November Faves

 

Here we are into November already!  What a mild Autumn we have had here in eastern New York State! I've been loving the mild temps and the sunshine/blue skies and now even some rain that was badly needed. 

I'm also loving to look back at the week and find FIVE blessings that top my FAVES list.  I have had a lot of blessings this week, as we all do when we are mindful of them but here are my top FIVE.  To learn more about this gratitude meme, head over to Susanne's blog. 

FIVE FAVES

Beyond Beef Plant based chili
this was a hit!! 

mild Chicken Chili 

toppings: Scallions, red onion, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips

the dining room table had the wine and desserts
and an extra bowl of tortilla chips
That's a Shiraz from Australia on the table
and we added a  semi dry Riesling and a Red Zin that my friend Joan brought
She also brought a dry Riesling that we didn't open so it will be saved for Thanksgiving

Dave and I relaxing in the backyard swing
before our guests arrived

let the burning of the brush begin!

• CHILI AND WINE PARTY! Last Saturday was the perfect Autumn day for our scheduled chili and wine party/bonfire. Dave and I used to host these autumnal parties every year from the time we joined our church in 2005 until the kids went to college. There were a couple of years we had to skip hosting due to family events and the last time we hosted one was during Covid 2021!  So when Dave mentioned to me earlier that week, that we needed to get back to doing hospitatlity with our friends, I organized the chili and wine party. We invited our friends Maggie and Bill, Joan and Thom, Meg and Charlie (who couldn't be there due to being in Indiana for a family event) and Eveyln and Mark (our oldest daughter's future in-laws).  We all had a blast. I warned everyone that I don't eat beef so the "beef" chili was actually plant based and every single person loved it!  There were not many leftovers! We had wine that 2 of us contributed to, and I had other drinks like sparkling waters, still water, beer, and ginger beer (non alcoholic) along with some cans of mocktails (non alcoholic).  We also had desserts.  We ended up burning almost all of the brush we had to burn before winter sets in.  We all hung outdoors from 1-6 pm!  It was so much fun to get to know everyone more and outside of a church event that we vowed we would do this again every few months. I'm so thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ to fellowship with and do life with. I was so busy having fun talking and hosting that I only took the pics that are above. 

a possible choice for mother-of-the-bride gown
approved by Courtney 

• BUDGET MEETING:  Our oldest daughter, as most of you know, is now engaged and they are choosing a late September or early October wedding. Courtney requested a meeting with us for Sunday afternoon so we had her over for dinner and talked budget. Dave gave her a ballpark figure of what we were willing to help them with and then I asked her about dresses.  She wants colors of dusty blue or sage green as apparently those 1990s colors are back and on trend for weddings! (who knew??) So I had found the above pic on a bridal website and she loves it!  I'm going to order the fabric sample first to make sure this is what she wants me to wear but she basically is leaving it up to me. She said she wants Evelyn and I to just wear something we love and that we feel comfortable in.  I'm thankful the process of wedding planning has begun  smoothly. 

table decor

• LUNCHEON:  Tuesday, after I voted and did some household chores, I headed over to  church to our gym where the "Over 55 Luncheon" was taking place.  Our special speaker was the young lady in charge of our KidVenture (Sunday School) program for birth through grade 5.  She did a great job and all of the food people brought (it's potluck style...i did up a huge veggie and crackers/cheese platter with lemon beet hummus) was delicious and a good variety.  I sat with my friend Maggie and at the same table was our Psalms friend Heather plus 2 older men I had never met.  One was the husband of one of the luncheon volunteers so it was nice to meet him. Our church has 2 services both of which tend to have an average of 800 people per service (a 9 and an 11 AM service every Sunday) so it's hard to get to know everyone!  I'm thankful the luncheon was a nice way to spent Election Day.  Talking politics is frowned upon at a church event or small group Bible study, etc as it's too divisive so it was nice to get away from election talk. Our pastor did encourage us to get out and vote.  I'm thankful for various events at our church and for the fellowship with friends and meeting new people. 

Panther Mt via the Giant Ledge trail
Elevation: 3720'!
A Catskills High Peak, RT= 7 miles
This is the mountain I climbed on Wed

• HIGH PEAK CLIMB! I had a scheduled SoulSteps hike (the hiking club I lead) for Wed in the Catskills which are between Albany and NYC, NY.  The trail we were heading to is called Giant Ledge. There are 5 main ledges along the trail overlooking the Catskills high peaks. Three of us were signed up but one person had to bow out due to an infection in her ear.  That left my friend Joan and I.  We were planning on doing the 4 miles RT hike to all 5 ledges and then be home by 4 pm. That didn't happen. We chose, instead, to do all 5 ledges and then for an extra grueling 1.9 miles, we hiked further up to the summit of Panther Mt which is the 18th highest peak in the Catskills. The Catskills are not real mountains like the Adirondacks.  The high peaks in the ADK are 4000' and higher and are real mountains. The Catskills' High peaks are 3500' and higher but none  are as high as 5000'.  They also are not real mountains. This article explains it. The high peaks in the Catskills are much easier to climb than in the ADK so we decided to go for it.  It was grueling due to all the rocks we had to climb up and over. Here are my fave pics from the day.  I'm thankful we had such a great day even though we hiked out in the dusk of the setting sun. We were home by 7:45 PM so it was a long day but a fantastic one! This was my third Catskills High Peak and my 8th high peak overall including 4 in the ADK and the highest peak in Vermont (Mt Mansfield). It was Joan's first time hiking in the Catskills and her first ever high peak! 

beginning of the Giant Ledge trail was pretty flat

Giant Ledge #1: there was a sheer drop off behind me! 
photo compliments of Joan 

This type of rock is what we climbed for the first mile
up to the summit AFTER hiking up 2 miles to the ledges
This is Joan climbing up

Joan and I on the summit of Panther Mt 
we are at 3720 ' elevation
the summit was only partially exposed

This part of the trail is just beyond the summit
and goes back down the other side of the mountain
as there are 2 approaches up Panther.  We explored a little ways down. 

It took a little over an hour to head back down the mountain
and then we still had another 1.5 miles to get back to the car!
This is me, taken by Joan, as I begin the descent.  

Joan took this pic of me starting to cross the bridge.
This is the last quarter mile of the trail back to the car.
This was taken at 5:05 pm 
Thankfully we made it to the road
just as we were needing our flashlights and headlamps.

• MUSIC and SCRIPTURE:  I'm very thankful for good Christian music to listen to on the way to our hikes, and for talking about Scripture.  Joan texted me yesterday morning, the day after our big hike, to tell me to read Nov 4th's entry in the Jesus Calling devotional.  It was perfect and went along with some of what we were talking about on the  car ride down to the Catskills!  We both have the devotional book so we try to read each entry each day.  We both didn't have time for it the morning of the hike. I instead had read the plan I'm doing in the You Version Bible app.  I'm just so thankful for the Word of God, no matter what form you use, and for close friends who are encouraging each other. 

That wraps up my faves for the week.

I  hope you have a relaxing weekend, doing some of the things you love. 

Sunday Stealin'

Camp days: Joy, Hope, me at age 7 

It's Sunday Stealin' time and I'm joining in with the gang over at this blog.  I  liked the questions this week and have some extra time this morning to play along. 

1. Do you have a business card? If yes, what's your job title?

Teachers here in NYS don't typically carry business cards.  I'm retired but my job title, when I was teaching full time, was Master Teacher, Special Education Self-Contained PreK. My husband does have business cards and his job title is Software Engineer/IT director or something like that. 

2.What day of the week were you born? 

Wednesday morning. 

3.What vegetable do you refuse to eat? 

That's easy.  Brussel sprouts.  I used to eat them many times a week when I was in grad school and my first year teaching. And then.....ew...I think I just got tired of them! 

4. How many times have you stayed overnight in the hospital?

3 times.  First time giving birth was for 2 nights;  2nd time giving birth was for 1 night; 3rd time in hospital was when youngest girl was 10 weeks old and needed surgery to remove an ovary and a fallopian tube as a cyst had torqued itself around those and she needed to be in the pediatric ward for 2 nights.  So a total of 5 times for me. 

