Hodgepodging the Woolly Bear Desert

 I wonder if the caterpillar thinks he's crossing a desert.

Any way you look at it, it's going to be a long winter ahead.

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1. Have you ever been to and/or lived near the desert? What did you think? Travel and Leisure lists the 'coolest' American desert towns as-

Palm Springs CA, Virgina City NE, Bend OR, Winslow AZ, Marfa TX, Grand Junction CO, Silver City NM, Moab UT, Taos NM, Yakima WA, Borrego Springs CA, Terlingua TX, and St. George UT, and Tubac AZ

I did live near the desert at one time, and thought it wasn't a good place to be 9 months pregnant in the summertime.

Have you been to any of these? Would you like to visit a desert town? Which on the list would you most like to visit?

I would rather visit a dessert town. Recipes for cheesecakes below.

2. What's a plan or project you've deserted in the past year? 

I've deserted housekeeping, gardening, travel plans, and most of my friends.

3. Desert-dessert? Share two or three words you find yourself having to think twice about when it comes to spelling.  

I used to spell 'occasionally' incorrectly, but now my spelling is absolutily impeckible.

 Rudbeckia & Purple Asters

4. High and dry, like watching paint dry, dry run, dry as dust, not a dry eye in the house...which phrase can you relate to currently? Explain. 

'Like watching paint dry,' and anyone who has followed this blog at all will know what I mean, so I'm not going into further explanation.

Happy watching paint dry

(photo from the www)

5. How often do you frequent the dry cleaners? Starch or no starch?  

Infrequently. I don't buy anything that has to be drycleaned. 

 Coyote hat, dryclean only.

6. What's a food or beverage you enjoy that's named for a place? 

Chicken stirfry, evidently named after Chicken, Alaska.

7. Do you need solitude? 

source

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Last year's photo, but Mr. C. and same grandson went to the woods yesterday also, to mark the trees with yellow paint, so that when all the leaves fall to the ground, he's able to easily distinguish the dead from the living, when taking trees out for firewood. It looks like he marked it with hazardous materials tape last year. Oh that Mr. C.

 ***

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Hodgepodging Fall and Good Fences

 Coming soon to a ditch near you

Join Joyce and the Gang

for

She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own post

and join in.

Thank you, Joyce!!

Note: Please excuse the poor formatting of this post. I need to have my daughter look to see why I'm having trouble with it on every single post.

1. Thursday (September 22) is the first official day of autumn in this part of the world...how will you welcome the season? I know some of you have been celebrating way too early, but it's official now so permission granted. House Beautiful recently listed ten ways to make your home smell like fall (you can read the list here) What's a scent you love this time of year and how will you add it to your home? 

I will welcome fall by enjoying every sunrise and eating lunch on the porch as often as possible. 

 Late September Sunrise

I love the scent of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and apple - They're always added to my home when I make a batch of Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon Stick, or Frosted Apple Spice natural vegan soap! See photo at end of post. (Thanks, Joyce.) ;-)

2. Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Apple cake or pumpkin bread? Warm apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte?

I love pumpkin pie, but it always gives me heartburn. I love apple pie too, but really only like those two if they're made the way my mom made them. (I know, picky picky :-) Pumpkin bread with pecans or walnuts rather than apple cake...warm apple cider rather than pumpkin spice latte...are my favorites from the question above.

 Apple Pie Bars

Would not help avoid an afternoon slump. 

In fact, would pretty much ensure one.

3. Do you suffer from what is sometimes referred to as an afternoon slump? What helps ward it off before it hits and/or tell us what helps you shake it off once it's here?

An 'afternoon slump' would imply that I have energy and ambition before afternoon, wouldn't it. I actually do have quite a bit of energy and no longer ever have an afternoon slump. It all changed once I made sure I had at least 20 g. of protein with my lunch. Man (or woman) cannot live on carbs alone. It seemed to take me a while (like years) to learn that.

4. Ladies-how have your friendships with women inspired you or made you a better person? For the men here today- how have your friendships with men inspired you or made you a better person?

I think that women have possibly inspired me to be more creative, but the only relationships that might have helped me become a better person are those that encourage me to focus more on Jesus, to care about others, to live a life of faith, prayer, gratitude.

5. Are you a people pleaser? If you said yes, do you think that's a good or bad thing? If you said no, do you wish you were more of a people pleaser? 

I like people and like to have fun with people, but I'm not going to compromise what I believe is right, nor will I flatter, just to please someone else. If it has nothing to do with compromise or flattery, both of which seem dishonest, then yes, I think it's wonderful to try to please people, to make people smile, give them a day that's brighter than it might have been, etc. What I see in some people pleasers is the inability to be true to their own convictions. I definitely don't see that as a good thing.

The Carmen Peppers are beautiful this year.

Yea! They're my favorite.

6. The seasons are a-changin'...share a favorite song relating in some way to change (not necessarily seasonal change, it could be change of any kind).

The Four Seasons - Vivaldi (change implied).  Other than that, I can think of nothing. I even looked up to see that one site has 107 songs listed that have some variation of the word 'change' in them. I know none of them.

Hey, I just thought of one:  

"The steadfast love of the Lord never changes; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness O Lord, great is thy faithfulness." 

(based on Lamentations 3). And I guess the word in the song is actually 'ceases,' but I'm going to substitute 'changes.'  And actually, His mercies never do cease, nor do they change. What a reassuring truth. God's mercies never come to an end!

 Sumac and fence on Fifth Avenue

7. What do you wish would never change? 

I wish summer and fall would never change to winter.

 I would never tire of this view from our driveway.

November through March

(I'm already tired of this view from our driveway and it hasn't even come yet this year.)

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Remember that toe I was whining about last week? Well, I found out yesterday that it is fractured, so now I have a cane *and* a boot. Quite a fashion statement, huh!

And if that grosses you out, here are much cuter toes to look at:

Lucy and Grandpa

2015

***

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Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE

Pumpkin Spice
Frosted Apple Spice
Cinnamon Stick


...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch
re-opening October 1.


and at


Our ETSY Shop
Open now.

Also Linking to Theresa's Good Fences

Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning