Fall

Funny things about the fall:

The day I bought 6 flyswatters because the flies were annoying us to death, making us twitch and go running for the absent flyswatter, swatting them with anything handy, was the last fly day. I mean by that, that it froze that night. The temperature drop frosted the fruits, the vegetables, the grain fields, and, thankfully, the flies. now I have 6 unemployed fly swatters! I should have bought those babies 3 wks ago!

*********

Monday (or maybe Saturday) the boiler went out at the local pool. What does that mean? The pool was too cool...and not in a good way. You know the phrase "heated pool?" those are 2 very important words, and they need to stand next to each other. Because the unheated pool is just....brrrrr! I know because I jumped in, and the other ladies stood at the side watching me, and huddling together to read the thermometer. "Too cold" they said. "We're not doing it." Instead they headed for the sauna. I didn't even know there was a sauna. I sure could have used it when I got out!

********

Oh, and by the way. Monday was also the day the locker decided it was keeping my things. it wouldn't budge. Stranded in the locker room, cold and wet, i implored the ladies to help me. Sharon, ex-Navy, biker, cat-lover, lapswimmer, had a multi-tool (I forget the cool name)--it had pliers, screwdriver, wrenches, etc.---with her. Imagine that! She worked 15 min at wedging the door up and prying it open, until it gave up in defeat and bounced open. Today I left my bag and all my belongings on a bench. I trust the ladies in the locker room far more than those lockers!

*********

In spite of my cautiousness, I have been falling down lately. Not without cause, mind you. today the baling string on the ground tripped me just as I was about to shovel beet pulp to the waiting calves and bulls. I think I may have actually hit one of them on the head when I threw the shovel in the air as I fell to my knees!

********

Saturday I was out picking apples with Dad off of those trees along the lane from the road to Grandma's house. It's pretty uneven ground there climbing through the milkvetch to the road. Dad climbed in the truck and opened the door for me, sitting watching my approach he watched as I slid, ever so gracefully down to a sitting position. We both laughed. I thought it was a pretty graceful descent....better than the one today...nothing went flying, anyway.


Oh, and lastly, here's a picture--especially for Erin---of my recent canning enterprises. We haven't had a lot to can, but we have canned all we had. So from left to right: salsa, tomatoes, tomato juice, applesauce, and in the front, apple butter. These jars will be our 2009 Fall reminders.