Sunday Stealin'

 

This week's Sunday Stealin' meme is all about the word "Never".  

Head over to this blog to jump in and link up. 

FIVE THINGS I HAVE NEVER DONE: 

• Been rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance  (I've followed one with my husband in it who was having a heart attack due to a blood clot from St Marys' to Samaritan in the  city across the river from us)

• I have never smoked. Not once. True story. The thought disgusts me.  Being raised in central NY in the late 70s as a teen, I could basically get "high" just be walking through the crowd of kids who would hang out at the brook behind the high school, smoking pot. 

• I have never cheated on an exam. (been tempted yes, but never gave in because i was too scared of the consequences). 

• I have never hiked in the Alps (although it's on my bucket list!)

• I have never been to Disneyland nor Disney World. I have never desired to at all!  But hubby helped create the  software program that runs the Disney Magic cruise ships. They were built off the coast of Venice and he worked in Italy for over 5 months (1998). 

Happy Sunday!!

Currently on a Saturday......

Backyard at 10 AM Saturday

 Currently, on a Saturday..........

Outside my Window: The sun is shining and it's 39 degrees F with a slight wind.  The pear tree and the larger sugar maple still have some leaves on the branches but the yardwork is done for 2026.  You can see I've taken off the cushions from the swing and Adk chair. 

In the kitchen:  I have Stuffed Pepper Soup in the Slow cooker for dinner tonight. I will serve it with pumpkin muffins.  Breakfast was bagels for hubby and Berries, vegan sausage and a cinnamon roll for me. 

What I am Thinking about:  the changes I'm making in SoulSteps, the hiking group I founded in 2024 and that I have led for the last 2 years. 

I'm thankful for:  the nice, sunny day and the chance to do a power walk outdoors later. I'm also thankful for a weekend with no obligations than to bring my Operation Christmas Child box to church tomorrow. 

I am wearing: dark, boot-cut jeans, a cream  colored thermal shirt, barefeet with lilac toe polish,  gold earrings.

I am creating: a gift bag for my friend Meg who is moving back to Indiana in December. We are giving her a luncheon on Monday. I made her a photo book of all the hikes she participated in, plus our Cape Cod Friend vacation and 2 candles: one to remind her of the ocean, and one to remind her of the Adirondack mountains. 

I am going: to my youngest daughter's apartment for tea tomorrow afternoon. 

I am wondering:  which nieces and nephews are going to show up for Thanksgiving dinner in MA. 

I am reading:  Fireflies in Winter, a fiction book set in Nova Scotia in the 1700s about the friendship of two women; I'm half-way through our Psalms class book Everlasting; and I'm on the last chapter of the Gideon study for my book group.  I'm also reading through the Adirondack Explorer digital magazineto find certain articles to use during the training I'm conducting this winter. 

I am hoping:  Everyone responds to the emails I've sent out regarding this required training/meeting. I'm also hoping that the people Courtney is asking to be a part of her wedding will all say YES!

I am looking forward to:  Thanksgiving with Dave's side of the family in MA

I am learning:  that I don't need to please everyone in order to be an effective leader.  I'm also learning how to set boundaries around the toxic people in my life. 

Around the house:  I have to finish writing up the Psalms class lesson plans and finish answering the questions for Days 3-4 in the Gideon study; I have laundry to put away; the half bath needs cleaning, and I have a card to send to our young friends who are going through a difficult stressful time. 

Plans for the rest of the weekend/upcoming week:  Tomorrow is church and a visit down to Claire's apartment; Monday is the Psalms class followed by the luncheon for Meg; Tuesday morning I have a hike to lead in the Berkshire Mountains of MA (there are 3 of us going); Tuesday evening is the Gideon group; Wednesday is chores and errands day plus prayer from noon-1 pm at church in the Prayer Room; Thursday morning I am leading a hike south of Albany for beginner hikers.  Friday is a free day and I'll probably spend it doing the next week's Psalms homework and packing for our trip to the Plymouth area for Thanksgiving week. 

A favorite quote for today: 

HAPPY WEEKEND!!

Special November Faves

 

So here we are, well into November, and while I type this (Thursday afternoon) it is raining, raining, raining. It's been raining steadily all day long.  We need the rain as October was dry.  The only rain we had in October was in the evening on the 16th.  I'm ok with the rain as it forced me to get some much needed items off my "to do" list around the house. 

I'm pausing now with a steaming mug of harvest spiced coffee to share the blessings of the week.  I do this with other like-minded bloggers and we link up at Susanne's.  It is good to share at least FIVE blessings each week..things that we are truly grateful for.  Some are little, some are big but all good gifts are from ahove. 

FIVE FAVES

Dave rakes up some of the pear tree leaves 
along with the leaves from the large sugar  maple trees

• LEAVES:  Between Dave and I spending the last 2 weeks raking up most of the fallen maple and pear tree leaves, and the 2 cherry trees in the front yard, we bagged 21 bags of leaves for the town to cart away.  I bagged 3 this past Monday, and Dave did the rest. We left a few in the backyard, mainly behind our shed and kayak rack and there's still some maple and pear leaves clinging to the branches, but the raking for 2026 is done. We are ok with leaving some on the ground as that helps to promote fireflies and butterflies! Another great article about this is here.   I'm thankful for the beauty of leaves and for my husband's hard work on the weekends. 

4 slice personal Chicken Pesto Pizza
 and a side Caesar Salad; Peach Ice Tea 

• LUNCH DATE! On Saturday,  Dave and I had some financial  things to take care of at our local credit union. We took care of what we needed to do for the rest of 2026, and then he spontaneously suggested we have a lunch date and said "you pick". So of course I  chose my absolute fave Mediterranean place here in town.  Midpoint Wine Bar and Restaurant.  I ordered a signature pizza and a side salad under the Mini Bites deal and Dave ordered the beef and lamb gyro. I'm thankful for a husband who likes to do things in a spontaneous manner sometimes. I'm also thankful we had such a big lunch, that I didn't need to cook dinner later. Dinner was very late in the day, and  was just some tuna salad, parmesan crackers and fruit (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries). 

