NE PA in the Fall

A couple weeks ago my sister, Amy, told me she was planning a surprise birthday party (in northeastern Pennsylvania) for our friend, Christy. I didn't think we'd be able to go with it being Sunday afternoon and the children needing to get to bed early for school.

As it turns out, I got to go...all by myself. Though I was there for less than 24 hours, it was still delightful. I helped celebrate a dear friend and enjoyed the beauty of autumn long before it touches our home in southeastern PA.

The first few pictures were taken in cloudy weather, they still show some early fall colors. Be sure to scroll all the way down for a couple of friends and family pictures.

It's nice to be on a dirt road and not worry about traffic.

A Few More Pictures

We had lots of fun throughout our visit with the grandparents.  We often use the blog to revisit the fun...so here are a few more pictures.

We went to the Discovery Center again.  Evan probably spent no less than an hour in this room, with this train set.

 Meghan's interests there varied, but she did sing the entire song of "Jesus Loves Me" on stage.  She likes attention, in case you didn't know.

We took a break together from playing in the book nook for a snack and story.  

  One of Meghan's highlights was the treasure hunt, complete with maps.  It was so popular that we had a second treasure hunt.

 Lots of time was spent on Grandma and Grandpa's porch and in their yard, just playing the way children should.  Here they were blowing bubbles into the watering can to make music.

 At church there were parrots.  Meghan was brave and held one for a minute or two.

Oh, did you know that colored bubbles turn your hands funny colors?  Now you do!

I was fully prepared to say that my tummy isn't that big, but in both of those photos I guess it might be a bit big.  No wonder the kids' dentist felt comfortable asking me when I was due when I was seated...I looked like that!  It's just been in the past week that I've become extremely uncomfortable though.  At least I'm sleeping at night more often than not...for now.  Only two months to go. 

Farm Fun

Though Grandma and Grandpa don't operate the farm any more, they still live on the farm.  This provides the children with lots of opportunities to watch farm equipment come and go, get dirty, and to interact with the animals.

First, of course, they like to play in the mud.  They are in their pajamas.

 Even more fun than getting their boots stuck in the mud may be throwing pebbles into the mud puddles.

 A real neat opportunity came up for the kids during our visit.  The new farm owners' grandchildren were also visiting.  To keep the grandkids busy, they washed a couple of calves.  

I'm sure it's no surprise looking at the barn floor that a certain little boy didn't make it out of the the cleaning time clean.  He had fallen down, but at least he already needed a bath!  Meghan did lose interest quickly, but that's okay.
No trip to the farm is complete without riding a tractor.  Evan was satisfied with a ride where he was able to "drive" the tractor, but before we left, Donna made sure the children had a real ride while I packed our many scattered belongings.

I ♥ This Place

Northeastern Pennsylvania is where Derek and I grew up (though in different, but similarly rural counties).

The children and I are visiting this week.  Let me tell you, this is how I remember summer.

 Big, fluffy clouds.  Comfortable temperatures.  No humidity.

(Home can NOT be described as that now, though we still live in PA.  It's a big state.)

 Beautiful sights.

 Open fields.

 Rolling hills.  

Some call them mountains.

 Small, family farms.

 Refreshing.

We may not call it home these days, but it will always be home.

I'm thankful for my rural upbringing and the beauty that can still be found there.

This Does Not Get Old

Though the farm is not directly behind our home, we can see the top of the silos and, this week, the cows.

Though we're not in that rural of an area (though farms, many Amish, all around us), I really appreciate where we live and that our home backs to farmland.  (And with the giant power lines behind us, it is not likely to ever be developed.  We like that!)

I much prefer this view over skyscrapers or even town living.  It's good that we're all different, huh?

An Autumn Walk

While Derek was out golfing with some family after the birthday party, the rest of us young ones went for a walk.  (And yes, I was the oldest by five years!) Oh, and I got to go child-free since Meghan and Evan were both napping.  They would have enjoyed it, but it was nice for me to just relax and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

Kristina taking pictures Grandma and Grandpa's house and farm in the background.  The California girls were in awe of the beautiful foliage.  The fact that this year's foliage isn't nearly as vibrant as some years did not disappoint them...they don't have autumn like this in southern California!  That blue sky was gorgeous!

Oh, the joy of being able to take up a whole road to go on a walk!  Notice the lack of lines.

Then we went up the dirt road.

A white van came charging at us with Shirley driving!  (Shirley is The Girls' mom.)  Some of the others who were too lazy to walk wanted to join us for a photo.  

Mindy's pictures from the afternoon stroll can be seen here.

A Cooler Day

The horribly hot weather finally cooled down a tad bit, but more heat was expected in the afternoon.  With that in mind, I thought it would be a good morning to visit our Amish neighbors that we hadn't seen since winter.  (Meghan was also home from school since it was Friday.)

