One More Quiet Day

56°f/13.3°C, cloudy after heavy rain all night. 3.5 inches of rain in the past 24 hours.

A lazy day around here! I finally made brunch around 11am--cheese, sausage, onion and celery omelets with sliced garden tomatoes and fried diced potatoes. Then coffee on the porch. A nice start to the day. 

I had a long phone call with my friend Suzy, who had a mild but alarming heart attack and is in the hospital.  Very upsetting to her many friends, but she is glad to know what was causing her fatigue and shortness of breath. We had planned for her to go with us to the John Prine tribute, or for her to join me for the broom dance practice. She will have a heart catheter procedure tomorrow,  and depending on the results may have a stint put in. Our friend Becky is also in a Charleston hospital; getting old is tough! Please send good thoughts, energy, vibes or prayers for them both. Both are doing well, and it's a relief to know they are getting the care they need.

I also had a nice call with my friend Rachel, who moved to Florida last year. She is back in town to visit, and I am looking forward to seeing her Tuesday.  Rachel taught me a lot about the antiques business. Then my son Derek called to catch up; he spent the day working on a friend's truck. And granddaughter Grace and her dad, my oldest son George,  just finished the 150-mile Cumberland Gap Trail, a bike trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. Son Aaron has been in Edmonton, Canada this week, his job this time to freeze-proof oil wells.  His hob is so varied it's never boring!

As it was so very wet outside today, we opted to do indoor work.  Larry worked on stripping the paint from two chairs, while i put another coat of stain on a tea cart, put the first coat of paint on a small table, and did a few ebay listings. Leftover stew for supper, then we bathed the dogs again as they are still scratching! I am not sure what's going on but we will bathe them one more time and if that doesn't work, then it's off to the vet to figure this out.

In the late afternoon, I decided to go to the Artisan Market for the broom dance practice after all. It was fun! I need to do things like that more often. They will have a Witches Party next Sunday evening, then perform for the open mic, and do another performance on the 24th. I am glad I am back involved with this group again.

So nothing exciting here, just another rainy day in the Appalachian hills. But I realized I still have photos from last weekend, so I will share some now since I took none today. These are from Clendenin, where we went after we left the festival in Elizabeth. Clendenin is the home of the first library I managed,  and has a piece of ny heart. 

The new handstand downtown, part of efforts to revitalize the town after the destructive 2016 floods.

Dalton's was quite the thriving department store in Clendenin's heyday. Today it safly stands abandoned; the cost to bring tge building up to current building codes is probably prohibitive. 

All the many, many times I drove past this building, I bever realized it had been a bank!

Inside Paddler's Bar and Grille,  named for the kayaking on the Elk River which flows through the town (and has flooded the town several times).

Enough for today!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Quiet Saturday

51°f/10.5°C, overcast then rain later, leftovers from the hurricane whose name the newscaster have a terrible time pronouncing.

It was a stay- home day today as we waited for the rain. We had considered a run to Spencer for the Black Walnut Festival, but honestly? We were both just tired. So I did housework in the morning, and mucked about in the kitchen for the rest of the day. I canned the last two gallon cans of beans that were given to us, and did a few black beans because there was room in the canner. Then I priced things for the booth. 

I did get outside a bit and planted some small mums in planters, tidied up the porch, and enjoyed coffee on the porch before the rain started. It was just a really nice day.

We still have a few tomatoes from one Amish Paste plant in the garden that I protected from the deer with netting. Larry picked them and we have ripened them inside. There are a half dozen more in the fridge--a blessing, really, at this time of year.

I picked a couple yellow squash, and then a few flowers too, as the rain would have beaten them down. And anyway, who doesn't enjoy fresh flowers in the house?

The porch decorations make me happy.

More flowers...

Just too pretty! And very fragrant.

Last night's sunset.

A spooky picture i took on the way home from town yesterday.

Near Ravenswoid, a farmer has started harvesting his corn.

We went over the river to see if gas was cheaper at an Ohio station, since Ohio has suspended its gas tax, but I guess that station isn't bothering to lower their prices! I snapped this of a barge passing under the bridge as we drove it.

And now, a question: tomorrow evening there are two things I want to do, and I am so torn! So, which would you do?

A. Go to the John Prine Tribute at a Charleston brewery, featuring some good friends 

Or

B. Go to the WV Artisan Market and practice the Broom Dance with a local yoga group? I am a terrible dancer, but I love this dance! And they are going to do it at our next open mic.

So, which would you choose? Decisions, decisions.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Friday Catch-Up

43°f, clear and dry. Our perfect Autumn weather continues.

We had some early morning visitors again. This turkey flock seems to show up every morning around 8:30, regular as clockwork. There are 12 in the group, and I think they may be this year's poultry, along with their parents.

Larry doesn't hunt turkey; we're both content just to watch them.

Breakfast today: English muffins spread with avocado, then topped with cheese, fried egg, tomato, and sour cream, along with coffee and tomato juice. Would have been prettier with some chives or parsley sprinkled on top!

Yesterday I buckled down and did a bunch of ebay listings, including these lovely milk glass goblets and several vintage paint-by-number pictures.

This one sold almost immediately. 

I also listed some crewel embroidery pictures I have debated about keeping, but in the end decided to list them. Need to downsize, I keep reminding myself!

 

While sorting out a tote we'd stored away a couple years ago, I found this fairy lamp. Prices for these are crazy right now; when I had this in my booth, it was priced at $15; now this type sells for around $80. Fads are so unpredictable. 

I have so many pretty plates stashed away! So a few of them got listed yesterday.

There are 6 of these, just so pretty,

But this little Limoges plate is my favorite of this bunch.

I worked outside in my flowerbeds for a bit, and was happy to see that the lettuce and kale I planted last week in tubs on the deck has already come up. I hope I can keep it going through at least part of the winter. I couldn't resist a pic of the hydrangea, still showing off.

Here a new bloom is getting ready to open:

this one is further along,

still further,

and past blooming, but still pretty to me.

Granddaughter Hannah has wanted one of these Tiffany-style lamps. They are another surprising fad among young people. I found this one for her at Goodwill the other day, in perfect condition. It really is pretty when lit up.

I fiddled around with YouTube long enough yesterday to learn how to blur faces, so here is the video of Ed Light at open mic:

And finally, relax time in my favorite evening dress. Not my usual plain style, but it's linen and so comfy. Another Goodwill find!

All for today. I need to get outside in the gardens, then we will be off to the farmer's market for eggs. Have a good day, friends.