Monthly Archives: October 2011

A Post for MOM!

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Yes, Mom, you are getting your very own post today. Hooray! :-) The reason is quite simple. You see, I have gone on and on about the beauty of the fall season here in northeastern Ohio, and I have raved about the brilliantly colored leaves on the trees just outside our apartment windows. I’ve even tried to email photos to you so that you get a glimpse of the beauty I peer out on each day. But, you and I both know (Dad, too, I guess) that email has not cooperated and you have yet to enjoy some of our beauty. I know that you, too, are having a beautiful fall, but “ya gotta see this!”  Our apartment is small, and Richard and I keep bumping into each other. Cooking in our tiny kitchen, especially since we keep kosher, is quite a challenge. But when you see these photos you will see the single reason I chose this apartment over a larger apartment that was also available at the time. Richard left the decision up to me, and I have not regretted the choice (mostly.) Enjoy the photos, and remember, they don’t do justice to actually seeing the fall foliage through our windows and walking among the leaves on our many strolls through the apartment complex.

the window beside my desk -- sometimes it is an inspiration, sometimes a distraction!

Outside our bedroom windows!

The Dining Room window!

The Living Room view!

LR and DR together.

That covers every window in our apartment. The following are a few more miscellaneous photos, but all were taken from inside our abode! :-)

Yes, those are bananas reflected in the glass from our dining room table. I decided to leave it in the photo! :-)

Mom, I hope you enjoyed the photos. There are hundreds more both from inside our apartment and from our strolls outside. Dad, I hope you enjoyed these shots, too. I don’t mean to leave you out, but this has been an ongoing “Mom-Daughter” conversation. I love you both and am happy to share some of the beauty that graces our lives. :-)

 

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Brandywine Falls on an Autumn Day

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The Jewish holidays are finally over and life returns to normal, whatever normal is. Sunday was a day of catching up paying the bills, washing clothes, putting our holiday “things” away for another year. But Richard and I are not so good at “all work and no play!” We are responsible adults, but the child in each of us has to come out and play at times. :-)  Some weeks ago I read about the Cuyahoga National Forest and the Brandywine Falls. We had hoped to get down during the height of the colorful fall season, but with the holidays and our work schedules, we were unable to take that drive. Tis a pity because Brandywine Falls is only about thirty minutes from where we live. After hours of doing the responsible adult things however, Richard and I decided it was time for a day trip (or in this case, a three-hour trip.) We got a little lost on the way down, but as always, we found ourselves and made it to our destination. We were not disappointed.

At the top of the trail we got our first glimpse of the falls. The sun was shining and the rays sparkled off the water. A person can tell that the falls will be beautiful, but it is not until further on that the hiker see the full beauty of water cascading over jutting rocks into a pool at the base where the Brandywine River continues its course.

The trail leads hikers down the ravine, gradually at first, zig-zagging gently until
reaching the steps that rapidly accelerate the descent to the base of the falls. Many people may miss the beauty of the forest in their haste to reach the bottom which is a real shame. Although the height of the fall colors had passed, there was still quite a bit of colorful foliage. Furthermore, the sun streaming through the stand of trees created a beauty not to be ignored.

As we continued along the trail descending down to the falls, we also passed some interesting rock formations.

Now the full view of Brandywine Falls was coming into view!

There were two landings from which to view the falls, so I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

We lingered there for a while, chatting with other visitors and simply enjoying the view. On our way back out of the ravine, I saw the stream meandering through the forest, a sight I had not seen before because I was focused on the falls. The interesting thing is that I had no hope of getting a good shot because the sun was too far down in the sky and the shadows in the hollow were too deep. But, being the photographer that I am, I shot photos to my heart’s content anyway ~ one of the perks of the digital age in photography when there is no worry about the cost of film and processing! Any way, back to my story, when I uploaded these photos to my laptop, I was pleasantly surprised. What the photos showed but I had failed to see when shooting, is that the yellows still in the trees reflected on the stream giving it a golden look in parts. Lovely.

