Glowing, Then Going

We had some windy and rainy days lately. I've enjoyed our fall foliage from inside the house, through our windows.


From the dining room.

The kitchen

The living room

 And the family room

 Where in it's last flush of color, the Full Moon Maple spreads an orange glow. 

Upstairs, I watched the changes from my tree top viewing windows.

 From the outside

Venturing outside on a dry, almost sunny day, I caught the full red glow of the trees in the back yard. 

But the passing days and the wind and the rain take their toll. 

 The carpet below grows as the cloud above thins. 

Alas, the glow is going fast. 

Back Where They Belong

It has been at least ten years since I have worn my wedding rings. I took them off for several reasons.  I had gained a lot of weight and actually had my first wedding band cut off. We replaced it with a thinner, bigger band.  Then  arthritis attacked my hands, leaving them swollen and with enlarged knuckles. One day I forced my rings off while I still could, and put them away in a drawer. 

Arthritis was a constant attacker in my hands until I had my back surgery four years ago. I couldn't take anti-inflammatory NSAIDs for six months, but surprisingly, my hands stopped being "hot" and settled down. I had also lost weight. While my knuckles stayed enlarged the pain and swelling were gone. Of course, the arthritis struck with a vengeance in other places, but not my hands. 

I had been thinking about my rings in this, our 50th year of marriage, and finally decided to do some research and see what could be done. I read about different kinds of ring expanders and hinges, and then went on line to locate a local independent jeweler who might be able to do the work. I found one in our nearby town of Burien. 

I got my rings out of the drawer, took them in, and the jeweler advised me on what kind of fix would be best for me. I want to be able to take them off easily, since I don't wear them when I am gardening or doing heavy or messy work. 

It took a while, but there was no hurry. Last week my rings were ready for pick up. They are fused together, and there is a slide mechanism that allows for expanding and then closing once I get the ring over my knuckle. 

Now my ring(s) are back where they belong, on my finger. 

That makes me happy. 

Holding on to October

It's hard for me to let October go. 

There's song by Barry Manilow that kind of says it for me. "Oh how I hate to see October go." If you click on the link to hear the song and see the beautiful video, please forgive the short intro commercial. I don't know how to get rid of it. 

But at least here in the coastal Pacific Northwest the snow isn't flying yet, except up in the mountains, where we want it. Down here at sea level, there is still more beauty to enjoy.

On Tuesday, Oct 30, just before October passed into November, Tom and I made a day trip to Whidbey Island. Tom had a small job to do there and I needed to run away. We took care of both needs. 

The day was serenely quiet and calm on Sunlight Beach and Deer Lagoon was a glassy mirror of the lightly cloudy sky. 

While Tom completed his task, I went for a walk on the beach road, enjoying the autumnal color first in our cabin garden,

and then in others along the road.

Useless Bay was calm and quiet too.

When I got back to the cabin, Tom had finished installing the roller shades in the downstairs family room. A while back we had added a big screen TV that a friend donated and this became our sports and movie viewing room. Light from the windows sometimes made it hard to see because of glare on the screen. 

Then I collected Tom and we took a little stroll on the dike beside the lagoon. 

When I was walking earlier three eagles had been cavorting over the wetlands. This one hung around. 

I love all of the tawny colors of fall here. 

This was just a day trip, and with the work done and the walk taken, we closed up and drove across island to Langley for lunch at Useless Bay Coffee Company.

After lunch we checked out a few favorite places in the village. The old fire station is now a glass blower studio. 

Lots of colorful glass pumpkins. 

Plants add a lot of color in this charming village. 

The rooster at the Chocolate Flower Farm store dresses for the seasons. 

I don't know who came up with the idea of the brooms, but I love it.

We made the 3:00 ferry and were homeward bound in time to miss most of the rush hour traffic. 

It was a great day away, and just what I needed. It will help me deal with the darkness of November that has now descended upon us.