Week 91, 9-17-2017

Thoughts and Quotes: Of all the seasons, autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him.

                                                                        Hal Borland 

It's coming - next Friday, September 22, 2017. Soon we'll have colored leaves and corn mazes and pumpkin patches. If you're lucky, you might have a festival near you. Maybe apple butter making or fall crafts. If you can't find a festival, get out anyway. Take a drive and enjoy the leaves. Better yet, take a walk and see them up close. Check out the cemeteries. For some reason, cemeteries always have beautiful fall foliage.

Time Goes By: And before you know it, you're attending your 61st class get together. We have a class reunion every five years, but we have a class "picnic" every September. In the beginning, it really was a picnic, in the park, with the heat and the bugs. Shortly after, it was moved to a church community center in the form of a potluck. Now we have a picnic buffet at a local country club. As this was not a "milestone" year, we had mostly local people, no one from out of state, and only a few out of towners. Still, we had 40+ people, and we had a great time.

 As I drove in, I noticed the leaves are starting to turn.

 But the flowers are still blooming as if summer will go on forever.

There are always hanging baskets of beautiful angel-wing begonias.

The interior is rather dated, but the servers are polite and the price is right.

We had 600+ graduates from Central High, and we were the last class to graduate when Central was the only public high school in Springfield, Missouri. Now there are five. This week Central High earned the title of most beautiful high school in the state. The original building was built in 1893, and just celebrated its 125th graduating class. 

Bob Barker of The Price is Right fame graduated from Central High, and I just read that he has a half-brother named Kent Valandra. We had a Kent Valandra in our class, but now he's on the "missing" list, so I can't ask him if he's one and the same. Rose has kept records of our class for years. She has boxes of information. Each September she carts in binders of photos of past picnics and reunions, updated lists of who attended, who is on which list - located, missing, and in memorium. 

Our banner is getting rather worn, but we love it anyway.

In keeping with our idea of a "picnic", we always have grilled beef patties and buns, plus cheese slices and all the fixings for those who want a hamburger - grilled chicken breasts for those who no longer eat red meat. No problem having my salad for the day -

and cantaloupe and pineapple for yellow/orange

plus baked beans for magnesium and mashed potatoes instead of potato chips this year. A celebration cake, of course, or cookies if you preferred.

We have a dedicated team to handle all this each year, and we already have a tentative date for next year - September 15. If your high school has reunions, I urge you to attend. You'll find the continuity is rather comforting as you age.

Tablescapes: The Holly table redo is finished.

Tablescapes: And the Christmas Tree redo is also finished.

One more table for November and then I can start on the write-up portion of the book. Then I have to figure out how to put everything in the format requred to upload it for printing. 

The November table is a replacement for Thanksgiving, so I need a new idea. My creative juices have shut down, but I'm sure the light bulb will go on soon. Still considering "Farmers Market".

Taking Care of Our Health: If you're following along, here's where we are - every day eat:
Apples
Salad of your choice
Foods High in Magnesium (see week 87)
Yellow or Orange fruit or vegetable
Green vegetable or fruit

This week we'll add a blue or purple vegetable or fruit - plums, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, purple grapes, raisins, beets, eggplant, purple cauliflower, purple potatoes, red onions, for example. 

Sorry, that's all I have this week. I've been mulching and sorting all my cardmaking junk. I'm still behind, and will probably have short posts for awhile.  Don't give up on me.

CHECK OUT THE TURNING LEAVES

MAYBE HOST AN AUTUMN TEA

TRY A NEW SALAD RECIPE - ONE WHICH IS A MEAL IN ITSELF

START YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

FINISH YOUR MULCHING

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE