Hay!!!

It is October, almost half gone which I find unbelievable as I am still wondering what happened to the month of June and on. There was an e mail article on what farm children do to keep from becoming bored and many pictures of clever images made from harvested hay rolled into large squares or circles. I thought the two I have here were cute and it brings to mind that Halloween is just around the corner.

Once upon a time I used to make homemade donuts for Halloween, something my children and their friends enjoyed with a big cold glass of apple cider. Gone are the days when you could pass out a donut, or a home baked cookie or some other speciality from your own kitchen. The world became a bitter place when some folks decided not to put off their lights and not participate but to add some one dangerous thing to the treat they pass out so reluctantly. Now we have fallen into the commercial habit of buying out the candy manufacturers goods and can spend twenty dollars or more depending on how many of the little ones come to your door. I just visited Walmart and saw the bags of candy were from two dollars to twenty dollars. I didn't price the children's costumes, but I'd suggest that mothers get busy and use their imaginations. Who can afford such stuff? I am beginning to sound like my friend, Maxine, in one of her cartoons where she says, "Every Halloween I pretend to be the same thing...not at home." So, like Maxine I will be out for the evening as we have no little ones in the neighborhood and I do not intend to 'feed' the big lions and tigers that come down from the hills with pillow cases to fill. Gee, if I keep this up I may make it to 'Bah Humbug' before my children do.

Today, we have our first measurable rain storm coming up from the south and if I heard the TV commentator this morning winds may reach 50 miles per hour. Daughter Pat and I took a ride to Sporthaven beach where the waves were coming in heavy and loud as they crashed into the shore. I took one picture but it didn't come out because everything was gray, fog, water, sky, and two lonely gulls. The new younger set are really beautiful. They stay brown and mottled in colors of beige and deep browns tightly feathered to their bodies. Lovely little gulls that fly down to the parking area hoping for some tidbits from the car owners. We are firm believers in letting them feast from that big ocean in front of them.

I am listening to the rain beat against the drain pipes, a comforting sound as the rain pours from the heavens. I hope you have some rain in your life soon, not too much, but enough to help the flowers and the bushes and drown your negative thoughts and change them into a bubbling spring of delightful dreams. The attachment today was so beautiful, lovely pictures and words to live by, like: "Learn to Live . . . Enjoy life . . . this is not a rehearsal." and another you will like to remember, "Don't count the days . . . Make the days count." Are you listening to me? I hope so because "People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges." Aah, 'food for thought.' I have all of you in my life so my days are just fine. Thank you.