my Julia Child yellow rose bush.  How about that pink added in there??  This isn't even the rose bush that was supposed to have two-toned roses!  I love it!

Now back to last Monday.  As I said last time, Sammy and Bianca had off school that day, so they got to stay here an extra day.  They were looking forward to a day to do things without Elizer while he was at preschool.  Things like libraries! 

We first of all went to Schlow Public Library in downtown State College and browsed for a while.  Bianca found a book about Billy Joel to show to her mom.  Jenn had been to a Billy Joel concert on Saturday evening.  

Then we drove uptown to campus and parked on the very top floor of the Nittany Deck.  This was the gorgeous view of the campus and the mountains beyond!

Future Penn State students?

We walked to the library.  They remembered that we had gotten something to eat or drink at the Starbucks in the library when they were here in June.  But not this time!!  The place was slammed with business from students.  The line snaked back and forth several times before getting to the counter to order.  Destiny wasn't there working anyway, since she starts at 2:30 on Mondays. So we instead went to a room where they have specialty displays.  This time it was about how dye was originally created.  Actually, very interesting!

We did some more walking around in the humongous library, then realized we were really hungry.  We decided to walk down across campus to College Avenue where lots of food shops are located.  It was a fun, brisk walk.  We played the alphabet game.  There are names on each college building, so plenty of available letters.  When we got down to College Avenue and were about to cross the street, I said, "Kids!!  I don't have my wallet!!"  I knew I had had my wallet when we were in the library, and I suddenly had the sinking realization that I had probably left it in the busy restroom next to Starbucks. NOOO!!!  We were SO hungry!  I could have bought us something to eat and payed with Apple Pay on my phone, but finding my wallet seemed to be more urgent.  

So up across campus we hiked.  This time we saw the front of Old Main. 

Sadly, we could not take the time to enjoy the return walk.  Penn State has such a beautiful campus.

Of course my wallet was not in the restroom stall any longer.  I asked at Starbucks if anyone had handed in a wallet, but nobody had.  I was then directed to the library lost and found.  The person there asked me to describe my wallet.  When I did she said, "Just wait.  I think we might have it."  She went back for a key, opened something, then came to the counter with my wallet.  WHEW!!!!  She said a librarian had found it in the restroom stall.  God BLESS that librarian!!  I wished I could thank her in person!

We decided to go to the car and drive somewhere to get something to eat.  So we walked to the Nittany Deck, went up to the very top floor where we had parked, slowly wound our way down the six levels to the exit, and I scanned my ticket.  The screen said it did not recognize my ticket.  So I pressed the help button.  After a while help arrived.  He said he would scan my ticket, but he got the same result.  He looked at my ticket and said, "This says Schlow Library.  Do you have any other tickets in there?"  Of course I did!  And the right ticket worked just fine.  Seriously??  Will these kids trust going out with me again???

We ended up at Hoss's for the lunch salad bar.  I didn't realize that Sammy pretty much dislikes all vegetables.  But he found French Onion Soup and mac and cheese.  And then the dessert bar of course, haha!

We went home to pack up all their stuff, went to pick up Elizer from preschool, then drove about an hour to the Thompsontown exit to meet Sam and Steph.  They would be taking Sammy to his soccer game at 6:30, but there was time to play at the playground where we met.   

There were a lot of other things besides swings, but I was busy talking and didn't get any other pictures. Sammy was also having fun riding the scooter I had gotten him at Goodwill.

On Tuesday after I picked Elizer up from preschool we went to my friend Peg's place for a party!  Peg's daughter Shannon and her baby boy Arlo were visiting from California, and everyone wanted to see them!  Arlo is a GIFT FROM GOD after Shannon and her husband Carl lost their first two babies.  What a courageous couple they are!  

There was live music by Biscuit Jam, friends of Peg and Bill.  

Elizer was mesmerized!

Peg and Bill are the best party hosts and the best dancers!  I love to watch them.

