It’s time to say bye on the path least traveled…

Dear Diary Page 96..

Hello Diary…

Finished supper some time ago, dishes taken care of and have been setting here since, contemplating things to do for the tomorrows coming while listening to Andre Rieu… there is much to do to prepare for winter as well as living life chasing rainbows and occasionally wishing on a star as us dreamers do.. believe that Jimmy Cricket said it best.. 🙂

That being said, have made a decision concerning blogging and Facebook… as I will be busy with life, there will be little, if any, time to blog or visit Facebook so shall stop for now and perhaps shall return again one day in 2017…as for Facebook, seeing as how I had left it alone in the past only to have security issues and I am not a big fan of Facebook and Faebook has changed and not for the better, I will post this today and then close my Facebook account in one week on Labor Day…

Before I go, shall leave a few thoughts.. the tropical weather may end soon and preparing for winter will start.. but that will be after Labor Day until then indoor tasks and getting ready for the holiday.. will have a tradition here, ham and beans, Polish Keilbasa and Scottish eggs on Labor day..

Also have my paints, colors and adult coloring books, etc at the ready..

And my drawing table, can draw and leave as is or paint/color my work.

This is a view out the window of my painting/coloring table of some of the garden and looking to the east can see the prairie of Illinois…

Will be making it point to have some quality time relaxing while contemplating tomorrows…and Labor Day means that fall is not far away and reminds me of a poem I wrote;

I set here with my coffee
And watch the leaves a fallin’
It’s becoming clear that one day soon
Jack Frost will come a callin’

Most of my bird friends have went south
In the southern warmth they’ll stay
But I’ll not shed a tear in sorrow
For they’ll be back again some day

All us creatures that are staying behind
To deal with the cold and snow
Are getting our house in order
And waiting for winter’s blow

The squirrels are gathering leaves and such
To insulate their winters nest
The possum is checking every nook and cranny
To find a place for his winters rest

The bee’s are picking up the pace
Gathering nectar with the morning sun
Storing winter food for the hive
Before their work on earth is done

A spider spinning it’s web of silk
I watched as it grew and grew
Soon to become natures work of art
With tomorrow’s early morning dew

This poem could go on and on and on
But alas, I have things to do
For, like it or not, don’t you see
I need to get ready for winter too.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller, 10/14/2007)

Life, and Facebook, seems to be full of critics, those who “talk the talk” but rarely “walk the walk” and to those I have this quote;

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, the man who at best knows achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt

And a couple quotes to contemplate…

“Life is one’s house, of what one will become, the accumulation of one’s efforts and takes time to build..everyday is a stone for the foundation of that house and part of the whole…don’t lose any sleep over stones that have been put in place, for they are now a memory, instead look forward and concentrate on what the house will finally become“.. Author Unknown

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover, acquire new friends and gain knowledge of yourself and the world.” Mark Twain

And that being said, a message for everyone..

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

It has been a great adventure but on down the path least traveled Bree and I must go, anxiously waiting to see what is around the bend on the path..perhaps return one day next year, Fate willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Until then, Bree and I bid everyone adieu and…

What do green beans, tomatoes and rainbows have in common? they are on the path least traveled…

Dear Diary Page 95…

Hello Diary..

Your independent, non-religious, don’t fit in with the old too old for the new, doing it my way, born again heathen here.. 😀 has been a few days since I have paid s visit, have been busy chartering a course for the future and taking care of business…had been raining earlier but has stopped for the moment, Bree is still in bed so thought I would pop in and leave a few thoughts…

The last couple of days have been pleasant outdoors so did some maintenance tasks and run the vac indoors.. then yesterday decided to deal with some veggies, also made some popcorn chicken…did pick, snap, blanch and freeze two pounds of green beans..

Also froze more tomtoes…

Also did a few more cucumbers and while the kitchen were in a mess, decided to make some of my “cobbler”, normally I use blackberry pie filling for me but only had apple pie filling, 20 oz. can… that being said, I “greased” a 8 “ aluminum pan with some butter..

Then added the filling..