We had a lovely visit.  (And I'm always amazed at how much my friend does all day long!)  Well, it did get pretty warm while we were there, even though we were home before too late in the morning, the kids still came home looking like this and needing some hydration in the form of water and a small freeze pop.  They take after their dad!  I was warm, but not that sweaty!  We are so thankful for air conditioning!

Farm Days

We are having a really good time at the farm!  (Today Meghan did ask multiple times to go home and see Daddy.  Regardless, we are enjoying the fun!)

Both of the children enjoyed a trip to the barn.

Meghan loved her first true farm tractor ride with Great Grandpa. 

But it's still lots of fun to pretend to drive, too!

A friendly dog came to visit when the kids were getting ready for bed.  They enjoyed it!

Cute kitties, too!  

Cows

We've noticed the cows going to pasture a few times now...always around 7 pm.  At least the fence is holding them in now!  Maybe when the pool comes out they will find their way to our watering hole again.

Lunch View

The first time our neighbor was working the fields behind our home this season, Evan was eating an early lunch and was full distracted by the horses.  I decided to just embrace it, and turned his high chair to look out the doors.  It's always relaxing to watch him work.

Our grass is now green, and it feels like spring!  I look forward to watching our Amish friends work some more and visiting them soon.

(Click the picture to make it larger.)

Plow STUCK!

Sorry, but I just think this is funny, even if I feel badly for the driver!  He can't help it that our road hasn't been plowed recently.  Thankfully only three houses are past us, but we all need to get out at some point.

(The pictures were taken from an upstairs window.  Sorry I'm so short and could only take it through the lower part of the screened window.  Somehow the first picture ignored the screen better.)

I don't know how much new snow we have.  18-24 inches was predicted.  Much more than 2 feet (as you can see) is in some parts, but it has drifted.  Yesterday the winds were incredible, and we had blizzard conditions for most of the day.

I wouldn't even have known he was stuck, except I tried to go to the mailbox to send out some Valentines.  I need to shovel the mailbox before I can get to it though.  :)  

Plowed Out

We finally got plowed out just before 2:30 today. It's been snowing for nearly 24 hours since it started snowing yesterday.

We have maybe 1 foot or two of snow. It drifts so much here, that it is too hard to tell.  Edited: Ashley left a comment...she lives in our town and says at least 2 feet!

Another View

This was taken Friday morning when it was still snowing just a bit.

I thought I'd share it since it was taken from our front door.  One day, too soon, I'm sure, we'll have a house blocking the view of that Amish farm.

We've shared with you our backyard views several times.  You can see our (different) neighbor about to  work the fields, cows visiting, and a sunrise.  (If you ever want to explore the site more, the labels are great for that!  All of these should be under the label of rural living, although now that I think of it, a better name would be photos from my door, huh?)

As much as I would enjoy trees on our property, I can appreciate that our view is not blocked (unless you count the huge power lines...you can see those if you check out the visiting cows).

Morning Breakfast View

This has been our view recently while eating breakfast.  Unfortunately, after a bit, the sun is in M's eyes...and the blinds on our double doors go down.  It's still a nice winter scene.

(Photo taken from our back door....I really appreciate where we live.)

Our Backyard

Actually this is the field behind us and the neighbors, not quite the backyard.

Since the corn has been cut, these deer (or others) have been visiting the field on a regular basis. It's nice to see wildlife, unlike when the groundhog came to visit or the cows drank from the pool. Wildlife from a distance is a bit better (even if you have to squint at it or take out the binoculars).

















"Green acres is the place for me.
Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside."~ Green Acres theme song

Well, maybe not farm livin'; that is a job that never ends, but I certainly enjoy country living!

Date Night

Derek's mom had a long weekend, so she came for a visit. She sent us away on Saturday night to have some time alone together. (Yes, I am even wearing make-up and a necklace!) We went out to dinner at a restaurant in town. The meal was good, and filling too. I had French dip (different than how I make it, but still good) and Derek had veal Parmesan. We didn't have room for dessert even though we both brought home plenty of leftovers.

We drove around. We were on lots of back roads that I hadn't been on before. We found a place to miniature golf a few towns away. Even though I had a hole-in-one (the last hole), Derek still beat me by 12 strokes. I'd like to say it is because he is that good, but really it's because I am that bad. It was so hot! When we left (maybe about 8 PM) it was 85 degrees and very humid. We were sweating from just being outside.

Afterwards we drove around lots more. That's what you do when there isn't much else to do.

I finally saw Lincoln University. It's only a few miles away. Does anyone want to guess why Lincoln University excites me? On one of my favorite TV shows, one of the characters goes away to college there. What? It was one of your favorite shows, too? Leave me a comment if you know which show it was on. (Yes, was. The show isn't on any more in prime time.) No prize, just lots of admiration from me that you know it, too!

This is by far, the best picture of all of us! I love it, even if Evan didn't smile! And a decent picture of Derek and me, too. :)