Bald Eagle

Earlier this month I drove in the driveway and Bill was working outside.  He told me to check out the tree south of our house by the road - there was an eagle sitting at the top of it.  So I drove down there to take a picture or two.  It finally flew off.  We've seen one at our neighbor's around the corner before so nice to know there's still one around.

Bill felt better today but stayed home most of the day.  We found out others that went to the convention were sick too but don't think it was food poisoning.  

Our church is doing a new pictorial directory and the picture taking of everyone started on Tuesday.  This evening I worked at the check in table for three hours.  It was fun and the time flew by.  Bill and I have our picture taken tomorrow evening.  Hoping one will be decent!

Bad Case of the Flu

We just got back last night from an insurance convention in Des Moines.  I had a P.E.O. meeting last night and when I got home found Bill on the couch covered up and freezing.  He ended up being sick and up most of the night.  Today he has been in bed all day with the flu and missed going to an all day Board Meeting.  He's been very miserable.  So I've been being quiet today for the most part.  

However, others have not been quiet.  Lots of action around here.  The building crew finished the sides and ends of the building today so we think they're probably ready to start on the roof tomorrow.  We're having dump truck loads of rock and gravel delivered so it's ready to be spread when the building is done.  We've had about three trains go by.  The road grader was grading our road back and forth a couple of times. 

I'm making chicken & noodle soup for whenever Bill is ready to eat something.   I really like homemade soup but that's not one I've made before.  He says "yuck" so far to even the idea of having any, but I'm looking forward to it.  

The Ruby Pear Tea Parlor

Last year Mom and I went to The Ruby Pear Tea Parlor in Noblesville and really liked it.  So last month when  I was visiting, we went again.  You can look back at my 3/18/11 post for more pictures and also click HERE to see their menu, etc.  It was very good like our last visit.  It's hard to find a good tea room - this one is.  After having lunch and tea, it's also fun to browse in their gift shop for tea related items and other gifts.

Cucumber sandwiches and chicken salad.

We had a choice of scones and the white chocolate macadamia are very good.

The strawberry was ripe and juicy.

My pretty tea cup and saucer.

Pretty lunch size plates.

Tea cozy to keep the tea warm in the pot.

Really detailed staircase.

Fancy double door.

                                     

Fall Beauty & Fun

When I was in Indiana in October, Mom and I would go somewhere and then I would drive around forever taking lots of pictures of the trees!  So I have several more to post!  One day we stopped at one of my favorite places that has been around for years - Acorn Farm.  Not too many people know about it.  They don't really advertise.

Acorn Farm used to be a camp for kids.  Click HERE to read about it.  Now there is the country store and they hold events there in the old camp buildings.  Google Acorn Farm Country Store, Westfield, IN  to read some nice reviews.  Every year about this time they have seminars and show you how to decorate with some of the items they sell and give recipes for holiday entertaining.  Mom went last night.  It's a really neat store in a house with 13 rooms of things to look at or buy.    This first picture was taken somewhere else but this is what it looks like when you drive back the winding lane at Acorn Farm.  The second picture was taken outside the store.

On the Acorn Farm property.  This bright yellow tree is a gingko tree.

This is what you see as you open the door of the store - and the stove was giving off some heat which felt good.

If you like antiques and old dishes, they have lots!

I found 4 pretty lunch size chintz plates to buy.

Saw this nice barn used for weddings and other events.  Nice setting with a gazebo in the yard too.

Found this covered bridge in a neighborhood.

Loved this one taken the morning I left for home.

    

Wildlife Problems

We've been having problems with deer rubbing on our new trees and tearing them up!  Wouldn't you think they would find bigger trees to rub on?  Most of this evergreen's branches were torn off.  We've had two austrees really damaged by deer and now rabbits have been chewing on the austrees too - like about 15 of them!

Bill has resorted to putting chicken wire around all of the evergreens which has been expensive and a time consuming job.  It'll also make watering them much harder.

We have pheasant hunters from Wisconsin here today and tomorrow.  Bill is hunting with them this morning.  They stay at a hotel in Emmetsburg.   It's a sunny but windy day.

We have a Women's Conference at our church this Sat.  About 200 women will attend from all over.  Always a nice event.  I'm going to help in the kitchen today and tomorrow working on the dessert and some other things for the lunch that day.  Our pastor's wife is the one in charge of meals and does a great job.

 

The building is coming along!  The crew is hoping to have a bunch of guys here on Fri. to get the roof done quick.  There will be 4' of charcoal gray around the bottom, the roof will be charcoal gray and the doors and shutters will be white.  The 20' walls make the windows look small!

More Bronzes in Carmel

The workers are really making progress on the machine shed after some non-windy days this week.  The three windows are in and the siding is on two sides.  

Bill has been changing oil in tractors and his pickup and taking some trees out of fence rows.  He also took the loader out and dug out the rest of the big rocks we found/hit in the fields when ripping.

We had a nice day this week good for taking out window screens and getting them scrubbed, scrubbing the trash can, recycling containers, chairs on the porches to get them put away, cut off all the dead leaves from hostas and other plants and washed some windows.  Hoping for another nice day to get the rest done including planting a few tulips, daffodils and crocuses.

I'm baking pumpkin chocolate chip bread and waiting to see if we'll have Diane's girls overnight tonight or if I'll be going over to their house early in the morning to babysit while Diane works.  Then tomorrow night I'm going to help sell cookbooks at Turkey Bingo.

This grocery shopper is outside Joe's Butcher Shop.

Mom and Glenn put up this sign for her church's chili supper while I was there.  For those of you that live in the Carmel area, this is at Gray Friends Church at 146th & Gray Road tomorrow night!  Mom is making homemade butterhorn yeast rolls for the bake sale - and cheesecake.  I'd almost drive 600 miles to buy some of those rolls!