Made a topping mixing together 1 cup of Quick Oats, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup oleo, I lightly melted the oleo so the topping would spread easy…

Put the topping over the filling…

Put the “cobbler” in the toaster oven for 22-25 minutes on 350 and done…

That pretty much took care of yesterday, summer weather is back so will play the rest of the week by ear…still have lots to do…

Getting off subject briefly, while venturing to the store to get supplies, etc. encountered a young man who was N.R.A, proud of it and talking about the procedure to get a permit to carry a gun… I ask him “why do you want a permit to carry a gun, what do you need to carry a gun for?”.. He replied “there will be someone out there who can defend you if needed”.. I ask him “how old he was” and he said “26”.. I then ask him “were you in the service” and he said “No”.. I then said “you have had plenty of opportunity to sign up, put on the uniform and defend me, instead you stayed home with Mom and Dad.. how come you suddenly have backbone?”.. he turned around and left without saying another word, you suppose it was something I said??.. 😀

That being said, will get away from the “dark side” and, with the sun out, look for the better and brighter side.. 😀 and, with the sun being out, will leave now, have planning to do, stones to unturn and rainbows to chase.. will leave some thoughts of others for the mind to contemplate…

“Never be bullied into silence, never allow yourself to be made a victim, accept no one’s definition of your life, define yourself”… Robert Frost

“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realize how seldom they do”.. Eleanor Roosevelt

“The thinking that got us to where we are is not the thinking that will get us to where we want to be”.. Albert Einstein

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together”… Marilyn Monroe

That being said and Bree is up, it is off to new adventures on the path least traveled we go!.. will return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise, not sure when… still chasing rainbows, right Israel Kamakawiwo’ole??.. 😀

Rain, tomatoes and the Declaration of Independence on the path least traveled..

Dear Diary Page 94..

Hello Diary,

I know it has been some time since my last visit, but Bree and I have been busy living and enjoying life and building for our tomorrows, how ever many there will be.. 😀

A rainy day here today so inside….. and what does one do inside on a rainy day one would ask?.. Well, the first thing is turn on the little laptop, start up the Tune-in website and listen to Classic FM live from London, England…

While listening to Bolero, started in with the veggies… picked some cucumbers last week from the garden..

And some tomatoes (the cracks in the skin are do to uneven watering and heat)…

Tomatoes first, will put them in the freezer (with skin on) for future use… when the tomato thaws, the skin will fall off and it will be like a stewed or canned tomato and can be used as is or in stews, soups or salsa..

Cleaned and stem removed…

Put in baggies, no water, and then the freezer…

The squirrels took a bite out of one so will use it for seed…

Rinsed the seeds good in a strainer..

Then put the seeds in a small container with some water…

Will repeat the process one more time tomorrow, then lay out on wax paper to dry, the put in a paper envelope and then in the door of the refrigerator with the rest of the seeds… as for the cucumbers, sliced up the two large ones, added water, some onion and salt to taste…

The rest I sliced and put in a brine solution of sugar, vinegar, onion, canning salt….

Will let them set overnight and tomorrow I will put them in zip-loc bags in individual servings and then in the freezer… so much for the veggies…

I have been watching with interest over the last few days, the news about today’s society… recalled some words from the Declaration of Independence; “We hold these truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”… it seems there is a element of today’s society that has forgotten that, or maybe they are just too arrogant and self-centered to care about anyone but themselves, spending too much time looking at themselves in a mirror while singing “How Great Thou Art”.. 😀

I believe that Plato has a few words for a element of society also… 😀

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark, the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light“. Plato

The rain has stopped and so will I (is that cheering I hear?..).. Will leave a few thoughts about being a individual;

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference“.. Robert Frost

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be“. Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined“. Henry David Thoreau

“We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving. And we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing”.. Louisa May Alcott

That being said, Bree and I are off, venturing on down the path least traveled, chasing rainbows and leaving no stone unturned, looking forward to see whatever may be around the bend… not sure when we will return, but shall return one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

50+ years of memories make this possible..

Enya says it best…