5.Do you have more piercings or tattoos? 

I have both ears pierced. That's it for piercings. However, I have a consult on Thursday to get my first tattoo! (A bucket list item I'm finally gonna check off at the ripe old age of 66...a younger friend and my youngest daughter have talked me into it. 

6.  Do you like to shop?  

That depends. For food shopping? not usually.  For new clothes? yes but it depends on what I need.  For a new car? I don't mind it if hubby has joined me. For others as in buying Christmas gifts, birthday, etc? YES.  I LOVE  choosing items that I think the family member or friend would like. My love language is Gifts so this makes the most sense. 

7. How much cash is in your wallet right now?

I'm not sure...but I'm sure it's not enough! I rarely use cash.  Although  someone did slip me a $10 the other day for gas as I was the driver for a hike north so I know I have at least ten bucks. 

8.  Let's play MASH: do you live in a mansion, apartment, shack or house?

We own a side hall colonial house.  I would love to own a "shack" aka Camp in the ADK but hubby says....nope. 

9. Where are you in the family birth order: oldest, middle, youngest, or only child? 

I'm the oldest of 3 sisters.  In the pic at top, it was Summer of 1967 and I was 7 yrs old.  Joy was 5 and Hope was 3. We were at our family camp and it must have been a Sunday as we were in dresses. Jill hadn't been born yet. There's a long story as to why my mother named us Faith, Joy, Hope. It's rather hilarious and I should probably post it sometime but don't wanna take the time to write it out now. 

10.  When you were 5 years old, what did you call your parents?

I usually said Mommy and Daddy or Dad. 

HAPPY SUNDAY!

End of October Faves

 

WOWZA it's been a crazy, busy week but it's been a great last week of October.  I know I have more than five blessings that God brought into my week but this space is for sharing our five faves.  

Head over to Susanne's blog to learn more about the FFF and join in! 

FIVE FAVES

Murphy Lake in the southern ADK
l-r: Patrick, Jill, Evelyn

• SATURDAY SOULSTEPS HIKE:  Last Saturday was a 7.2 miles hike  up in the southern region of the Adirondacks to 3 different lakes (Bennett, Middle, Murphy).  It was a cold start (34 F) but it warmed up to the low 60s by noon.  I'm thankful we had a great day of hiking and fellowship. 

from l-r: Evelyn, me, Jill H

Middle Lake in the southern ADK 

• POP IN VISIT:  Our youngest daughter popped in for a quick visit after having a "dad-daughter" date with Dave regarding her iphone plan. I didn't expect her to pop in for a chat afterwards so having her do that was a nice surprise.  She also popped in quick on Tuesday evening after work, to pick up  a package and she met the women in my book group.  I'm always thankful when one of my daughters pops in for a visit, even if for a short time. 

Coffee friends: me, Shawna, Maggie

• COFFEE n CONVERSATION:  Tuesday morning was another beautiful day and while I was driving to a fave coffee cafe in the town north of me, I was thanking God for the perfect Autumn weather we've had here in NYS and for my close friends and sisters in Christ. Two of those friends had been wanting to get together so we finally made it happen that morning.  Both of these ladies are in my hiking group and they've been part of my Tuesday evening book group for the last year and a half. We had great conversation getting caught up on our lives and what God is doing in our lives/families. I never want to take these moments for granted. 

• LIBRARY VISIT:  I had a few errands to run on Wednesday afternoon, and a book to return to the library, so instead of just dropping off the book in the outdoor slot, I went in to spend a few minutes browsing.  I found a book I had been wanting to read on the "new books" shelf so took that out. I'm thankful for a nice town library and the time to browse. 