Coming back up the trail, the sun was low enough in the sky to create some beautiful silhouettes of the trees (sorta…at least a silhouette of Richard). Here is one sample.

We walked along another peaceful, bucolic trail for a little while.

And then returned along the path that led us into the park, and past the Bed & Breakfast, once a farmhouse, that provided more interesting photo opportunities.

There you have it! Our wonderful afternoon of playing hooky. :-) If you are ever interested in visiting, you can google Cuyahoga National Forest, or Brandywine Falls, or the Brandywine Bread & Breakfast, all found in northeastern Ohio, USA.  Hope you enjoyed the outing. We sure did ;-)

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Sunset (An Evening at the Lake)

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Last evening, Richard and I drove up to Lake Erie (less than 10 miles distance) to take a stroll and watch the sun set. We have talked about it several times before, however when Richard suggested we go to the lake, I was delightfully surprised. We drove through some wooded areas which at this time of year are stunning with the various types of leaves decked out in their best colors ~ reds, oranges, yellows, mottled greens. As the sun descended lower in the western sky, we had only an inkling of the beauty awaiting at the lake.

We parked the car at a little village park in Euclid, OH, and walked down to the lake and out onto a quay. Our first glimpse was magical. I felt as if I had stepped into an impressionistic painting, the beautiful muted pastels imbuing the atmosphere with peace and tranquility.

Looking to the east ~

Looking to the west ~

At the end of the quay a few fishermen lingered in the waning light, casting their lines out over the tranquil lake time and again. I wondered if they truly expected another catch, or if they were simply enjoying the peacefulness of the evening. We spoke briefly to each other, but we all seemed to be comfortable with the silence.

Fishermen at the end of the quay ~

As the darkness increased, I looked again to the west and sighted two fishermen headed down to the lake shore to do some night fishing.

We stayed a little longer, but then decided it was time to leave.

As we were driving away however, I could see through the trees that the colors were increasing in intensity.

Richard pulled into another park area about a mile down the road, and as I walked toward the shoreline, I knew we were in for a bigger treat than before! (While the previous photos had little editing, the remaining photos have not been edited or altered in the least. They are straight out of the camera!)

Afterward, as we walked back to the car, I took a final look back . . .

Driving home Richard reached for my hand. No words were spoken. We were content. This was a good evening.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Comfort

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Last week was the first I’ve missed since I joined this challenge, and that is because I don’t really have any sunset shots, nor was I able to get any during the week.  For this challenge however, I have one that I think fits the bill. I used it some weeks ago on my gratitude blog (see here) but it fits this challenge quite nicely. Take a look and tell me what you think.

My cat, Pele, and I in a sweet moment.

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Five Question Friday: October 7, 2011

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While I’m waiting for my syllabus to print out (those things are long, and I’ve two courses), I thought I would answer this week’s questions. This will be the last week for 5QF at least until after all the holidays. So, without further adieu,

1. What is your go to comfort food or sweet?

I have to think about this one. Hot soup sounds good, onion to be specific. I know that most folks go for the chicken soup, which I also like, but if given my druthers, when I need comforting for any reason, I’d opt for French Onion Soup! mmmmm Delicious :-)

Your bonus today:

French Onion Soup By Jamie Geller

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Chill Time: none
Yield: 4 servings

  • 4 large onions, sliced
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 8 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons Osem Onion Soup Mix (optional or more salt to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • French bread, sliced and toasted

1. In a 4-quart stockpot, sauté onions in butter over medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until caramelized to a nice golden brown, stirring frequently so they don’t burn.
2. Add wine and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Slowly stir in flour.
4. Stirring to keep lumps from forming, add water, onion soup mix, salt and pepper; bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
6. Ladle into bowls and place a piece of toasted French bread in each.

Tip:

The traditional topping used for onion soup is Gruyère cheese. If you have trouble finding it, substitute Swiss cheese. Top the toast with a slice or two of cheese and broil for 3 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Reprinted with permission from Quick and Kosher: Recipes From The Bride Who Knew Nothing

2. What is the most romantic place you’ve ever been to?

Our B&B ~ Burlington, Vermont

The most romantic place is in Richard’s arms. Always. That is the most comforting, loving, warm, secure place I know and that adds up to romantic. Locale? We’ve been to many different locales, but I think our fav would be a toss up between Montreal and Vermont. Both are our “dream” places, and whenever we vacation to either spot we find it difficult to point our car toward home afterwards.

