Halloween in Smalltownland

Last night Smalltownland offically observed the Halloween tradition. Trick or Treat times were set and all the kids came out to collect. Toots was ready....or should I say The Dragon Lady Ninja.

We picked up Pocohontas before we started our trek around town.

And, away we went.

The great thing about Trick or Treating in a small town is that it becomes a time to visit for a few minutes with friends. And, receive kisses from the family dog.

The girls received plenty of candy and Pocohontas developed a blister on her toe. Thus, we called it a night.

This Halloween would not be complete without sharing the photo that I took in Denver, just a couple of weeks ago. It is a marshmallow ghost that someone had stuck on top of a wrought iron fence post.

Pretty scary, huh?!!

Wishing you a spooky night.

Farmchick

Appalachian Ghost Story

The Appalachian region is full of rich history and that comes into play at this perfect time of year. What with cool nights, eerie full moons, discourse of spooks, and haints......Halloween is a time of year that is chock full of story telling.

This ghost story originates in Pikeville, Kentucky. It is the sad tale of Mrs. Octavia Hatcher. Just after giving birth to her first child, Octavia came down with a mysterious illness in 1891. Her baby died not too long after being born and many of the locals believed her to be suffering from depression. Soon she went into a coma like state and the doctors declared her dead within a few days.

Soon after Octavia's death several townsfolk came down with a mysterious sleep like illness. Some speculate that this illness was spread by an insect. The doctor soon realized his mistake concerning Octavia and had her body exhumed. After opening the coffin it was obvious that she had been buried alive and suffered a horrible death by asphyxiation. There were reported to be scratch marks in the casket lid where Octavia had attempted to escape.

Octavia was re-interred in the family plot.

It is said that a misty apparition appears around her grave at night and residents have reported sounds of crying near her grave.

Thoughtless Thursday...a two for one edition

Trembling Leaf

There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.

Albert Schweitzer

Mud Pie Mavens

This weekend Toots had a friend that spent the night with her. And then, they decided to make mud pies. Seriously.

The ratio of water to dirt was discussed thoroughly.

Somehow toes ended up as part of the recipe.

My mini baking pans were used for just the perfect pie.

Left to dry in the sun.....




grass makes the perfect adornment.

Old

Definition of old:

- dating from the remote past

- persisting from an earlier time

- of, relating to, or originating in a past era

- showing the characteristics of age

- no longer in use

- of a grayish or dusty color


- long familiar

- of long standing

Thank you Merriam-Webster for defining something that I love.

Thoughtless Thursday

Touches of Fall

This week The Babs and Mr. B are visiting. For those of you who are new to this blog, those two lovely people are actually my parents. So, today I took the day off from work to spend some time with them. Mr. B and I decided to get out of the house and see what we could see. The Fall temps have arrived, somewhat, and thus the leaves are starting to turn colors.

Touches of Fall just here and there.

We ended up driving to the far ends of the county looking for a cemetery that Mr. B had visited long ago.

Hmmmmm.....we had some difficulty finding it and ended up at a cemetery with an homage to hunting dogs.

We did find beautiful views all around and I discovered some roads that I had not traveled before.

Have the leaves started to turn colors in your neck of the woods?

Writing Spiders

We have had a Writing Spider living beside our garage for a couple of weeks now. She is a fairly good size for a spider and I refer to it as a, "she", due to her size. The males are known to be a bit smaller. I have tried to photograph her several times lately. Whenever I get a tad too close, for her comfort, she literally runs along this piece of web to the top of the garage.

Folklore refers to her as a Writing Spider. If you speak your name to her and she writes it in her web, then you will surely die.

She is also known as a Writing Spider due to the erratic linear web lines. Her design suggests the shape of a written word.

Don't worry....I was too scared when I was next to her to speak a single word, much less introduce myself. Besides, she became engrossed in the grasshopper she had caught in her web.

Easy Root Beer BBQ

The recipe I am about to share comes from The Mennonite Girls. They are some seriously good cooks. This BBQ has become a staple around the farmhouse and is a particular favorite of my son. It only takes three ingredients and a slow cooker, so you have to try it.

Ingredients:

1 pork loin roast, 2-3 lbs

1 can of root beer

1 bottle of bbq sauce

Place the pork roast in the slow cooker. Pour root beer over the roast and let it cook, on low, for 6-8 hours. When ready, drain any juices from the crock pot. Shred the pork while it is in the crock pot. Usually it is so tender, I don't have trouble with this. Then mix in your favorite bottle of bbq sauce, or if you like to make your own, that will work as well.

Serve as sandwiches or just as part of the main meal.

Enjoy!

Thoughtless Thursday

Still Going Strong

Fall is officially here, but with our recent 80 degree temperatures the flowers are still going strong. My Morning Glories are still growing up the fence gate and closing up tightly after the morning fades away.

Some of the wildflowers are losing petals, but mostly due to the lack of rain.

I love the lavender on this flower......

and the deep purple on this specimen.

We are adjusting to being back in school this week. It has been a bit brutal getting up so early! Wishing everyone out there a great week.

How to Clean a Chimney....Secret Agent Man Style

First: Put on a climbing harness and make sure it is secure. At this point attach rope to harness. Have son double check that the rope is anchored to the farm truck.

Second: Climb ladder to lofty heights of ancient farmhouse that the wife dearly loves. Walk across the roof until at the prime chimney spot. *Note the antennae ladder - far too unstable for a buff man to use.*

Third: Begin the task at hand. Use all muscles available.

Fourth: Reverse your position and get off of that roof.


Fifth: Gain brownie points with wife.

Best of Both Worlds

This past week has been fall break in Smalltownland. Meaning that our school system takes a one week break during the first week of October each year. It is our favorite time to take trips, both big and small. This year Secret Agent Man had to fly to Denver for some work related meetings, so the chiclets and I tagged along. So, even though we live in a small town, we do get to experience city life from time to time.

And some fabulous views in Estes Park. This town is also home to the hotel that inspired Stephen King to write, The Shining.

We did some hiking in the El Dorado Canyon area. Each place we went to had gorgeous views.

We didn't miss out on what the city had to offer. Good eats, a little shopping, and the spectacular coffee shops on every corner. My favorite line: Life is short...stay awake for it.

We also took in the King Tut exhibit that is now on display at the Denver Art Museum. A fabulous exhibition of statues, jewelry, art, and many items from Tut's tomb. Toots enjoyed trying on some Egyptian regalia.



We also spent some time at the Rocky Mountain National Park. Secret Agent Man was intent on going to the highest portion of the park.....on this tiny gravel road that was one way. And yes, the drop offs were steep.

But, the views at the top were so worth the crazy drive! It was almost like you could reach up and touch a cloud.

I will close this post by showing what a real Colorado traffic jam looks like.

One gentlemen even tried to get up close to this bull Elk. Needless to say, he was chased into traffic!

Thoughtless Thursday

Learn to Pause

Learn to pause....or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.

Doug King

Raising a Country Girl

If we had decided to stay in the big city, I know our life would be so different. There would be no farm dogs, no coyotes, no cows, no farm walks, and no rodents/varmints. Life is certainly different here in the country, but really much better.

Both of my children seem to embrace living here on our farm and my daughter brought even more proof of that feeling to the back porch the other evening.

A lizard.....how nice.

I have to say that this is better than the small mouse she caught in in the field, (I am serious), last year.

My Border Collie, a lovely/smart creature, must have thought I really liked this little, striped fellow. I found it the next day, resting in peace, in the family room. My Border Collie sitting proudly beside of it.

Ewwwwww.......