Mrs. vanLieshout had the baby last Thursday, September 20.  Her name is Emily Claire.  I went yesterday to bring them supper and to see the baby, and mom too.  As you can see she is a sweetie pie.  Babies are such a miracle.  My family thinks that I am just a little crazy when it comes to babies but  I think that God is offended by people who aren't fascinated by this most precious of His creations.  Each one is individual and a little miracle.  Each is truly an image of Him.

Congratulations to Cindy and Steve on their new daughter.  God bless them both and all their other children too.

 Fall is a beautiful time here is Central New York.  It is harvest time.  The apples are ripening and so is everything else.  The minds of all the farmers turns to filling barns and silos in preparation for the chill and privation of the winter season. 

Even here on this not so farming farm we thing of the winter season and begin the fall harvest.  Our minds turn to filling the barn that is left with feed for the pigs so they will be happy in the coming cold months of winter.  Matthew has been working hard cutting and loading corn to feed the pigs with while we wait for the men to come with the picker so we can really begin the harvest.  Our pantry is full of the bounty of the garden and we have begun to plan for butchering and the apples call to us to get out the cider press and the grinder to make apple sauce and cider to store away for the coming months.

Matthew and I went to the Hop Fest that is held in Oneida each September.  We learned about the growing of hops and how their production was a big business in this area for almost 80 years.

We purchased two hop plants and hope to see them grow tall and enjoy their beauty and fragrance for many years to come.  I would like to endeavor to brew my own beer also.

 The annual chicken barbecue at the feed store was this week and it was a perfect time to renew old acquaintances and make some new friends.  We got to see Elizabeth there and had a nice visit with her.

She really missed "her Matt".

   The cooler weather and the changing of the leaves and even the different activities that we enjoy only at this time of year make me think of slowing down.  That is the reason for the picture of the slow-moving vehicle sign.  I really enjoy the autumn of the year.  It is a time when I deliberately make myself stop and enjoy the bounty of sights, smells, and textures that Our Good Lord has put out there for us to celebrate.  We are always aware that it is important to slow down and notice what is around us but now is the time that I take to really try.  There is a stretch of highway that I have to travel everyday when I go to get Mary-Kate from school and it is beautiful in fall with all the maple trees changing.  All my life I have loved that stretch of road.   But now it is dearer to me than ever because the trees are dying and I realize that is not going to be that way forever.  It is a gift that was given to us but it was a finite one, just like this life.  I must not waste it.  So, as I drive down the street to get Mary-Kate each day this fall I will thank God that that beauty has always been there for me.

The death of Luciano Pavaroti has caused me to reflect on music and the influence is has on a life.  When my son, you know him as Patrick, was young he was rather difficult to handle.  Except when there was music playing, particularly opera.  From a very young age his father and I noticed that music had a great influence on him and on his behaviour.   I learned early, age 3 or 4, to thank God for public television.  They broadcast a lot of operas.  I could sit Patrick in front of the TV (and we did not believe in that at all) and it would calm him and he would sway to the music and he learned early on to hum to the music.

Later he took voice lessons in high school and they were well worth the time and effort.  He has a beautiful voice (and that's not just a mother talking).  He earned a scholarship from our local civic chorale for his voice.  He has pleased many an old and young lady in our church with his voice.  Not only is he a pleasure to listen to but to watch when he sings. 

I often thought that he should have gone into music rather than the military.  But now I see that God's wisdom is wonderful.  (better once again than that of a flawed mother)  I witness the lives that he touches through his blog and other means and I see that perhaps the military was the way for him to go. 

I know that he still listens to his music and is able to recognise the hand of God in the beauty of the voices and the tunes that he enjoys.  He is still as discerning as he was when he was a small child.  No hard rock or rap for my boy.  The pure strains of a soprano lifted in the Ave Verum is what he prefers to that discord. 

Thanks for teaching me also to be calmed and taken away in the beauty not only of the music itself but also the talent that God gave to all involved with the music.

Just in case you think that Mary-Kate is the only one being educated this year, here is Matthew hard at work (and I mean hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) doing English Grammar.  Not his favorite subject.

Now if it was his Biology or Religion in front of him he would have a smile on his face and I would have to remind him that he has other subjects that he has to do also.  Oh well, some days are like that.