3. What is your favorite thing about fall/Halloween?

We don’t do Halloween so thinking about fall, I would say that cooler temps combined with brilliant colors. I want to be out all the time at this time of year. It is lovely.

4. How would you spend 24 hours alone?

Well, I’m an avid reader so I would read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction. I would take walks in peaceful, wooded areas (after all, if my 24 hours is alone, I will only do it in a natural setting). No electronic anything. I would write the old-fashioned way, with pen and ink in my leather-bound journal (sounds so romantic, doesn’t it!) I would mellow out and observe life around me.

5. Does your husband bring you flowers? Are you the bring-me-flowers type of girl?

No, Richard does not bring me flowers. I love flowers, but that is not how he shows affection and I’m ok with that. I buy my own flowers when I want…..really. He shows his love in so many ways every day that flowers are not necessary to convince me. We walk and talk a lot, and that includes hand-holding and hugs and kisses. He sends me emails throughout the day, or calls me from work when he has a break and can chat a few minutes. Richard is my biggest cheerleader and my confidante. I could go on, but the whole flower thing is fueled by the floral industry so not necessary as far as showing affection. Flowers are important to me however, as you may have noticed when perusing my blog. But when I want flowers to brighten my table or a particular corner, I’ll buy or pick them myself.

Well, that’s it for this week. When I return to the Friday question thingy, I’m leaning toward posting one question to ponder each Friday, something of substance that inspires us to think more deeply on an issue. What do you think? I don’t know how to make a badge but I was thinking of something like “Points to Ponder Friday,” or “Friday’s Question.” If you are more creative, or know how to create a badge for something like that, feel free to post a response for discussion.

So, I’ll resume a Friday posting toward the end of October or early November. See y’all then! :-)

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And the Good News Is . . .

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I really tried to write a substantive post today (this was late Thursday night) but life keeps on ticking and responsibilities are . . . well . . . responsibilities.  This is good, but at times I, being a somewhat responsible person, don’t get to do what I want to do. Someone once told me that I could do/be/have anything I wanted, I just couldn’t do/be/have everything I wanted. In a nutshell, I have to make choices. I am not talking about earth-shattering, life-changing choices today, just the everyday, run-of-the-mill choices we all have to make. For instance, I really wanted to go to the lake this evening to shoot some sunset photographs. Instead I washed clothes. . . four loads to be exact. Another for instance, I wanted to venture out with my camera to take a long walk at a nearby park. Instead I worked on resumes and actually submitted two. The entire day was like that: dishes washed, clothes washed, dried and folded, carpet vacuumed, furniture dusted, silver polished (yes, I polish silver.)

Our western culture (USA) strongly encourages us to do what we want, don’t let mundane responsibilities get in the way of enjoying life; make big bucks and retire early, etc. There are certainly times when the healthier thing to do is to leave the clothes for another day, or postpone the vacuuming until the evening. But today was not one of those times. I missed out on some fun activities~my choice. No one forced me. I didn’t write the beautifully profound post that I had hoped for. No lake. No park. But the good news is that I accomplished a lot of things that make our lives more orderly and manageable.

Generally, if given the choice, I opt for the more free-spirited adventures (well, “adventure” is overstating a bit). But when the free-spirited, do what you want activities rule our lives, left unchecked, chaos ensues and stresses mount.

The good news is that clothes are clean, resumes submitted, apartment neat, a lot accomplished. A load of mini-worries was addressed and are off my agenda (for a bit). This is good because scheduled activities for the next two weeks are daunting. Courses for the next quarter open tomorrow (so I’m back in classes for 10 weeks!). Yom Kippur begins at sunset tomorrow (Friday) and continues for 25 hours. The Festival of Booths (Succot) begins Wednesday night and goes through Saturday night, followed by the same next week.

