“I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:7-8 ESV
Good day and welcome to the last Sunday and last week of October. When the morning skies are cloudless it is probably best to take a photo just before the sun starts looking you straight in the eyes. With most mornings around 40 last week, long sleeves plus a hoodie felt good, but strange, since those layers haven’t been needed for quite a while. Our northern neighbors will laugh, but I was cold until I had a little sunshine on my shoulders!
I did wait around for that time when the sun wasn’t quite on my shoulders, but seeing it peeping at me from behind the trees along the river bank still warmed me. I know we are not supposed to look directly into the sun, but maybe holding up an iPhone for a photo didn’t do any damage!
The cooler air settled in for the week and the weather was as good as it gets every day. October skies are their own kind of blue and the maples are showing a little hint of change!
The sky can be so interesting. I told Pam a jet had passed through the end of a horn of plenty (cornucopia). She thought the cloud looked like a slinky. Do you remember the slinky? Ever had one (or several)?
The blue jays are back. They are noisy but colorful birds that we don’t see in the summer. I think they must prefer the cooler places? They showed up about the time our weather changed. They are active, not sitting still for any length of time. I told Pam that I should name one of them Daniel since our Daniel is always on the move and very hard for us to keep up with!
It is hard to visualize the shape of these in a photo, but all were shaped like scoops. I thought they should be scooping or dipping a multi-flavored ice cream with some caramel added. I probably think too much about food, even when there’s a fungus among us!
I followed this guy for a short distance before an idea came over me. Pam has a birthday coming up near the end of the week and I hadn’t selected a gift yet. I finally pulled up beside him and asked would he sell the truck. I stated it would be for a surprise gift so he took my number and said, “I’ll think about it”. I haven’t heard back so I guess it’s a “no”! I’m still shopping.
From 2025…the orange pumpkins won’t look drastically different this year, but I suspect the other pumpkins will show signs related to 12 months of eating and sprouting! It’s time once again for our annual pumpkin carving.
Preparations for “Carving 2026” were underway early yesterday morning. Lunch on the patio was to be served first, then carving time, so there was work to be done!
Charlotte Daisy and the other scarecrows asked if they could use the golf cart so all could ride together to attend the 2026 pumpkin carving. Pam OK’d Charlotte to drive even though she is only 13. The scarecrows were so anxious to see the grands that they arrived several hours early! Charlotte Daisy has been very busy this fall, having her own tea party with her friends and the grands. You can check out her October fun here.
When the grands came, everyone wanted to ride one round through the pasture with Charlotte Daisy and the other “crows” before the carving began. It seemed they all returned safely and were eager to get started.
The main attendees had a good lunch and were ready to get on with the pumpkin festivities. They had each selected a design for a pumpkin shirt, and their mom made them. She is so talented. Perfect attire for the day and the season!
EM wanted a scary mouth, but he doesn’t look too frightening. The grands drew off the face they wanted carved and their daddy did the carving. We aren’t quite ready for the kids to be using sharp instruments on pumpkins! I was allowed to do the lids. I discovered that everyone thinks I don’t necessarily need to be wielding sharp knives either!
EK wanted to clean out the insides and scooped it all out herself. She seemed to be taking a serious look at the finished work. We planned to place candles inside later to light up the jack-o-lanterns, but amazingly the sun was shining at the perfect angle to temporarily do the job!
Mr. Blue eyes believed he could take on the entire project including the carving. The knife in the photo looks a lot closer than it really was, but keeping him and little brother a safe distance from the actual pumpkin surgery was a constant chore which became my main role for the afternoon!
The little man finally tired of the whole pumpkin thing and wandered over to the cottage garden where he knew a John Deere was waiting. I guess sitting on a tractor is fun even if you aren’t going anywhere!
Is it a thing that there’s always one who walks to the beat of a different drummer or is it simply a boy thing? That’s WL being WL and brother Daniel had just completed a nap. He’s probably thinking “what is wrong with all these people”!
As evening settled upon another completed pumpkin carving, the jack-o-lanterns were all aglow and our hearts were too as we enjoyed making another sweet memory!
Lingering clouds after a front makes for nice sunsets. Most of our days last week were quite clear, very few clouds.
We pray you have a blessed final week of October; how quickly go the days!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch,Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
The pumpkins and the grands all look great! We’ve enjoyed much cooler mornings this week also. Our trees typically don’t start changing colors until mid to late November. Lots of leaves have already fallen due to the drought. Hope y’all have a blessed week.
Oh, those kids are just the best blessings ever! WL, lol, and that helmet/pumpkin lid. Our morning sunrises have each been blocked my fog coming off the river until around 10am, but the blue skies afterward have been glorious. Thank you for sharing your regional beauty, and Happy Birthday week to Pam!