Hurricane Mt firetower 
Hurricane Mt stands at 3694' elevation

• MOUNTAIN CLIMB!  Yesterday, I had scheduled our last big mountain  climb for my group SoulSteps. At the base of the mountain, when we started out, it was about 44 degrees F which is warm for this time of year. As we began to hike, the layers came off and the temps rose to the low 60s.  On the summit, which is almost a high peak (another 306 feet and it would be!), it was in the high 40s with very gusty wind. I didn't take a lot of photos during the climb, as it was my 4th time climbing this beauty of a mountain in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. No one else in the group, of the 8 who had signed up, had ever climbed it. They all loved it and we had a blast. I'm thankful I was able to do the last scramble without getting on my hands and knees, unlike the last time I tried to climb it in 2024.  I am so very thankful we had a great climb and fellowship and that every one stayed safe.  Here are a few of my fave pics I took:  

Hurricane Mt hikers/SoulSteps
l-r: Ping, Joan, Patrick and his wife Denise, Evelyn, me, Annette, Christianne

me leading the way up to the 2nd cairn
heading to the summit proper 
behind me: Evelyn and Denise 
Hurricane Mt
Photo by Joan 

Giant Mt, Hopkins Mt, and other high peaks
as seen from the summit of Hurricane.
I have hiked Giant (the high point in the middle)
to the left of Giant is Rocky Ridge and to the right is 
The Great Range (I've hiked 2 mountains in that  range) 

from the top of the firetower:  Denise (front)
Evelyn, me, Joan, Ping
Photo by Annette's son Michael 

On the way down the mountain, I wanted to hug
one of my fave trees and Annette snapped the pic
Touching/hugging a tree in the wilderness is very grounding
and centered on God our Creator. 
The Japanese call it Shinrin -Yoku aka Forest Bathing

That wraps up my week!

My husband I are hosting a get together tomorrow afternoon with a Chili and Wine party around our bonfire.  The weather promises to be perfect for this event and I have a lot of prep to do today so hopefully I'll get to comment on some of your own FFF posts.  

Whatever you have planned for this last weekend of October, I hope you find time to rest and re-charge and enjoy the perfect Autumn weather! 

Wednesday HodgePodge

It's been a hot minute since I had a chance to play along with the "hodgepodge" questionnaire from Joyce's site.  I really liked this week's questions so decided to put off the vacuuming to play along.  Head over to join in! 

on the summit of Rooster Comb Mt 
meditating and gazing at Giant Mt
the very first high peak I climbed in 1978

1. What most recently gave you goose bumps? The above pic. Every time.

If you're a mountain climber, you might know what I mean. Other things that give me "goose bumps":  someone's salvation story, especially if they came from a place of utter despair; watching our youngest daughter perform en pointe or in a lyrical ballet; shivering at the trailhead in the early Spring morning or late Autumn morning. 

2. What does Halloween look like in your home and/or neighborhood these days? Do you participate? 

In my home: I have no Halloween decor inside the house. I do have a lot of harvest themed pillows, decorative pumpkins (and on the deck, in the yard and on the porch), dried and silk autumnal flowers.  The only "Halloween" thing I have is a smiling plastic jack o'lantern on a small bench in the front garden that turns on in the dark.  I like to say we are shining the light of Jesus on a spiritually dark "holiday". 

3. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy, chia...your favorite seed on the list? What's something you like to make/eat that calls for one of these seeds in the recipe? 

I use pumpkin and sunflower seeds often for trailmix for my hiking snacks.  I use sesame on certain Asian dishes I cook and on my apple spice cookies.  I use poppy seeds in certain dinner dishes (I make a good poppyseed noodle dish with carrots and scallions).  As for Chia:  I use them in my fruit bowl smoothies or in chia pudding. (rare).  I also sprinkle them on my steel cut oats sometimes. 

4. What's the most (or one of the most) 'fall photos' you've ever taken? Share it here. Just one. 

 One of the most fall photos? Not sure what this means. Maybe she means a pic that depicts Autumn the best? I have a TON.  But if I have to  choose just one it would be this: 

this is at Elizabeth Point (a mile hike) on 13th Lake
after climbing Balm of Gilead Mt.  
this is located in the central Adirondacks 
 it just screams "AUTUMN" to me. 

5. Somehow we're rolling in to November next week. If your October were a chapter in a book, what would the title of this chapter be? 

"Grit and Grace" (and no, I'm not taking time to explain it but if you click on "home" for this blog and scroll down to see 2 devotional posts I wrote last week, you will understand. One is called Pursued. The first one is called His Face. )

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!