seeing is beholding...eating is tasting

"What you surround yourself with will bring you peace of mind and peace of spirit."

~Stacy London

As October is rounding out itself much like the luminous full moon in the evening sky, I am back at home putting things back in order after being away for four days.

                                  Do you know what this fruit is called?

It is an asian persimmon.  It has absolutely no resemblance to the wild persimmons that grow in the woods or along the hedge rows in the country. It has a surprisingly mild sweet taste. 

 Though my cutting garden is showing sad signs of dryness and extreme tiredness, I was still able to cut several vases worth of zinnias This is my garden haul this morning.The bright orange flowers in the green basket atop the tomatoes are calendula flowers that I am drying for teas, tinctures, and salves.

Two monarch butterflies were seen today. I know they are traveling through and it amuses me to think they make a stop in my garden as they head to Mexico.

The weather turned rather warm while we were away so my fall green bean crop flourished a bit more enabling me to pick a basket of green beans to fix for dinner.

 I sat in the swing on the front porch with this lovely fall view. Everything is quite dry and we are hoping that rainfall is coming in the next few days.

 

four days and a few notes

 A community park aside a mountain rise and brightly hued  trees showing off their splendid autumn apparel.

Mothers with their children, swings, footballs, and couples walking their tail-wagging dogs on leashes. All are without a doubt enjoying this warm day in late October.

We had stopped at a small community park in New Market, Virginia where we ate our lunch.

I walked around the park trail to allow my weary legs a good move before my husband said it was time to go. I wished I had my camera, but then my photography skills fall short of the special views I observed.

Destination: Buffalo, New York. 

The Blue Ridge Mountains along the Shenandoah Valley dotted with prosperous farms never fail to stir a serene feeling to my spirit. It was the most ideal time to drive through the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania because of the peak of foliage colors.

We decided to stop in a town in Pennsylvania which in times past meant nothing but now has significant meaning for us. A future family member's home town, more on this in a future post.

A quick decision to drive up to Niagara Falls on Saturday afternoon.