Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Before October is over, I just must mention that this month was Breast Cancer Awareness month. Please remember not just in October, but all year long. Remember to get your mammogram and encourage those you love to get their annual mammogram. During this month, many e mails come across about breast cancer, but the absolute best one I have ever seen, is the one that only shows this picture that I have posted. It really gets the point across. Remember too, to support your American Cancer Society, for their research into this and all other cancers. American Cancer Society is responsible for pressing the insurance companies to cover mammograms, and we are working to be sure that other preventative screenings will be covered also. Thank you!

Day Brightener on a Dreary Day

Coming home from work yesterday, it was after 5:00 pm, the day had been rainy and dark and gloomy. Driving along Lake Superior, I noticed the neatest sight, that I got off the freeway and drove closer to the lake and took pictures. There was a rainbow, but apparently the clouds covered all of it but the very bottom part...and it was right over a ship that was going out into the lake from the harbor. By the time I got down to take the picture, the ship had gotten farther out, so it wasn't as close, and the rainbow wasn't as bright as when I first saw it. But, I was able to get a photo. I think you will be able to see the partial rainbow. You can also see how dark and dreary the day was by this photo. But, seeing that rainbow on such a day really did brighten my day and my heart!!! Can you see the rainbow??

Fall Ritual - Carpenter's St. Croix Valley Nature Center

When I was growing up in Adams County, PA - a fruit capital, my Mother would make trips to the local orchards for cherries, and peaches in the summer, and apples and pears in the fall. She did a lot of canning and freezing. And in the fall, she made apple crisp, apple pie and applesauce from all of the apples purchased at the orchards. I missed all of them when I came to Duluth. I do know that many people from here go to WI for apples, and especially Bayfield which isn't too far from us here. But, I never really went. Bayfield has an apple festival that many from this area go to every fall, just like the apple festival that I always went to in Adams County!

As you know, our daughter and her family live in Hudson, WI. A few years ago she starting going in the fall to a place in Prescott, MN, a pleasant and beautiful drive not far from Hudson. The beginning of October I was visiting them, and she and I went to the orchard to get our apples. It's actually the Carpenter's St. Croix Valley Nature Center, and is located along the St. Croix River. The posted photos come from there. They also had raspberries and pumpkins. It was good to see they make "Apple Butter" also.

Hope Memorial Garden Dedicated

Earlier this month, we at Hope UMC dedicated our new Memorial Garden. We worked on this for about a year, and many dedicated people put in the plants, did a lot of work over the spring and summer and the result is a lovely, peaceful garden. I wish we could have dedicated it in the summer when everything was green and the flowers were blooming. We were waiting though, for the benches, chairs and all the pavers to arrive. People bought paver bricks in memory or honor, to help defray the expenses. The benches and chairs were also donated. The fount, is a baptismal fount that came from Woodland UMC, which merged with University UMC to become our present HOPE UMC. I am posting some photos.

First Snow in Duluth 10.09

We already had some snow this month - too early to suit most of us. Note the top photo, this family getting ready to go south for the winter, didn't make it out of town before the snow!

Winter is Here

I have taken some photos this month of the changing of the seasons. I will post them to see what October has looked like in Duluth, MN. Here they are.

Happy Halloween

I just realized it's been over a month since I have written! As I have said before, where, oh where, has this month gone! My last post said that Autumn was coming, now I have to say that autumn has come and gone. The leaves are just about all off the trees, we've had a month of rainy, cold and not so nice days, with a nice one mixed in here and there!

It's Halloween. My son and husband and I have been passing out candy, to the little ones, and now the bigger ones are coming. The son has now left for a Halloween party and I'm leaving the door answering now to Bob. I think we are soon going to run out of candy, and we had a lot. We get a lot of kids in our neighborhood, many of then come in from out in the country. Our street doesn't have many little ones anymore.

I have posted a few photos of those who decorated their homes for the Halloween season. One is down the street from us, and the one with the cemetery is from another neighborhood. I couldn't resist taking a photo. You will note there is not a photo of our house decorated. I didn't even get our pumpkin and halloween decorations out. I own many, just didn't drag them up from the basement, and now tomorrow is November!

Hope you have all had a nice October and a fun halloween!