A Drive Through the Country

Beautiful view!

Yesterday I shared the view from my upstairs home office window, but today I thought I’d take you on a little trip around the country roads that surround our village (she’s called the “Queen Village”, because she is said to be fit for a queen!). We’ve had such wonderful weather, but today the news says that there will be rain around mid-morning. So, my romantic sweetie, decided to take me for a ride through the country, so we could try to capture the view before the rain drops started. We’ve had such a dry summer, and we really need the rain, but… with the leaves being extra beautiful this year, I didn’t want to miss my chance… just in case the rain decides to wash many of the beautiful leaves away. Even though it is a bit overcast, I still think you’ll enjoy the drive.

* The picture above is the view from a high hill right outside of the village. This view has always reminded me of the story of “Heidi”, living a quiet country life making her butter & cheese up in the mountains with her grandfather, while the folks in the village below bustled about with their daily city life. The village is down below, but just over the hill, tucked into the forest… is our cottage.

Each picture can be clicked – then choose “all sizes” at the top of the picture to see a bigger view

Vintage Barn
I love this old barn! It is such a big barn, that the owners have to work on it a little at a time.


Barn Windows
Here’s a picture looking at the front of the barn.


A country church in Autumn
This is a church that sits high upon one of the highest hills in the area. I love the deep red trees against the white plaster.


Panther Lake in Autumn
This is Panther Lake – only a few miles from my house.


Red Barn - The farm in color
Here’s another beautiful red barn, that sits on a little horse farm. You can only see the top from here, but they also have a windmill and several other small buildings.


Stone wall frames the view
This is the view from another high hill surrounding the village. I love to come here & look at the village below. I thought this picture was especially lovely, with the old stone wall framing the view. We have stone walls everywhere here! As the tale goes… the village was built on stone. And I’ll tell you, that I for one believe every word of it (especially when trying to dig in the garden – but that’s such a small price to pay for the beauty of stone walls at every turn!)


Stone Bridge
Case in point… here’s an old farm bridge made of field stone. This is the stuff that dreams are made of… my dreams anyway 😉


Fall Color!
I just had to show you the color from this stand of maple trees… don’t you love that chocolate & deep red!


Windmill on a fall day
Here’s another one of the beautiful windmills that we saw today! I love the red & white colors – especially with the reds & oranges on the trees in the background!


As we turned around the bend, almost to our country lane, we saw that the local Amish ladies were selling their farm goods at their stand in front of a local store on Main St. I would love to have been able to share that scene with you, but the Amish do not wish to have their pictures taken. Last year, we had 5 families move into our area, and now, several times a week, we see them in the village sharing their fresh goods with the community (and we are happy to support local farmers – especially where pies are concerned 😉 We were excited to hear that even more families will be moving here soon!


Country Road Take me Home

We got done just in time!

From what I hear… “the sun will come out tomorrow”

But until then…

Country Road Take me Home

Peek Through my Window

Office View - Beautiful Fall Leaves!

I don’t know how it is in your bit of the world, but in our little forest & surrounding village, the landscape is starting to become radiant with color. It’s almost as if a painter is standing above us, and with quick strokes of his brush, he’s changing everything around us into large swatches of deep reds, chocolate browns, and bright oranges!

Today, as I was “working” at my desk, I became captivated by the color I gazed out of my window! I’ve been watching the trees, and they have been subtly changing as we dive deeper in the Autumn season, but today, they are suddenly bursting with extreme color!

I am so thankful that I am able to be surrounded with such abundant beauty. But, I have to admit, sometimes I do become distracted by the view (I can’t seem to help it 😉

River in fall
Click for a better view of the river

Just today I have witnessed…

– A mother deer & her two babies wandering around the forest, and grazing down by the river.

– Several wood peckers dancing up and down the trunks of the tall trees.

– Little creatures such as chipmunks and squirrels, carrying their treasures back to be tucked away in some secret nook or cranny, that has now become their winter pantry.

– And a flock of geese flying so close to my window, that I could actually see what each one looked like.

Our days pass by so fast…

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James 4:14

So lets enjoy each day to the fullest!

Now, back to work 😉

Trip to the Apple Orchard – Picking the Right Apple for the Job

Apple Orchard

“You & I can count the seeds in an apple, but only God knows how many apples are in each seed”

There’s something so heart warming about the aroma of apples cooking in the kitchen! Maybe it’s because of the memories of childhood when, as a little girl, I would “help” my mom & grandmother peel the buckets of apples on my great-grandma Pearl’s farm. I remember watching great-grandma Pearl put an apple in her hand sitting out on the front porch of her little farmhouse. Then, she would peel it as she spun the apple around and around in her hand. When she finished the entire apple, there would only be one very long piece of apple peel that would drop into the big pile of peels, as the apples made their way to the canning kitchen. Although I tried and tried to “get the big long peel” as a youngster, I’m only just now attaining that great skill 😉 Perhaps it’s the knowledge that Autumn, which is my favorite season of the year, is finally here that makes the onset of apple season so special? Or, could it just be the anticipation of getting a little taste of the delicious dish of apple goodness that is baking in the oven? Knowing me and my nostalgic outlook on life, I’m sure it’s a mixture of all of the above 😉

