SPECIAL BOWL

 for christmas my brother who is a wood turner made me a very special bowl...when he gave it to me i wasn't sure exactly what to use it for as it had a hole near the top of it...he then explained to me what i was to use it  for....so this morning i put it to use..and it worked just great... it did what it was suppose to do....




some of you who read this probally know what the bowl was to be used for now i know and i like it...

he also tole me when i use it i am to think of our sister who passed away... the reason for that is that when she learnt that i could crochett she asked me if i would make her a chemp beanie..she had lost her hair andwanted to keep her head warm...so of course i made her several and though why not for others who needed a warm head...so far i have made over 500 and take them to oncologist office for them to give out to their patients for are in need of a warm head...

SNOW STORM 2012

as probally most of you heard on the news over the last couple of days the northeast was suppose to get hit with a really big snow storm...well it started around  3 yesterday (wed) afternoon and snowed all night...lar had a 8:30 dr's appt so we were up at 6 to shovel and blow out the driveway..of course we had to measure first and the yard stick snowed about 10 in not as must as we were being told we would get but enough to make everything white...some places got more than we did and we are happy that we got what we did...

haven't heard from lisa to hear how much they got in the north country but more than we did i'm sure

our christmas was white but only with the ground slightly covered not enough to really go out and play in it like sled down the hill...we had a fun filled christmas and like usuall it was good to be with lisa and family...

we are going to go back to visit lar's mom probally for one last time as she is really beginning to fail...

then we need to start getting our acts together and back the rig to start south..this year there has been way to many things  to think about and do to even start..maybe this coming week we can get our selves in gear..

hope    everyone  has a  JOYOUS NEW YEAR WHERE HAS 2012 GONE??????

TURKEY & SECOND DEER

now that turkey day is over it is now time to think about CHRISTMAS which is just around the corner...we have made a trip to michigan to attend my sister's memorial service which was very nice...it was good to see stu (husband) jessica (daughter) and andy (son)..it has been very hard on them but they have each other for support and they of course know we are here and ready to help out in any way we can..

thanksgiving with lisa was fun and short..lots of laughs and farckle (dice game) also good food but then i'm the cook ahhaah...

yesterday lar went out to hunt as he hadn't been able to in several days due to dr's appt and our trip...i was talking to a friend from maryland when i saw lar walk across the lawn holding a bag...so my first clue was that he had gotten another deer...yep he got a good size doe..

so right now it appears that we are set for vension for the winter..and won't starve ahahha..

FRENCH ROLLING PIN

last year my brother gave me what he called a french rolling pin and i have not use it much until today...oh a couple of times but today it was really given the work out..he is a turner (wood worker) and does mostly bowls-vases-and some beautiful stuff...

now i'f just got to hope that the pies are good..time will tell..if not i guess they can be thrown outside for the animals...now most of you know lar would never let me do that...he'll eat them ...

lisa anf family arriving this afternoon and the fun begins...

have a great THANKSGIVING to all..and may you turkey be done and the pies good...

1st 2012 DEER

opening day was a no score for deer..oh lar  did shot at one but he also paced it out later asnd it was a very long shot 80-90 yards...he sure thought it was closer...

sunday morning i was getting ready to go pick up a friend for church and lar came in the house and asked me if i wanted to go help him drag a deer out of the woods...i said if i hadn't already had plans i would go help...

oh he knew that he was going to use the bulldog to help him but right then and there he didn't want our friends to know he was going to use it...our friend ellie asked him if he was going to use the tractor and lar said no..she kept on insisting that he coukld use the tractor..lar kept on insisting he wasn't going to use it..so she was surprised when he took them to the barn to get  the bulldog...she was then hapy athat she wouldn't have to really drag it out of the woods...

it looks like we ought to have food/meat for the freezer so we won't starve this winter...

life is good

SAULSGIVER FAMILY

 mother fran

this  past weekend we headed out to falconer as all the saulsgiver's sibs were goin gto be in town..one of the main reason for this was to sort out their mother's stuff that got moved into judy's garage last year and she would like to put her car in the garage this coming winter...decisions had to be masde as to what anyone wanted and what should go to the salvation army or what...so that chore was done..

