rurality - the quiet season

Out for a Sunday drive

(although it was really Saturday - but you know what I mean)

I loved the way this little village looks nestled in the hills -

ready for winter.

It's that quiet time of year in Vermont.

Leaf peepers have gone home, and skiers are waiting for snow to arrive -

and all is very quiet in the countryside.

I apologize for my absenteeism lately.

All is well, I think I'm just adjusting to my new commute. It makes for a long day.

I am wishing you all a happy Halloween - stay safe!

random five - misty mountain and sunshine

I do believe - the colors have been spectacular this year

even shrouded in mist.

A couple of weeks ago, I was nominated for a Sunshine Award by a phenomenal blogger - 

Sarah at Paisley Rain Boots.

I love visiting Sarah's blog, where she and her paisley rain boots

(well, when weather calls for them)

explore the hidden and not-so-hidden back roads of Michigan.

She has an artistic flair for seeing places and objects from a different angle and capturing them with her camera. If you've never visited before - click on over!

So - for this week's random five, I've chosen five of Sarah's questions to answer.

1) Favorite Movie? - When Harry Met Sally (corny, I know...)

2) Coffee or Tea? - Both! Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon

3) Favorite Weekend Activity? - going AWAY, of course :-)

4) What decade would you have most liked to have lived in? - the next five or ten (life is much too short!)

5) Thing that you are most proud of accomplishing this year? - oh boy, I'm coming up blank and it's October already. May I have an extension, please?

That's it for me this week. I'd love to hear from you - feel free to play along.

And as always - have a great weekend!

I'm joining Nancy for Random Five Friday

random five - feeling crafty

I'm not sure what it is - but lately I've been feeling crafty - 

in a diy-make-cute-things sort of way that is, nothing evil lurking here...

But first,

this was my favorite find at the fair a couple of weekends ago.

Greg and I like just about anything black lab - and this one was impossible to pass up.

Truly

On a whole different plane of craftiness,

I found these felted wool dryer balls on Pinterest and for whatever reason

just needed to make them. They're great - everything you could hope for and more.

 (from dryer balls, anyway)

I add a few drops of lavender essential oil and my laundry has never smelled more fresh.

Also from Pinterest, I made one of these diy reed diffusers.

I used a blend of lavender and cedar, which is a soft restful scent.

Truthfully - I haven't noticed any scent diffusing from this thing,

but I did get a good night's sleep - so who knows?

For even more crafty fun, I whipped up a batch of lip balm.

There are lots of recipes out there, but I made up my own.

Yeah, this stuff should be called

"Lip conditioning-moisturizing-kick-ass-best-ever-turn-back-the-clock balm"

I'll probably tweek the recipe anyway, just for fun.

And finally - I made my third batch of soap this week.

I have the little bars curing on the kitchen table - all lined up like tiny little soldiers.

Greg gazes upon them in a perplexed sort of way -

"You know, I think we have enough soap for a year, here"

Hmmmmmm

Yes, he's probably right...

and yet - I really don't think I can stop.

Soooo - family members you should probably beware,

Christmas - it is a-comin'

But hey, maybe I'll also throw in some of my

lip conditioning-moisturizing-kick-ass-best-ever-turn-back-the-clock balm.

How about you - up to anything crafty lately?

Have a great weekend!

Random Five Friday @ A Rural Journal

abandoned sugar shack - jamaica, vermont

After what seemed like an endless streak of good weather,

last weekend was cold and rainy.

I didn't mind too much, as I was in the mood for a lazy

lie-around-the-house-and read-with-a-nice-warm-cup-of-tea

sort of weekend.

We did manage to get out a little bit and enjoy the foliage,

which I must say, is spectacular this year.

I took these a couple of weeks ago when the leaves were just starting to turn.

I think this is an abandoned sugar shack - although I'm not sure.

It sits in an area of Jamaica, Vermont that was flooded by Hurricane Irene.

This week the village is celebrating the reopening of the bridge on the main street through town,
an exciting step forward in recovering from the devastation of Irene.

random five - one of those days...

Happy Friday!

So - I stayed up too late last night reading Help for the Haunted.

You know how it is when you get to a point in a book where you know there's too much left to finish at a reasonable time, but you can't put it down?

Yeah - I knew I was setting myself up for one of those bleary-eyed days...

Anyway - rushing out my door at the last possible moment and feeling dazed,

as I'm walking to my bus, I'm pondering whether I have anything on my Kindle to read on the subway.

Probably, I'm thinking, as I realize I'm not wearing my glasses.

Yep, it's going to be one of those days...

Still rushing to make my bus, I look down at my black pants, black shoes, black sweater and -

wait, am I wearing navy socks? Bleary-eyed and all, yep, they're navy.

Ugh - it's going to be one of those days...

Soooo, sitting on the subway - feeling bored - and contemplating my navy socks, as well as the footwear of everyone else on the subway - I'm thinking that I'm kind of glad that winter is coming. I am tired of looking at flip flops.

(I know, I really should have something to read while I'm on the subway...)

Bored with the whole footwear thing - I jumped off the subway a couple of stops early, picked up an iced coffee and enjoyed walking the rest of the way to work through the park.

I've decided it's going to be one of those days.

:-)

For more random fun, hop on over to A Rural Journal for 

Random 5 Friday

Have a great weekend!

ball mountain dam release 2013

We have had an amazing stretch of beautiful weather.

I can't image that white water enthusiasts could have asked for a nicer day for the

Ball Mountain Dam release this Fall.

Beginning at the Ball Mountain Dam, the West River enjoys a day of Class II and Class III white water.

All is calm on this side of the dam (you can also see the ski slopes at Stratton right behind the tower)

It's this side of the dam that draws rafters from all over the region.

trudging up and over the dam -

yeah, that was the only part that didn't look like too much fun.

I got a kick out of this enthusiastic rafter who shouted a big

"woo hoo" to me while I stood on a bridge taking photos.

We were having a great day hiking through Jamaica State Park and watching all the activity,

but I'm thinking these rafters were having a blast!

How about you - would you rather join the fun in the water?

Our World Tuesday