Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Halloween Happenings




Today our weather was just the perfect autumn day.  Samuel had a pumpkin he wanted to carve and we had a chiminea full of sticks.  Saturday we had taken in all the tender houseplants.  They had been vacationing outside for the summer, but with the cooler temperatures they needed to come inside.  We cleaned the rug from the patio and hung it on the line.  The patio umbrella and stand were put back into my potting shed.  We were ready to get down to business with the pumpkin carving.

But first we lit the fire in the chiminea.  Our son gifted this little fireplace to us maybe 10 or 12 years ago.  We've had so much fun enjoying the patio on cold evenings and the grands especially love the s'more making.  Every year we say it will be its last--Note the wire holding it together!




Samuel started on the pumpkin.






Then what's fire without s'mores?




Inside I've been bringing out some decorations,




This pumpkin head scarecrow is as old as my children.








I hope you are enjoying all the wonderful days that October brings!

October

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

Robert Frost














45 comments:

  1. Wonderful decorstions... and the carving also..

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  2. Oh I love Frost...he is so good at stating the obvious without being trite. I watched the crows above the forest today from John's loft. They were a totally disorganized mess today and cawing loudly, but they'll get it together soon.

    Samuel looks very happy to be enjoying autumn pleasures. Oh I'd like a little chiminea like that...just enough to take the chill off.

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    1. Vee I don't know who enjoyed the pumpkin carving more, Me or Samuel. He brings so much joy to our home. You would enjoy a chiminea very much. It's nothing quite like a real fire on these cool October days. ♥

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  3. Aww...you got me with Robert Frost. I love that poem and it is the perfect finish for your wonderful post. Happy Fall and enjoy that chiminea for ONE MORE YEAR now! xo Diana

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    1. The chiminea lasted yesterday, Diana! One day we're going to have our fire land on the patio, I just know it. Happy October. xo ♥

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  4. Fun times ahead. Pumpkin carving is a blast and eating s'mores tops it all. You have some wonderful decorations. I hope you are enjoying this time of year.

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    1. Thank you Linda. I hope your days are filled with the joy that autumn brings.♥

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  5. What a wonderful read this morning as I'm sitting here catching up on the messages from overnight and sipping my mug of morning tea. Don't we just adore those perfect Autumn mornings? No other days feel the same.
    Samuel's pumpkin is rather splendid and I'm sure it will add to the joy of your visiting Trick or Treaters in a few days.
    Your decorations are so cute. Mine have been out for a couple weeks now, it seems they are up for too short a time and soon they will gently morph into Thanksgiving.
    ~~~Waving from Across the Pond~~~Deb in Wales xoxo

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    1. Deb, I know you are enjoying these Autumn days. Time seems to be passing quickly as we slip into the last days of our favorite month. My tea is steeping in the pot and ready to be poured. Happy day to you, my friend. xoxo ♥

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  6. Don't we love October! And our weather has gotten a tad cooler so we relish it. Your house decor looks festive.

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    1. Oh yes, Dotsie, glorious October we do love it! Glad it's cooler for you. It's 35 degrees now and I hear the heat humming. Enjoy your day. ♥

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  7. We had a chimanea a while back and it started to come apart too! I love a fire in the fall. The pumpkin carver and the pumpkin are cute! Cute halloween decorations. Love the old candle scarecrow :-)
    We hit 32 for the first time last night.

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    1. Was it a killing frost for you, Liz? We are having quite a chill this morning. All of the tender houseplants are inside, but I still have some geraniums to bring inside to over winter. Have a wonderful October day! ♥

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  8. Love all of the small moments that make October so special, Martha Ellen! I can feel the joy that Samuel adds to your lives. It's so wonderful that you all have the opportunity to make memories together! It always feels like the October rituals in our gardens and homes prepare our hearts for the change of season and the coming holidays. I've been enjoying very, very busy days in the garden. So grateful for a rainy day today to rest! :) The colors are brilliant here this week. I think we will be raking this weekend. Cherish all of your October celebrations, my friend! ♡

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    1. Dawn, you have been working very hard in your garden this fall. I know you will be rewarded when spring comes again. I dug up the caladium bulbs, so they are now drying and will be brought inside for safe keeping. We did our raking for the week on Monday and will continue every week until all of the leaves are gone--probably Thanksgiving. I'm glad you have a rainy day to rest! Enjoy the cozy October day, my friend. ♥

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  9. Celebrating autumn at your house looks like lots of fun! Thank you for sharing Frost's poem. I hadn't seen that one before.

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    1. Robert Frost is a favorite of mine Cathy. His poem on October is right to the point of it all. Yesterday and today are just the perfect October days! I hope you are enjoying them. ♥

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  10. Martha Ellen, Samuel is having a great time carving his pumpkin and eating s'mores. My kids have a pumpkin carving contest every year, and this will be the first year we didn't have it, as everyone is so busy. Oh, I just love that outdoor fireplace, it's so charming. It looks like an old one too. It sounds like you appreciate Autumn very much, Martha Ellen, and I do hope it lingers on in your area for awhile longer.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Sheri, having our grandson Samuel live with us is so much fun. I'm sure we do things we wouldn't do if he we not here! We're always thinking that chiminea will disintegrate with the next fire. Since it's clay, I'm sure one day it will. Have a wonderful Autumn day, dear Sheri. ♥

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  11. Having an outside fire, in the chill of Autumn, is such a sweet luxury!

