Kindred Spirits!

(You know who you are, dear friend!)

She knows me so well, though we've never met!

But we love the same things ~ we are kindred spirits!

She has sent me treasured tokens of our friendship!
Thank you, dear one, I love them all!

A bag brimming with hand picked hairy acorns because we share a

love of the outdoors and I mentioned that I love acorns!

~

Some of her homemade Vanilla-Plum Syrup to share with

the Gentleman Farmer on Vanilla Ice cream or as a drink in Ginger-ale;

because she and I both like to cook and preserve.

~

A precious vintage Thanksgiving postcard because we both enjoy

things from the past. (You notice, there are two girls walking together ~ sharing the 'burden' of the heavily laden wagon. She has prayed for me.)

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"

Amos 3:3

~

No, we have never met, but in the sweet card she writes that should I ever

come out her way, that her home is welcome to us.

I am looking forward, someday, to meeting you, dear friend!
No introduction will be needed!

*******************************

Some quotes on friendship!

~

Among life's precious jewels,

Genuine and rare,

The one that we call friendship

Has worth beyond compare.

~author unknown~

~

Friendship doubles your joys, and divides your sorrows.
~author unknown~

~

Friendship is one mind in two bodies.

Mencius

~

Stay is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary.

Louisa May Alcott

~

When you ask God for a gift,

Be thankful if He sends,

Not diamonds, pearls or riches,

But the love of real true friends.

Helen Steiner Rice

~

Kindred Spirits are not so scarce as I used to think.

It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.

L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)

***

"A friend loves at all times..."

Proverbs 17:17

Before the Mountains

(Picture taken by Farmer's Daughter #2 while hiking in Montana on her honeymoon)

~

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

Psalm 90:2

A Bit o' the Sea

It's White Wednesday at Kathleen's Faded Charm Cottage

~*~

And Outdoor Wednesday at Susan's A Southern Daydreamer

And I'm joining in!

For more, please visit these blogs.

~*~

~*~
A drive to the ocean let us to...

a quiet, sandy shore...

and handfuls of circular,

star faced sand dollars.

We brought home a bit o' the sea!

~*~

"How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

Whose hope is in the LORD his God;

Who made heaven and earth,

The sea and all that is in them;"

Psalm 146:5 &6

God's Peace

"When He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?"

Job 34:29

Pumpkins: An Autumn Vignette

Joining Cindy for Show and Tell!

Today I finished making some little fabric pumpkins

(you can see how I did it in The Sewing Room)

and so many friends are showing their Fall decor

I thought I would share my little bit, too.

I used some dried hops and Annebelle Hydrangea...

some iron candle holders....


feathers found here at Cove Cottage

(A turkey feather above from dear departed pet

no ~ she wasn't Thanksgiving dinner, at least not for us!)




A squirrel (he is actually a sprinkler!) and some acorns gathered in the

Adirondacks while visiting Farmers Daughter #2

The feather bouquet in a vintage bottle

And a wooden acorn won from Dame Penniwig's giveaway!

(Below left)

All sitting atop the spinet piano in the living room.

The piano belonged to my grandmother and she

crocheted the lovely runner that the vignette sits upon.

I think I will try my hand at making a banner next!

~
"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven...

A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted."

From Ecclesiastes 3

See also a little story about "John's Pumpkin" in

The Reading Room.

White Wednesday and a gift from a friend

Please visit The Barnyard for my White Wednesday post.

Here is a wonderful gift I recieved from Christa's giveaway!
Isn't the applique and stitching just perfect on this sweet heart
pincushion? Thank you, Christa! I love it!
Be sure to visit Christa at Country Hearst at Home to see all the lovely quilts she and
her daughter Cassaundra create and so much more!

~*~

"No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave
does not know what his master is doing;
but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard
from my Father I have made known to you."
John 15:15
~*~
(New post in The Pantry)

His Homestead

I couldn't believe we drove all this way and couldn't find it!

There were no signs or markers of anykind pointing the

direction to our destination! You would think something

this important, historically, would be the highlight of

a little town and there would at least be a sign!

Farmers Daughter #2 pulled over at the local W*l M*rt

(we had no trouble finding this monstrosity!)

and got out her trusty Blackberry!

(Oh, what contradictions! I am looking for a bit of history

and we have to use this modern marvel to find it!)

I hardly know what these things are ~ is it a phone, a computer, camera?

Anyway, she brings up the web page and finds the directions and a map.

We are off again, and find the very tiny little backroad that we

almost missed, and FINALLY find our predetermined journey's end!

AND IT"S CLOSED!!!!

So much the better! We were free to wander about the grounds

unhampered by another single soul the whole while we were there.

We could not see inside any of the buildings, but it was fun to imagine what life

would have been like for young Amanzo Wilder living here.

Enjoy the few photos of this, the only remaining original

home from the Little House Books.

Almanzo Wilder's boyhood home.

(below)

The museum
(below)

The Barn ~ rebuilt ~ not the original structure

(below)

Some pictures of the inside of the house, taken through the window.

In the photo below, you can see my reflection and FD

peeking in the window on the other side!

Only one car came by, stopped momentarily and snapped one

quick pic, then drove away!

We said goodbye to this charming little place, and began our journey

back to the hustle and bustle of life in a big city.

But I will come back again and next time make sure

it is open!

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Let his homestead be made desolate,

and let no man dwell in it:"

Ps 69:25 & Ps 109:8

Adirondacks in Autumn

I recently took a trip to visit Farmer's Daughter #2 in New York state.

It was her last birthday! (She says she will not be having anymore birthdays,

only anniversaries of this one ~ she is 29! *wink wink*)

She has been living alone (not counting a very busy dog and 2 cats) for the last year

as her new hubby of two years, has been deployed in Iraq. I thought the best

birthday gift was a little company so she got 'me' for her present this year!

She is busy pursuing her PhD. in Wildlife Biology so we didn't have

much time for sightseeing. But Saturday, my last day there, we did

take the entire day driving up to the Adirondacks. The trees were just beginning

to color. I can only imagine what they look like at their peak!

Come along with us and see some of the lovely colors of the

Adirondacks in Autumn!

This little church was celebrating it's 126th year!

Had to get a picture!

Come back tomorrow and see a few pictures of...

no, I'm not going to tell you!

Here's a big hint ~ I'm re~reading Farmer Boy!

~*~

"For you will go out with joy,

And be led forth with peace;

The mountains and the hills will breakforth

into shouts of joy before you,

And all the trees of the field

will clap their hands."

"Isaiah 55:12

October's Party

I have been MIA for awhile. I made a trip to visit

Farmer's Daughter #2 in New York, and when

I returned, my computer wasn't working so I have been

unable to post.

I missed the first of October but wanted to

share this sweet little poem with you anyway.

Hopefully, tomorrow I can share some pictures of my

trip to Upstate New York with you.

(click to enlarge and copy if you would like)

"For you will go out with joy, and be led forth with peace;

the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts

of joy before you,

and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands"

Isaiah 55:12