then she also had to move from her assist living apt to the rehab/nursing home part of where she lives....she has been there since she broke her arm and was doing pt and ot.... with the hope that she could go back to assist living but she failed her walking test so therefore she couldn't stay there any longer.....

gathering at the house

they are in line as to age..lar is second oldest or what some would say the first brother

all sibs and spouses

with all that getting done we also had our first thanksgiving of the season...judy cooked a turkey and we all  brought stuff to go with the dinner...of course no one went away hungry ahahah...

HAWK-SNOW

the hawk that you see we watched for about 1/2 hr while we were eating lunch this past week..it just sat there without a care in the world..we also noticed that we didn't see any other birds flying around so they muct have sensed that it wasthere...as near as we can figure it is a young shark shinned hawk...

then this morning we recieved the first snow to collect on the ground...so far not much but just plain old snow..are we ready for more NO i don't think so..i would like to mow the lawn one more time ahahah...it does need it..

i sure don't think we've had any kind of indian summer this fall like we usually do sometimes...

we did  make out ok with hurricane sandy who went thru and did a number in lower ny...we were prepared with gas for the generators--of course food--the wood stove going--the fire house was even ready for emergencies..it is also a shelter so it was ready for that..but the good lord was looking out for central ny as all we got was a whole bunch of rain and cloudy skies for a week or more..still haven't seen much sun in over a week...prayers go out to those who were sure alot more affected than we were...

PART FOUR

 a refreshing swim

 fine dining  in a french restaurant

waiting for the bus to take us to the airport

PART THREE

 a typical looking house...lots of color

 our tour buses when we took off for the day..glad they were opened air and it was hot

one of our buses following a truck as you can see it is loaded for beear..like the old fashioned peddlers..it had about everything you can imagine tied to it..mops--brooms--just sstuff...

PART TWO

most days it was hot and humid rain every afternoon but it didn't last long while we were there...have heard after we got home that a tropical storm was expected and they were to get over 10 inches..maybe then we would have had to swim back...spent alot of time at the pool and the beach...reading and relaxing...

everyday there was plenty of planned activities goiing on from zumba---water exercise---bingo (lar's favorite ahahhaha)---spanish classes--volleyball both in the pool and on the beach....several swim up bars (never did that)...lots of good food to eat...

PART TWO

most day it was hot and humid so we spent alot of time in the pool or beach...there was plaenty of activities going on all day from exercise classes both on land and water---volleyball pool and beach---spanish lessons--you would only be bored if you wanted to be...plenty of stuff going on including a couple of swim up bars (which we never did)..

 there's even mountains in the  Dominican Republic ahhaah

 cigar making  if my dad was alive i might have bought him one

a young boy on his horse carrying a chicken

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

we have returned from the dominican republic in one piece..amen to that...had a great time saw lots did even more ...also had time for some r & r...we visited a school and we were told ahead of time if we wantd to bring school supplies with us to give when we visited we could..so we did...the school then will share the supplies with the whole school as we just visited one classroom...

then off we went to a coffee--cocoa farm and hearda all about how to grow the products..it is a big enough farm that it also grown lots of fruit and it interesting to see how it grows..

 our welcome to the resort

 the school we were told it was a  fourth grade and the kids DO NOT  have to go to school but encouraged to go

also to a sugar cane factory..tasted some raw cane

WILDLIFE

this morning (monday) we came home from working out and in the back yard was this buck...we looked at it and it looked strange ..so we quietly came into the house to get a pair of  binoculars to see if we could really check out the horns...sure enough it is a different lookin gset of horns...a four pt but  one if much higher than the other...we even talked to it so it would turn it's head for a better picture..we watched it for way over a half  hour..now we  are waiting to see a bear...will let you know when we do

ALL DONE

friday morning lar gets up at 4 am to get himself ready to go out to the wood for his taking his gun for a walk in the woods...i do get to sleep in a wee bit longer ahahahso he comes back in around 9 or so and i am doing some e-mail...he say to me i am thru turkey hunting this year..the way he looked it was like something happened so i of course asked what happened...so he gives me 2 spent shots gun shells...i look at his strange and he says...it is a long story..not surprised as it usually is a liong story,,

it seems as thou he got 2 with one shot and 1 with a single...so now the fall turkey season is over for hime this year...oh he probally with go out with roy or tyler if they want to go..but there is turkey in the freezer...