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    1. It would sure feel good tonight, Sandra. I can't seem to warm up. Hope all is well! ♥

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  12. I really love the Robert Frost poem that you shared at the end. I love Frost...I love October...so it's a given, I suppose. ;)

    Hey, do you think you might get one more year out of that chiminea? One more s'more?! I love Samuel's face as he's carving and as he's eating his s'more! I'll guess that he has lots of personality!

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    1. Cheryl, that old chiminea is hanging on! We've been looking at them in the stores, but haven't seen one quite like it with the stand. Most of them have the clay feet and Grayden feels like they wouldn't last as long. Samuel has a happy personality that is contagious. We sure enjoy that. ♥

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  13. Love that poem by Robert Frost! Your home is so lovely adorned with Halloween decorations. Our leaves are just starting to turn and with some rain today, it's definitely looking like fall! Your fireplace looks so inviting, XOXO

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    1. Susan, our leaves are very late turning this fall. Even though we've raked and mulched several times, they are mostly dry and not colorful. We have seen some tips turning so hopefully we'll get good color soon. Have a great October day! xoxo ♥

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  14. Hello dear!! This was fun to see all the joy of October and Samuel has a sweet spirit that he feels comfortable to appear happily in your blog posts, that we enjoy so much!!! :-)
    Sending love and warmth! ~ (This morning we had snow)!!!~
    I enjoyed your R.F. poem choice xxx ooo Linnie

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    1. Thank you dear Linnie. Snow! Wow, another of my blog friends had snow last evening as well. We just had thunder rolling through with rain. I guess October is leaving and winter will soon knocking on the door. Enjoy the last few days of this glorious month. xoxo ♥

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  15. Oh what a lovely, lovely post.
    Your Halloween happenings are great!
    Your chiminea looks so warming - they are so good aren't they.

    Great photo's of Samuel - and I love your poem choice,

    Enjoy your weekend

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you Jan. We enjoyed a lovely day around that old chiminea. I hope you are enjoying the lovely days of Autumn! ♥

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  16. Samuel made a great Jack O Lantern! We have a fire pit that we like to use all summer--when the sun goes down here it gets much cooler. Lately there has been a fire ban in effect as we have nit had rain in a long time, so we've missed it.

    Hope you had a fun Halloween!

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    1. Thank you Pat. We had another fire in the chiminea Tuesday. Samuel really enjoys our fires and especially the s'mores. ♥

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  17. your chiminea is great loved the stuff you shared specially the boo is so cute

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    1. Thank you, Baili. I now need to decorate for Thanksgiving. Have a great week. ♥

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  18. I adore your chiminea Martha Ellen...I love mine too! I can tell you were all set for Halloween...must have been a good one! I'll bet y'all are enjoying some good fall weather about now! Sending hugs from Texas!

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    1. Thanks Betsy, Halloween was fun but we only had two trick or treaters! Now we have a lot of candy. Hugs to you! ♥

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  19. "Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild" is my favorite part! Beautiful photos, Martha Ellen!

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  20. Have I commented on how beautiful your blog looks? It's a delight for the eyes just to stop in here. Your Halloween decorations are so cute and I always love a good fire. It adds such coziness, and I'm a fan of cozy, especially in the upcoming winter months. November has been wonderful for us so far with temps in the 60s. Just amazing. I'm sure winter will blow in soon enough. Have a wonderful evening.

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    1. What a sweet thing to say Judy. Our weather has been unseasonable as well. We've had close to 80 for the last couple days. I'm not complaining either. It's going to be twenty degrees colder tomorrow. Have nice weekend. ♥

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  21. Hello!
    I'm visiting from Jean's and am so happy I stopped by!
    Your space here is lovely, and I will certainly visit often.
    Have a cozy evening. : )

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, Billie Jo. Welcome to my little blog. I'll stop by to see you soon. Have a nice evening. ♥

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  22. such cute halloween decorations.. and the pumpkin carving is awesome...

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  23. Looks like a wonderful day's worth of pumpkin carving! We weren't quite as successful --I'd bought ours a couple of weeks before Halloween so it had sat for awhile. It wasn't until October 30th that I'd finally brought the knife to bear, and in an instant our nostrils were hit by an all-out assault. It seems I'd picked badly at the Farmers' Market and had unbeknownst brought a mostly-rotted specimen home! Needless to say this do-it-yourself stink bomb was out of the house VERY quickly --if nothing else its decaying corpse has served as an excellent seed source for area squirrels. No jack-o-lantern this year though... [sigh]

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    1. Peter, what a sad tale of your would be jack-o-lantern! Samuel's pumpkin is sitting in the mulch in front of the porch. I imagine the squirrels will find it soon and Smiley (as we've nicknamed him) will be no more. There is always next year, Peter. ♥

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