Even though great-grandma Pearl has long since passed, and I don’t currently have my own orchard, each year our family travels a few miles up North to pick apples at our favorite orchard. We usually wait until the end of October, but this year we decided to go up with some friends to see what we could find earlier in the season. I was amazed to find so many different types of apples available! I guess our trip will be an earlier one from now on, because when we wait until the end of October, most of the variety is already gone. But, that’s not to say that we can’t go up more than once and make the season last as long as possible 😉

I just love going to the apple farm, because besides apples, they have so many other things to see, smell, and taste! There’s the rows of corn stalks lined up like a marching band along the children’s corn maze, keeping the little ones continually guessing how they’re going to find their way out. There’s crate after crate of colorful pumpkins, guards, and squash, and I think the bunches of Indian corn must have every color imaginable, because they aren’t just brown & red anymore! And I mustn’t forget the luscious aromas that escape out of the big red barn, and somehow find their way right to our little noses! The scents of popcorn, cotton candy, apple cider, chocolate fudge, fresh baked donuts, and caramel apples all seem to mingle together and scream come & find me… and of course we must!

Even though I know what “type” of apple that I like the best, when we get to the farm, we still have to ask the same question every year – which is the best kind of apple for eating, and which is the best for baking?

Since I ask this question every year, I thought you might face the same questions when you get to the store, apple orchard, or farm stand in your area. So… I wanted to put together a little list of the different kinds of apples, their descriptions, and what they might be best suited for.

* My little secret… I love a crisp, tart, apple that is great for both eating & baking – so Jonagold wins the “Apple of my Eye” award 😉

Jonagold: An apple that is both tart and sweet. It’s firm texture makes it one of the world’s most preferred eating apples
Jonagold Apple

Golden Delicious: Mild sweet flavor – eating, salads and apple sauce
Golden Delicious Apples

Cortland: Tangy Taste – snacking, salads, and baking
Cortland Apple

Empire: Unique sweet/tart flavor, crisp and juicy – eating and salads
Empire Apples

Ginger Gold: Sweet but mildly tart – eating and salads
Ginger Gold Apples

Golden Delicious: Mild sweet flavor – eating, salads and sauce
Golden Delicious

Honey Crisp: Big juicy and sweet – great eating apple
Honey Crisp Apples

Ida Red: Highly flavored and crisp – eating and baking
ida red

Jonamac: Sweet/tart flavor – eating and sauces
jonamac

McIntosh: Juicy tangy and aromatic – Most popular eating apple
Macintosh Apples

Macoun: Mild tart taste firm apple – snacking and fresh desserts
Macoun Apples

Northern Spy: Tart apple – eating, sauces, baking
Northern Spy Apple

Red Delicious: Juicy and sweet taste – eating and salads
Red Delicious Apples

Rome: Firm mildly tart flavor – Perfect for baking and sauce, keeps very well
Rome Apples

The Forest is in Bloom!

Autumn leaves turning red

Even though the arrival of fall means that the cold winter months are soon to follow, every year I still find myself looking forward to the time of year when everything around us seems to transform into something altogether new. Like a butterfly coming out of it’s cocoon, it seems like an instant when we wake up one morning, only to find that the trees surrounding the cottage have burst forth into what seems like colorful blooms!

Thankfully, our region is surrounded by sugar maple trees, which never fail to give us a beautiful display of fall color each year.

Here a few trees are changing color along the edge of our drive.
fall color

Our area (Northeastern US) is famous for the spectacular autumn colors painted on the trees of its mountains and countryside. Here we enjoy a color pallet of reds, golds, oranges, and bronzes of the mixed deciduous woodlands.

Did you know that the US Forest Service actually planted the 100 plus scenic byways specifically with the autumn color show in mind? There are 31 states that are planted with over 3,000 miles of scenic drive!

You never really know when the color display will begin, but in our area, we’ve come to expect a few leaves to start showing their true colors around the end of August.

Something you may have never heard about!

The USDA Forestry Service actually has a free hotline phone number that you can call to see how the fall color is in any area of the country! This might come in very handy for those who are planning to take a long drive in the country to see the fall foliage.

Fall Color Hotline: 1-800-354-4595

I called today & found out that our area is supposedly at 15% peek color.

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Doing some Fall jobs around the house? Here’s a handy tip
When you have to stop painting & you’re not done with the job – put the roller in a pringles can & put it in the freezer. When you’re ready to start painting again – it will be ready for you!

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“The contented person is never poor; the discontented person is never rich”