 Here's Shadow our dog with ADD.  She can jump higher from a stand still than any other dog I have ever seen.  She does come home now though.  She only has to stay in the pen for the daylight hours now.  She can be let out in the evening now and she will go up to play with the neighbors dog (she is welcome there) and then she will come home after dark.  She is making real progress.

Jason's rose bushes are in bloom.  They are the funniest things.  One day they will be green without any discernable buds and the next they will be in full bloom.  They don't start out gradually they burst into full bloom all at once.  I enjoy the fact that they are along the back of the deck so I can watch them when I sit out there or when I am hanging the laundry.

 That is our exciting life. Not much going on here, and that's the way that I like it.

Yesterday we came out to find that Spotted Pig was having her piglets.  She had 15 total.  There are 12 of those still with us, which is a good amount.  She doesn't seem to be as good a mom as Red is so far but she is still only 24 hours post partum. 

 We have quite a mix of colors this batch.  They are also the smallest piglets that I have ever had in my barn, but they are also the smallest pigs that I have ever had give birth.  The piglets are vigorous and healthy so I think they will do fine.

Tonight I have to do a little piglet denstry and veterinary medicine.  They all need to have their teeth cut and their shots and to have their navels treated.  I think that the moms will both have shots of antibiotics too.  I had to examine Red so she definitely needs a shot. 

Looks yummish don't they.

Tuesday Red Pig had her piglets.  She gave 

birth to 9 piglets with no help from me.  (yahooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  We woke up and went out to do chores as usual and there they were.  What an assortment of colors we got this time. 

All the piglets are still alive and doing fine and Red is a good mom.  She jumps right up when she hears one of them squeal.  She shoos them under the board at the edge of the pen when she wants to eat or take care of business so they are safe. 

Yesterday was Mary-Kate's first day of school.  The first time in her life that she has left home to go to school.  She got up early in the morning and did her chores.  She had her breakfast and got dressed.  Then she got in the car and Matthew and I drove her to Holy Cross for the first day.  It was a sad moment for mom.  (Even Mary-Kate had butterflys in her stomach).  It's the first time that I have ever had one of my children go off to school.

In the afternoon I couldn't wait to go to pick her up.  We went to Ebeneezers and got ice cream cones and talked about what she did the first day.  She was happy about school but excited to be coming home.  I think that it was the first time that she had thought about what she would be missing at home while she was gone all day.  I'm glad that today is Friday and we have the whole weekend before we have to do this again.

Yesterday Mary-Kate, Matthew and I went to the zoo.  We had a good time there and saw some cool animals there.  Mary-Kate took a lot of pictures for her scrapbook.

We saw lizards.

We saw lots of birds.  This one was a bit shy about getting his picture taken.  Either that or he was a little disdainful of me.  What do you think?

We saw lions.

And tigers.

And bears, Oh my!!!!  Oops, some movie humor crept into my post. 

The elephants had just finished their show and they were having a snack. 

This strange creature is difficult to identify, but if you look closely one of them looks strangely like my youngest son.

This past weekend we went to the Great New

York State Fair.  We saw some great things there and some very strange things.  Like this funny looking lamb.  It kind of resembles my husband. 

Then we saw this big blow up marine.  My husband tried to do enough pull-ups to win me a tee shirt but he couldn't do it.  So I got a key chain instead.  He just ain't as young as he used to be.

Then Matthew persuaded his father to waste his money getting our picture taken with these sea lions.  My shirt smelled like fish for the rest of the day.  But Matthew was happy.

We saw the raptor project (one of my all time favorites).  The show is great and I could stand there and look at the birds all day long. 

This Bald Eagle is alive.  He just sat there as still as you please the whole time we were there.  What a beautiful bird. 

Of course everyone was tired when they got home but we saw a lot and had a great time being together.  I can't wait for next years fair.

 We took Jason to school.  We moved him into his room.  Mary-Kate and I helped him unpack and organize his room.

Then after getting him checked in he said good-bye to his father.

Then Mary-Kate said good-bye too him. (looks like a painful good-bye)

Then Jason said good-bye to Matthew. 

  Then we watched Jason walk away.  Bye Jason!!!!!  Have a good time at school.  Learn a lot.