FALL'S 1ST TURKEY

the fall turkey season opened up on the first of oct...you of course know who was out there bright and early monday morning...along with our friend roy...no turkeys they just had a good walk in the woods...nothing the second or third days either but this morning...lar was alone and he had turkey all around him..flying from the trees and running around in the field in front of him...so it was a successful morning...

we have been back to visit his mom who fell again on sun day morning...nothing serious but needed an x-ray which didn't show anything new..she has been to the dr's and was told that the break is healing ok but will need to stay in rehab at least another 3 weeks..so now medicare/mediaid  (which ever one it is) needs to do and reval...but my guess if the dr orders another 3 weeks they will go along with it...she keeps saying don't get old you won't like it...and maybe she is right...

OUR WELCOME HOME

 the front door

 we think that there are seventy of those sticks  this is our back yard

this is the back of the house

 we arrived  back on the old homested around 12:30..first we noticed our wine trees had been decorated with some sparkly stuff then took a look at the front of the house...there were big happy birthday signs and some crazy stick figures..so we knew who had been at the house probally yesterday or early this morning to welcome us back...all we could do was look at each other and say it looks  like our friends have been here...of course NOT one of them owns up to being her or knowing anything about it ...just one more things to add to the breakfast club list of things...lots of laughs and it is good to know that we do have friends ahahhahaha..

ANOTHER STAMP

 here we are in rome, ny  and have visited fort stanwix for another national park stamp and we got 3 so the book is filling up..we also got another junior range badge..we have been here before and it was at a time i couldn't find my book so we were passing by so why not stop for the stamp...we even learnt more stuff about the war...

we also went to the oriskany battlefield which is a ny monument but the higher ups are wanting to make it a national park...time will tell when that happens...

our september trip is soon coming to a close...we are getting nearer to ithaca...then it will be time to get back in the swing of things...start to get things in shape before leaving town in january...

ALBANY

today wed w e spent touring the capital and state museum in albany...we decided that it was about ime we visited our state capital...so  of course here we are...we sure learnt stuff about the capital we never knew before or if we did we sure forgot  it was something we were told in grade school.. and who can remember that far away...

our state capital is the most expensive in the nation that was built (back in those early yrs) and has a million dollar staircase....when teddy rooselvet became gouvenor he stopped all the work on the building becausse it was costing way too much...so there are parts of it that are unfinished but you'd never notice unless it was pointed out to you...

then after the capital we  had lunch  from one of the food trucks parked out in front of the capital and a delicious luunch it was...roy and carol sprang for lunch as it was a birthday celebration...lar is now 70...finally caught up with me 11 days after i turned 70....

after lunch we headed to the state museum and 4 hrs later we left and didn't see it all...so i guess itmight mean a return trip later on...there sure is alot more to see here and we hardly touched it...

FDR

tuesday we spent touring the roosevelt house and cottage/.....another interesting day and yes we did learn alot of stuff...eleanor sure was a great lady and did alot while fdr was in office even continued after his passing....even toured the vanderbilt mansion...so i got lots of national park stamps...

ZOO

on sunday we didn't really have anything scheduled to do so it was decided to go to bear mountain state park where there was a fokrt and also a zoo...when we got there it was filled to capacity as there was an octoberfest going on in the park..and does for about a month on weekends...

but our plan had been to go visit the zoo so off we went...first we had to walk  under route 9..

a great day and good to be out..

HAWK

last night when we were sitting outside enjoying a glass of wine all of a sudden about 20 feet from where we were sitting a hawk came  swooping down after a chipmuck..it didn't get it but is sure was interesting...