9/19/26  Gratitude doesn't erase the hard days. It  helps the heart notice that  in the middle of life's challenges, beauty still remains.

Clear, calm, 44 degrees.  Sunshine today, a NNW breeze, high 65, low 40.  Afternoon showers tomorrow, a stiff south breeze, high 60, low 46.  Partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday, highs about 65, lows about 39.  The north breezes will be stiff Monday, less on Tuesday.  Sunshine Wednesday, a NNE breeze, high 67, low 38.  Partly cloudy Thursday, a NNE breeze, high 70, low 46.  More clouds Friday, a stiff NNE breeze, high 72, low 49.  Showers next Saturday, a strong NNE breeze, high 67, low 50.  Cloudy next Sunday, a stiff NNE breeze, high 66, low 50.  Possible showers next Monday, a north breeze, high  88, low 40.  Cloudy Tuesday the 29th and Wednesday the 30th, NNW breezes, highs 67, lows 49.  Possible showers on October 1st, a brisk NNW breeze, high 66, low 47.  Partly cloudy Friday the 2ed and Saturday, the 3rd, brisk NW breezes, highs 65, lows 45.

    In theory the dishwasher and washing machine get washed every three or four weeks.  The dishwasher filter gets washed more often.  Just put a tablet in and run them, making sure the washing machine is on hot.  Life has been busy and suddenly it was several weeks.  Instead of just a tablet and quick wipe washing was a job.  I did the washing machine twice.  Lesson learned, I wrote the date for washing them next time in my planner.

    Do you have hollyhocks?  They are plants that you clean up in the fall.  Cleaning up the foliage  and raking up the leaves on the ground controls hollyhock rust. We don't do well with hollyhocks because our horse chestnut tree carries the rust.   Cleaning up shasta daisy foliage helps control leaf spot.  If you notice the center of the daisy is woody and bare, fall is a good time to transplant the daisies, making a couple of new plants from the old one.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/18/26  If people opened their Bibles as often as they open they mouths this world would be a much better place.

Some clouds, calm, 59 degrees.  Partly cloudy today, a NW wind, high 72, tonight a low 43.   Sunshine tomorrow, a NNW breeze, high 65, low 39.  Cloudy Sunday, a stiff south breeze, high 62, low 46.  Partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday.  High about 64, lows about 39.  A brisk NNW breeze Monday, a NNE breeze Tuesday.  Sunshine Wednesday, a NE breeze, high 66, low 38.  Partly cloudy Thursday, a NNE breeze, high 7, low 47. Cloudy next Friday, a brisk NNE breeze, high 63, low 47.  Partly cloudy next Saturday through Friday October 2ed.  Brisk north and NW breezes through to the 2ed.  Highs in the mid sixties, low in the mid forties.

    I'm never happy to see the end of summer.  There are always things I have wanted to do.  Now I'm running out of time!  Hopefully the frost holds off for a while.  I'm weeding around plants that produce seed heads for the birds like coneflowers, astors, blackeyed susans.  Also around the bee balm, any plants that have hollow stems.  Their hollow stems offer nesting and overwintering shelter for native bees and beneficial insects. If the black eyed susans or coneflowers have any leaves that don't look normal I bag the foliage. I also clean any leaf trash on the ground. to get rid of disease.  I put the bags in the dumpster, composting them may not provide enough heat to kill any spores. I won't cut the flower stalks back until spring when we are having days with temperatures over fifty.  Bees and pollinators leave their winter home in the stems when daytime temperatures climb over fifty.

  Now I'm going to clean the cook range and put stove black on it.  Today is the day we switch back to wood.  All summer we've kept the windows shut to hold in the cool air the heat pump water heater pumps out.  Today the big window in the kitchen gets washed and the screens go on it so we can open the windows on warm fall days.  We are thinking positively!

   May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/17/26  Bumper sticker   Dirty hands=clean money

The morning low was 53, it is 56 and sunny now, the morning fog has burned off.  Clouding up today, possible showers late afternoon. a SSW breeze, high 73, tonight's low 58.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a NW wind, high 73, low 43. Sunshine Saturday, a NNW breeze, high 65, low 42.  Cloudy Sunday, a SSW breeze, high 62, low 45.  Monday startts a ten day stretch of pleasant days, highs in the mid to upper sixties, lots of brisk breezes, mostly NW.  Monday's low will be 40, 38 Tuesday and Wednesday., 42 on Thursday,  The rest of the lows will be in the mid to upper forties.  

  This week's drought is moderate drought for this area.  Even though we've had some nice rains.  Today I'm going to make sure the plants we planted this summer get a good soaking.  Next week I'll soak them again because the dry ground around the soaked area wicks the moisture away.  We are having chilly nights because there isn't moisture to hold the heat,

  Cows are going to come off pasture early because without moisture the grass will grow back slowly.  There needs to be 4 or 5 inches of grass for winter insulation and good spring growth.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/16/26  Let’s choose joy today. Let’s spread acts of kindness.  🤍

Low of 50, some clouds, sunshine this afternoon.  a SSW breeze, high of 76, low of 56.   Cloudy tomorrow, a light ESE breeze, high 72, low 58.  Partly cloudy Saturday, a NW wind, high 73, low 43.  Showers Sunday, a SSW breeze, high 62, low 44. Partly cloudy Tuesday through the 30th.  A NNW breeze  Monday high 63, low 37.  A north breeze Tuesday, high 62, low 37.  A NNE breeze next Wednesday, high 66, low 42.  A SSW breeze next Thursday, high 67, low 47.  Brisk NW breezes Friday the 25 through the 30th.  Highs about 68, lows about 48.

   My climbing rose is reblooming, it is covered with gorgeous red blossoms.  I did some deadheading the first round, this time I'll let all the blooms go to rosehips.  Come mid winter after freezing softens them birds will eat them.  Goldfinches peck them open for the seeds.  The formation of rose hips signal the rose bush that it is time to prepare for winter.  I'll take away the old straw mulch and put down new.  Through cleaning around the rose bush helps eliminate any fungus or mold spores that might be on the mulch.

    Bible study this morning, not sure what this afternoon will bring.  We need to find homes for all the things we've been sitting on th cookstove this summer.  It is time to make room in the garage for a ton of pellets.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/15/26  Living by faith is not easy, but it is essential. It is the only weapon for adversity that cannot fail.~ Dorothy Kelley Patterson

 Calm, sunshine, low of 43.  A light NW breeze today, high of 70, low of 49 tonight.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a SSW breeze, high 76, low 54.  Cloudy Thursday a light ENE breeze, high 73, low 57.  Partly cloudy Friday, a NW wind, high 72, low 41.  Mostly sunny Saturday, a NNW breeze, high 65, low 43. Showers Sunday, a SSW breeze, high 61, low 47.  Partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday,  north breezes, highs 65, lows 42.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday and Thursday, NNW breezes, highs 66, lows 45.  Possible showers next Friday, a NNW breeze, high 66, low 49.  Partly cloudy the weekend of the 26th and 27th and the next two days.  Brisk NW breezes, highs about 70, lows about 49.

    From the looks of the forecast we'll be starting the cookrange Friday or Saturday.  I started the pellet stove about two this morning.  Yesterday there were woodpeckers here looking for suet. They haven't been here all summer. I'll put some suet out today. It is plenty cool enough. it won't spoil.

    Maegin cut all my hibiscus blossoms for tea.  It is covered with blossoms again.  Beautiful pink ones.  Not only is the tea pleasant tasting and pretty, it is very good for the heart and helps cure inflammation.  We'll enjoy this round of blossoms for a while, then she'll harvest them.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/14/26"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." -- Einstein

There is always a reason to complain and always a reason to be grateful. They live side by side, every single day. The one you feed is theone that grows.

  Cloudy, a light east breeze, 61 degrees. A WNW wind today, becoming partly cloudy with a high of 67.  Tonight's low 43.  Mostly sunny tomorrow, a light west breeze, hih 70, low 48. Partly cloudy Wednesday, a SW breeze, hih 77, low 53.  42% chance of showers Thursday, a light wast breeze, high 73, low 54.  Mostly sunny Friday, a stiff NW breeze, high 73, low 44. Partly Cloudy Saturday, a WNW breeze, high 67, low 51.  Showers Sunday, a brisk north breeze, high 62, low 44. Partly cloudy next Monday, a brisk north breeze, high 62, low 39.  A 42% chance of showers next Tuesday, a WNW breeze, high 64, low 44.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday, a Brisk WNW breeze, high 66, low 45.  Clouds and Fog next Thursday, a brisk NNW breeze, high 66, low 48. Partly cloudy Friday the 25th through the weekend and Monday the 28th.  Brisk NW breezes, highs about 67, lows in the mid forties.

    This wasn't the best of vegetable years but it is good for fruit.  Fruits are ripening late, it seems they all are ready at once.  The girls are still busy making jams and jellies.   They will be selling jams and jellies at the craft fair.  None of our fruits have been sprayed.  Applesauce is next.

    Jay will probably dig the rest of the potatoes this week.  The winter squashes are starting to ripen.

    The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky.  A stiff breeze is blowing, tonight will be chilly.   The long range forecast I have the most faith in says this winter is hard to predict.  He thinks it will be a winter of wild temperature swings.  Hurricane forecasters are saying this may be a year for the records, no Atlantic hurricanes.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/12/26  Everybody wants to be judged by their best day while judging everybody else by their worst.”

Low of 49.  It's 50, clear and calm.  Sunshine today, a SW breeze, high 75, low 51.   Rain tomorrow morning, afternoon clouds,  a stiff south breeze, high 66, low 59.  Partly cloudy Monday, a NW wind, high 69, low 44.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, a west breeze, high 70, low 51.  Partly cloudy Wednesday, a SW breeze, high 70, low 55.  Some showers Thursday, an ESE breeze, high 73, low 55.  Partly cloudy Friday, a NNW breeze, high 72, low 26.  Partly cloudy next Saturday, a WSW breeze, high 69, low 54.  Some showers next Sunday, a stiff NW breeze, high 66, low 44.  Mostly sunny next Monday andTuesday, brisk NW breezes, highs about 64, lows about 42.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday, a NW breeze, high 66, low 45.  Mostly sunny Thursday the 24th, a NNW breeze, high 68, low 46. Partly cloudy Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th, brisk NW breezes, highs about 70, lows 48.

  More loads of wood went in the wood section of the garage yesterday.  No more will go in for a few days.  Jay is going to his parents to tape and mud the new drywall put up as part of their house renovation.  Little Andrew is going with him today to show him how.  They'll get a good start on the job today.  On their way they stop at the town hall for the Historical Society's Annual Fall Breakfast.  Country Junction donated a plum tree for the silent auction that is held along with the breakfast.  It is an old variety, patented in 1909.  Mount Royal Plum

   The chickens are enjoying the pigweed seeds.  I give them fresh large plants every day.  They eat the leaves and seeds.  They like smart weeds too.  Many of the pullets are laying large eggs now.

   May your day be blessed, Sally