Come, little leaves, Said the wind one day;

Come to the meadows

With me and play.

Put on your dresses

Of red and gold;

For summer is past,

And the days grow cold.

Soon as the leaves

Heard the wind's loud call,

Down they came fluttering,

One and all.

 Over the meadows

They danced and flew,

All singing the soft

Little songs they knew.

Dancing and flying,

The leaves went along,

Til Winter called them

To end their sweet song.

Soon, fast asleep

In their earthy beds,

The snow lay a coverlet

O'er their heads.

Words by George Cooper

The rain has poured and poured

and every thing on the grounds is showing the results of what a good rain can do.

The  pumpkin patch has spread all over and across the yard.

Pumpkins in every stage

of development

are lying among their gigantic leaves.

This is one of my favorite spots in the yard. Not much grass grows, but there is a natural walkway between the trees and it leads to the gourd patch. The thick cluster of green is where it is located.

Here the gourds are growing in all shapes 

and with some of the prettiest designs.

My zinnias had been looking tired, but the rain has given them a boost

and they bloom in vibrancy. 

The morning glory is spreading and crawling throughout the different gardens.......

and they have bloomed from my needle as I embroider a shirt that I placed some on. 

There is a Cherry Crumble Pie, fresh from the oven

and if you would like the recipe, 

click onto this link

My Country Kitchen

that will take you to my cooking blog.

Are you getting a lot of rain?

Or has colder weather crept upon you?
I would love to hear!

There is a place........serene .............

past the sunflower fields where rainbows stretch across 

and on the busiest path.........where cars and trucks whiz by........

not taking time to notice...........

how picturesque this spot looks............ 

but I notice and want to stop here

each time..........to just enjoy the beauty of these large and ancient trees.

They have been here on this busy path I have traveled  for the past 30 years ,

and my husband remembers them far back when he was a child, traveling to visit his grandparents. 

One does not realize just how large their trunks are .......

until they stand beside them.........in awe.......and feeling small. 

Sometimes, there is a stream of water running at their base, from recent rains.......

but no one knows this........

except for me........and this whimsical and friendly fellow.

 How about you?

Is there a place..........on the beaten path..........where life is too busy to take time to slow down to enjoy............except for you?? 

I would love to hear!

You are what your deep, driving desire is............

(a photo of our road from last winter)

As your desire is, so is your will. 

As your will is, so is your deed.

As your deed is, so is your destiny.

                       Brihadaranyaka Upanishad  IV.4.5

It's not the "bull" in my china shop I need to worry about................

It's a bird! 

A Curved Bill Thrasher flew into the chimney of our fireplace and got trapped during the day.

We opened the damper and placed a light inside of the fireplace to coax the bird out..........

and the very next morning........instead of the rooster's crow to awaken me..........

a shrill and loud chirp of this bird did the job. I was delighted to see that it found it's way out.........

but it was not thrilled to see me and started flying and darting all over the house, exciting myself and my dog Sophie. I am not tall enough to reach the window tops so the bird gave me my morning exercise  flying back and forth, making me run back and forth with a towel, trying to shoo the bird out of the open door.  

Instead the bird went straight into my kitchen and landed on my tea pot shelf!!! 

I quickly ran outside to get a pond net that I use to swoop the fish up in,  and tried to gently and carefully place it over the bird..............

The bird knocked off one of my favorite cups.......

Sophie, who had been enjoying the vigorous morning routine of excitement, 

dashed away as the cup smashed to the floor. She cowered down..........thinking I was throwing dishes at her!! sigh

I finally caught the bird and tried to take a photo of it in my hand outside........but it broke free,

leaving me only with a couple of feathers and broken china.

But you know me............just make lemonade out of those lemons!

I used the broken pieces to make a mosaic plant dish. I made a tea cup with the broken flower chips from the broken cup............

and I was able to incorporate the handle of the cup into it as well!

Sometimes, it takes a push from Mother Nature to get me to be creative in the things I have put aside, 

and I was able to give the broken china a new life.

The days have been extremely hot, but in the morning hours.........I feel a difference in the breeze as it blows across the tired prairie............Autumn is on it's way. The pumpkins are getting ready to leave the patch

and the flowers are blooming in vibrant colors as they enjoy the cool mornings.

Mother Nature seems to say..............."slow down".