Happy Halloween!

The pumpkin patch at Spencer's near Carmel.

More pictures from my trip to Indiana - lots of pumpkin related ones for Halloween!

I really like the face on this one.

This was outside a grocery in Carmel.  Reed took the picture.

Lots of times we go out for supper on Halloween but when we've been home, we haven't had any trick or treaters.  This year I bought some candy just in case.

Misc.

I was glued to the TV yesterday watching the Hurricane Sandy coverage on CNN.  The destruction is unbelievable.  We know a couple from here who is stuck in a hotel in NYC.  They had gone to a big cattle show.  The hotel they're in has power thanks to a generator.  They will be thankful when they finally get back home to rural Iowa!

The crew is "wrapping" our building today.  

I happened to see the guy in the last picture just laying back on the roof like he was taking a nap!  He almost broke his wrist the other day, but guess it was "just" sprained and he's back up there!

This morning I woke up hearing "beep, beep, beep".  Two electric company trucks were here to set a new pole.  Our service is being moved so that the electric line will no longer go across above the lane that tall equipment will be using to go back to the fields and new building so that's a good thing.  They're also going to be upgrading the electric line that comes to our house along the road!   It's very old.  When I first moved here five years ago (already!), our power flickered and went out quite a bit but since we bought a generator, the power has been good! 
 

The Canteen

I had a day of painting in the new addition at our church today.  We had at least 15 painters so good turnout.  Someone made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, chips, layered salad, choc. chip cookies, banana cake and apple pie bars for lunch for us.  We painted lots of shades of browns with accent walls like navy, rust and red.  I'm wondering if I'll be able to get out of bed in the morning!

After the rain we had a couple of days ago, Bill got back to applying anhydrous to the bean fields this afternoon.  He's working until about 10:00 tonight.  

This was a stop I made on my way to Indiana.  I had read about The Canteen in Ottumwa, Iowa in Our Iowa magazine and also the pie lady's book, Making Piece.   Click HERE to read rave reviews and more info. about this place!   

It's been around for many, many years and a parking garage has been built above and around it, but people still come!  There are only about 15 seats at a horseshoe shaped counter inside this diner that mainly has "loose meat" sandwiches.  Check out the menu in one of my pictures!  They have several kinds of pie each day but no longer make it there.  I'm not a fan of loose meat sandwiches including maid-rites, but this is another one of those places I'm really glad I took the time to find and have lunch at!

Check out how a parking garage was built around it!

All seating (15 seats) are at the horseshoe shaped counter.

  

The limited menu that has been the same for years.

This is the meat cooker that they serve from in the middle of the horseshoe.

The loose meat sandwich usually ordered with mustard & pickle - and no plate!

Lots of visitors have found it.

Flowers in the street by where I parked.

A building in Ottumwa.

Machine Shed Progress

Bill in the quad trac pulling the anhydrous rig.

We FINALLY got 1" of rain overnight!  So nice to hear rain coming down all during the night and then to check the rain gauge and find out we actually got a nice amount.  We're happy we won't have to water the trees now for at least a couple of weeks.  We saw the first snowflakes today but they didn't stick and didn't last long.

Bill and Tim have been putting anhydrous on the bean fields the past few days.  Today I went with Bill with empty anhydrous tanks to West Bend and dropped them off and got full ones.  This was my training trip in case he needs me to do the hauling in the next few days.  Now that we've gotten rain, Carl should be back by the time it dries enough and he will do it. 

I took these pictures today which show the progress of the new building and location from the house.  We think they're about done with the framing.  Bill says they're running out of "sticks".  His overhead doors are going to be on the south and east sides (east is the railroad track side - away from the house).

This is the south end and it will have an overhead door.

     

Back Home

I got home Sun. night after spending about 10 days in Indiana.  The 10 hour drive home is always longer than going.

Bill is applying anhydrous to all of the bean fields - I think he said 12 fields.  Tim is going back and forth to West Bend to keep Bill supplied with new tanks of anhydrous.  It's keeping Tim busy keeping up.  There has been a lot of progress on our machine shed while I was gone.  I've taken pictures that I'll post later.  I also have more pictures taken in Indiana.  The trees there were so beautiful - so glad I was able to just decide at the last minute to go.

We are helping friends today.  Terri's mom is downsizing to an apartment and selling her beautiful home.  Today is the auction.  There has been a little drizzle this morning and we're supposed to get rain tonight.  Hoping it holds off so there can be a good sale.  

I Love Fall!

Taking lots and lots of pictures while here in Central Indiana.   Some of the leaves have turned just since I've been here.  Almost overnight the Bradford Pear trees in front of Mom's house turned red this week.  Iowa has lots more sunny days than Indiana but while I've been here, it's been mostly sunny.  There was a little rain Wed. night and last night and it's supposed to be cloudy today.  It's going to be sunny and in the 70's all next week so they're wanting me to just stay till Thanksgiving!

I found this in front of a landscaping business here in Carmel.  The bigger display was on a busy road.  I drove back in to see how they decorated their actual building and saw the little pumpkins.  Might have to do something like that next year since I found out this year that Uncle Tim grows the little ones!

SO PRETTY!!!

This is a house in Mom's subdivision.  She thinks this is the house that goes all out decorating for Christmas too.

Wonder how much all these pumpkins cost?

These winter cabbages are in the median close to Mom's subdivision's entrance.  This is where you turn in to Salsbery Brothers Landscaping.   They always have huge, beautiful hanging pots of flowers and other displays decorating their business.