Late afternoon by the Erie Canal

• QUIET TIME WALK:  On Sunday, in the late afternoon, I really wanted to go walk the bike path down by the river and Erie Canal.  There were quite a few people out on that mild day so I really appreciated that the section of the bike path I chose to power walk on was quiet.  I headed east first and went a mile and then headed west for a half mile.  It was a lovely late afternoon  walk and I felt great.  I was able to pray about some thing and for some people who had prayer requests and the praying outdoors while also getting my heart rate up felt so good. I'm thankful for safe places to power walk and for the power of prayer and meditation. 

outlets in the Berkshires of MA

downtown Lee, MA

• ROAD TRIP!  Dave finished up the leaf raking Wednesday morning as it was the national holiday (Veterans Day) so he had the day off.  He was wanting to go buy some casual cargo pants or jeans to replace some that had worn out.  I suggested either the Lake George Outlets to the north of us, or the Lee Outlets in MA to the east of us. MA won due to the no sales tax on clothing, unlike NYS plus he said we'd eat lunch at our fave Mexican cafe in town.  Well, we were quite successful with our shopping trip ( I bought myself a new flannel hooded shirt for a top layer for hiking and several hand soaps from Bath and Body Works as their sale on holiday scents was happening that day) but we weren't successful with the Mexican food as we discovered they're only open for dinner!  So we were standing there talking and a local woman heard us and recommended Starving Artists Cafe.  It's a creperie and panini place.  We loved it!  I said we'd be back for sure!  I'm thankful for a fun road trip with my husband. 

Turkey club crepe minus the bacon
with horseradish mayo which was amazing!
and mixed greens salad

such a cute little pumpkin on each table 

on Buck Mt in late Winter 2018
l-r: Ingrid, Cindy H, me

• SURPRISE PHONE CALL! Yesterday (Thursday) I was busy doing some housework and heard my phone ring. It was my long time friend Cindy.  I hadn't spoken to her in almost a year. Sadly, she is still processing through the grief of the death of her oldest son who was in his 30s.  He died last year and it was horrible and unexpected. But she said she felt this urge to call me and just share love and encouragement. We ended up talking for about 20 minutes and it was awesome. She used to be in my hiking group but before that, she was in my book group and we would just spontaneously go out to brunch or hikes together before covid. She goes to our church with her husband Will but we don't often run into them as they tend to go to the early service and we go to the 11 AM one. I was so thankful she called me and I'm thankful that she is healing from her tragic loss. 

That wraps up my week!  I have absolutely no plans this weekend and nothing on the to do list. I see a weekend of spending time with Dave, a possible visit down at our youngest daughter's apartment, and lots of time to read and walk. 

2026 Book Review #32:Where the Water Meets the Sky

 

This novel was on our town library's "new books" shelf and the author was unknown to me.  Since I loved the summary on the inside jacket and I adored the art work on the front, I decided to take it out. I'm so thankful I did!!  I'll be looking for her other novels sometime this winter. 

STORY SUMMARY

One winter night, in January 1986, on the Garden Penisula of Michigan, a farmhouse burns to the ground. A young child, aged 7,  makes it out of the house and runs into the woods holding a book of matches. 

Ten years later, in 1996, Abby, now 17 yrs old who loves all things in nature, comes back to the Garden Penisula to live and work with her Uncle Dennis for the summer. She loves the woods, lakes, fisheries and farms of her childhood. During the school year, she lives with her stepfather in a town on the mainland. 

Uncle Dennis is working on his dissertation which involves an environmental study on trees. He's hired Abby to help him. 

Her best friend...and cousin by marriage (not a blood relative) named Brew, also 17 yrs old, invites her to a beach party where she meets a troubled teen named Seda.   Seda is on the run from her abusive ex boyfriend.  Abby decides she's going to protect Seda so she introduces her to an abandoned cabin that becomes a type of sanctuary for both of them. 

When they spend time at the cabin, Abby begins to process her feelings for Brew. But she also is discovering the person she is becoming. She wants more for her life.  She has a spiritual and physical hunger.  Plus, she is looking to understand the trauma of her childhood  which took her mother from her. Her mother's body was never found in the aftermath of the fire. Her biological father had died at age 16 from a drowning accident shortly after her mother became pregnant with her. Abby has never known her biological dad but has a super close relationship with her stepfather. It's a very good relationship. She is also emotionally close to her Uncle Dennis (her mom's brother).  

Abby very much cares about the flora, fauna and people around her. She even identifies with the wounds of the environment. But she is also desperate to remember what happened on that winter night..the night of the fire....and as the summer of 1996 unfolds, she is going to have to reckon with the truth. 

MY THOUGHTS

I absolutely loved everything about this beautiful story. I'm a nature lover and my spiritual temperament is Naturalist so this book really resonated with me. 

This is a well developed "coming of age" novel with richly developed characters. I really enjoyed getting to "know" Uncle Dennis, Nonna (Abby's grandmother), Brew, Seda, and Tanner. Even Piper is a well developed character although  plays a mainly minor role. Piper is Seda's ex boyfriend. 

The descriptions of the woods, lake, and town are beautifully interwoven with the plot.  Nothing felt bogged down or tiresome. It's a beautiful story in a beautiful setting. 

The main themes are the power of community, the wisdom of love, the vast landscapes all around us, and facing truth and loss. It also focuses on inner healing, memory, human connection with nature, love and friendship. 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10. 

I HIGHLY recommend this beautiful book.