There were a number of dogs at the party, and Elizer was having a great time with them.  You can see him in the center of the picture with a dog.  You can also see baby Arlo (now  6 months old) being held by his cousin in the back.  

I was disappointed that I hadn't gotten any picture of Shannon and Arlo.  Then I noticed in my video that I had this little shot of them.  I think he was falling asleep. 

This is the view from their place up on the hill.  We live down in that valley.

Wednesday morning began with a beautiful sunrise. 

After I picked Elizer up from preschool we stopped at "airport park."  The only picture I took was this.  One of his favorite things about going to parks is petting the dogs.  There are always dogs. 

There was another beautiful sunrise on Thursday morning.  

When I got to Destiny's place for Elizer I took a picture of her impatiens.  One of these days they'll get hit by frost.  Sad day that will be in my opinion!

As Elizer and I crossed the street from the parking garage to his preschool we spied this hot air balloon! We could actually see the fire that was powering it!

And as I left town there it was!

I almost thought I could see the people in it!

I did laundry and choir prep that day.  Then after I picked Elizer up he said he wanted to go to "King Roar."  Hahaha! I knew he meant Rural King.  So we went there, got our yummy freshly popped corn and looked at the baby chicks.  

He said this bunny rabbit had zombie eyes.

When we got home I took this picture of my knockout rose.  It's all misshapen, but blooming for all its worth!

On Friday I cooked for Lori, an Asian recipe from a Hello Fresh meal I had cooked before.  Unfortunately I had to stop in the middle of everything to pick up Elizer at noon.  That never happened before.  Sadly, he was having a very bad day at preschool.  It's hard to understand how such a sweet boy can suddenly feel like hurting his classmates.  His teacher is wonderful, and we all work together on issues like this.  

After his nap I took Lori's food to their place then met up with Destiny.  She really wanted to go to Way Fruit Farm to pick apples.  Their website said they have apple picking until 6:30.  We got there at 6:15 and hurried inside to pay for a bag of apples.  It was 6:20.  The cashier looked outside and said, "It looks like he is packing up out there."  We were so disappointed.  Except that it was starting to feel really cold and windy, and we weren't exactly dressed warmly enough.  

So we shopped inside for a little while.  We were amused by these enormous cabbages!  When we were checking out later someone had a whole cart full of these cabbages.  We heard the guy tell the cashier that his aunt owns a restaurant and likes these cabbages!

Then we came home for the evening.  Destiny and Elizer had fun with LEGOS. 

And of course some gymnastics!

They stayed here overnight.  Saturday it rained alllllll day!!  Ugh!!  What a bummer for Destiny's day off.  Dick took Elizer along on some errands.  We cracked up when they came back - matching hats and matching camo pants!

I went to the bank.  I hadn't driven on Colonnade Drive lately and was pleased to see these trees, beautiful even in the rain.  

After Elizer's nap he and Destiny played with the new play doh I had gotten.  Last year's was all dried out.  

They also did puzzles. 

In the evening we went to Get Air trampoline park - the best place for an energetic boy and his mamma!

Elizer had fun grabbing this rope and swinging on it. 

Even more fun - fighting with Mamma!

Sunday was beautiful, although chilly.  I took this picture as we left for church. 

After Elizer's nap Dick and I took him to Talleyrand Park.  There was intermittent rain and sun, and we spied this rainbow on our way there.  

These two Golden Retrievers weren't quite sure about each other.  

Elizer cracked up as Grandpa pushed his swing with his walking stick!

Beautiful Bellefonte!

After we left the park we drove on some streets we never had before.  We found some really nice houses. 

Then we went to the car wash!  

When Destiny got here after work she and Elizer had so much fun on the floor.  He's lucky he has such a strong, energetic mamma!

I did a puzzle with him.  He's starting to be pretty good with puzzles. 

We did it!!

And that was another week in the books!