This maddening schedule for the upcoming days presents a dilemma. Blogging has become part of my life. I thoroughly enjoy it. I enjoy reading your blogs and getting to know you. I enjoy seeing you at my site and reading your comments. For the next 10 weeks though, I will have to make choices. My proclivity is to blog everyday (I have two blogs in addition to this one) and to spend hours reading what you have to say at your sites. On the other hand, I have a responsibility to others (and myself) that will require a great deal of time and energy. In the long run however, I have a dream and for the past year and a half I have made strides toward fulfilling that dream. Blogging fits into that puzzle, but so does becoming a licensed professional clinical counselor. The daily grind gets old, and frankly a bit boring at times, as does washing clothes or working on resumes. But the vision of reaching my dream and accomplishing my goals motivates me to keep engaging the not-so-fun activities because anticipation of the fun to come when I reach the prize is priceless.

So, the good news is I accomplished a lot today by being responsible and doing boring chores. Things got done. The good news is tomorrow another quarter begins that, while it may be trying and even boring at times, will move me closer to my goal. The good news is tomorrow evening begins Yom Kippur and next week more holidays as we make atonement for the mistakes of the past and plan to do better in the future. The good news is, this is all good news.

No beautiful sunsets tonight, but there will be others to see on another day. No profoundly wonderful or spellbinding post for this blog now, but that, too, will be written another time. Tonight my eye is on larger, life-enriching goals. My presence, as in quarters past, will be more sparse for a while depending on the rhythm of my classes, but I’ll still pop my head in and try to keep up with what’s going on in the blogging world and with my blogging friends if not daily, then hopefully weekly.

Y’all have a great weekend, and I’ll see you soon! :-)

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Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down . . .

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Well, not really. But when the rain hangs around for days and days, then I become lethargic and “dull.” And today just happens to be Monday so on THIS Monday, the rainy day after so many other rainy days is getting me down. The entire month of September was rainy and now that we are into October, the rain continues. If I could sing worth a lick, I’d be singing the blues. Better yet, if I could send some of this rain to my friends who desperately need it in Texas I would.

During the afternoon hours there was a lull in the weather. Skies were still overcast, and drizzle permeated the air, but the rain ceased for a bit. I needed to get out of the apartment so camera in hand, I took a wet walk around the complex before the rain began in earnest again.  For about an hour I wandered around the building shooting the wet autumn beauty. Chilly though it was, the rain drops accentuated the rich colors of Autumn that are beginning to emerge. Everywhere I looked there was exquisiteness.

Upon my return home, I was delightfully greeted with an entire journal of photographs that I wanted to share with you. The following is my first attempt at creating a slide show. I have a lot to learn, and there are probably better programs for this medium, but I think you’ll enjoy it. Hopefully you will be able to open it full screen which will block out the advertising. And hopefully you will enjoy the views and the music. :-)

Rainy Day and Monday in October

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Autumn Has Arrived

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This morning I looked out our living room window to see this little critter huddled next to the screen. It’s bushy tail curled around to hide its head as if to say “I’m hiding here where no one can see me.” I watched the tree branches sway with the breeze and noticed the clouds overhead. This looks to be a dreary day indeed. Of course this is to be expected especially if one lives close to the “big” lakes as we do. Lake Erie is less than thirty minutes from our door, and I hear that the winters here are brutal. I try not to think about that though. Staying in the present moment, I force myself to consider what wonderful things await me on this chilly autumn day? Ugh. The positive approach just isn’t working at the moment. I feel like the little critter-squirrel on our window ledge this morning. I want to pull the covers up over my head so that no one sees me.  I want to snuggle in warmth. On the other hand, I also want to explore more of this new environment in which we now live. Maybe the sun will come out a little later. For now I’ll take another cup of coffee, watch the trees sway and the leaves dance as they drift to the ground. I’ll make this a good day. I will adapt to living in the north. I will discover beauty even on a cold Autumn day. . . Or I’ll curl up next to Pele, my faithful cat, in my favorite fuzzy warm bathrobe, with a good book and read to my heart’s content.

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