I Love Life!

The Jamison Fall Mantel 2011

Fall is in the air and as you know, I LOVE it!  The leaves are beginning to turn and the crispness is in the air.  I've added the scent of baking our own bread to it and so it's perfect.  The weather is cooling down rapidly.  As I've said before, if I'm closing up windows, there's a chill in the air. I don't know if the change in the weather has anything to do with it or not, but I'm finding this last couple of weeks it would be a really good thing most days to just curl up with a warm blanket on the couch and write.  It certainly takes me all morning, most mornings, to get up and get around. Maybe that's a good thing.

Saturday morning I went with Corey, Jon and Josie to Troy Saturday Market.  
 Troy Farmer's Market
Oh my! The scents of all the cultural food booths, the fresh baked breads, the jars of beautiful red and green peppers, the multitude in choices of fresh mushrooms, amazingly beautiful mums, gourds of every shape and color.  You'd love it! This Saturday we're "dragging" Ray along.  

As we were leaving the market Josie looked up at her mom and said, "Mom, don't you want me to go home with Aunt Jan?".  Boy did we ever have a play day. Eight hours of uninterrupted play time.  The only slight, almost mishap during the entire time was when Aunt Jan said it was time to read and rest and Josie turned that little face around to Uncle and let a couple of tears drop and he told her she didn't have to if she didn't want to.  It took me about two seconds to give in.  I just figured Corey and Jon could deal with it later. Josie, Ray, Jamison and I watched "Game Plan" starring "The Rock" for the fourth time and then later, for the fifth time; we did the princess puzzle for at least another 15 times, we ate Mike and Ike's, we did Hello Kitty sticker book, we played Hello Kitty slider puzzle on my phone, we played "hair dresser", we did "tattoos" with a dice, we talked about school that started on Thursday. Josie is in a class of 10 three year olds, and, all girls. Can you imagine how much trouble I could get into with 10 three year olds?  What a hoot that will be!

Yesterday, Corey, Josie, Sabra and Shivani and I visited a bakery in Troy that should be outlawed! Bella Napoli

Corey & Josie along the Hudson.

I am NOT kidding you!  This is 40-50 feet of glass cases containing some of the most amazing, delicious, beautiful pastries you have ever seen or experienced.  We took our delicacies to the bank along the Hudson River, (Josie really is in the picture to the left) the sun was warm and wonderful, we were in great company and couldn't wait to wrap our mouths around these amazing creations. As Corey opened her bag and began the foray to the bottom of the bag, Shivani and I waited very, very

Sabra & Shivani

patiently while Sabra attempted to untie a single knot in the string that was wrapped around the bakery box.My goodness, it's a wonder we're not still sitting there uniting that single knot of string! Sabra, I guess we're going to have to keep going to Bella Napoli for those special treats so you can practice your knot work. Maybe we should leave the treats OUT of the box so we can snack while you practice.

Corey tried a new item (she's been keeping this bakery a secret because she named dozens of items she'd already tried).  Let me see if I can describe this so you can "smell and taste" it.  Evil, aren't I?  

Just to make you drool!

This is a piece of chocolate cake, and not just any chocolate cake. (The picture in no way resembles the real deal.) This  2"x 5" x 1.5" piece of heaven has been encased delicately and entirely in a thick layer of smooth, creamy, chocolaty ganache. It is so rich it takes your breath away.  As it melts in your mouth and as your lips and teeth bruise the ganache and you are just catching your breath your tongue encounters an amazing pillow of cloud floating between the cake and ganache; three little clouds of a mixture of cream and marshmallow. Oh my, the delights to come.  Corey DID share and we all enjoyed  that wee moment of forbidden delight!

Chicken Update!  Two of the remaining chickens are NOT chickens.  They've developed this little ridge across the top of their heads.  Guess they won't be staying long!  The coop is safe and warm, they get plenty of fresh food (they'll eat anything!) They live in a "gated community". They've been chased by the best, a fox.  They're know by all their neighbors. They have a watch dog.  They now have a new friend that lives under the chicken coop....a skunk!  One of these days I'll have to tell you MY skunk story.

Well, nothing...and I do mean nothing, got accomplished in this household today with the exception of me sitting here writing and working on photographs.  Now I didn't say there wasn't anything here to do, I just said I didn't do it.  So you know what that means.  Tomorrow I do two days worth.  Not really!  The nice thing about being retired for me is, in part, well, in most part...I can do what I want, when I want.  Some days, as I've said before, it's just good to sit and write.  I plan to do much more this winter when the days aren't as nice as they are today.  Today thought, I need to write.


In closing for the day, please continue to remember our son, Aaron, in your thoughts and prayers.  He is in a different stage of the disease.  He is having a CT Scan today and in the next week or so it is going to be necessary to have fluid drawn from his liver. Right now, it's painful.  Please pray that God will give Ray and I the grace and courage to trust Him with our son.  You'd think after 38 years I would have learned that lesson.