This and That

 

Hello Friends, 

A little of this and that to share with you today.

Salsa made with all our garden goodness.

What is your favorite chip to eat salsa with?

 

For the past few years I have been experimenting with a longer growing season. 

I give you autumn radish.

 

On our walk along the school path I noticed something twinkling at me in the sun. With  further investigating I found this pile of Pepsi cans.

 

On a more cheerful note, the autumn mushrooms are pushing their way up to say Hello.

October is the month

 When the smallest breeze 

Gives us a shower of autumn leaves. 

Bonfires and pumpkins

Leaves sailing down

October is red

And golden and brown.

Anonymous

 

Goodbye September and it is the Hodgepodge

 

On the hunt for that perfect pumpkin.

 

Hello Friends,

It is Wednesday and it is time for the Hodgepodge. 

Click here to join the fun! 

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

 

 1. When you think of autumn what sounds come to mind? 

 

 Rustling sounds of dried corn.

Saturday we spent the day with our youngest son, we got lost a few times, but we did manage to get out of the corn maze. 

 

 The autumn winds and rustling of leaves.

 

 2.  Is a trip to the mountains something you enjoy? What's your favorite mountain? 

 

 We do not have any real big mountains here in Wisconsin.

I have not explored many of the mountains in the USA.

Our favorite mountain here in Wisconsin is Rib Mountain State Park.

Click here for more information. 

 

The below photo is of our youngest son in February of this year on top of Rib Mountain on his way down on his snowboard.

 

 

3. What's something that once felt like a mountain, but is now just a molehill? 

We needed to tackle a job this past week. Move me into my new potting shed. Oh it felt like a mountain at first. So much stuff to move and sort and clean. 

 

Team Work!!!  We did it!!!

 

4. Let's play this or that-fall foods edition. Yes you have to choose. 

• pumpkin spice latte or chai latte  ~  chai latte
• apple cider or hot chocolate  ~ hot chocolate
• stew or chili ~ stew
• sweet potato casserole or green bean casserole ~ sweet potato casserole
• butternut squash soup or creamy mushroom soup ~ butternut squash soup
• cranberry sauce or gravy ~ cranberry sauce
•  
•  
•  5. Sum up your September in a sentence or two. 
•  
•  We enjoyed beautiful weather in September here in Wisconsin. 
•  
•  6. Insert your own random thought here. 
•  
• We had a fun apple day. 
• We played mini golf. 
• Mastered a corn maze.
• and 
• Picked Apples. 
•  
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   ♥
• Carla 

On the Shores of Lake Superior

 

 

On August 29, 2026 on the shores of Lake Superior two dear people got married. 

It was a simple wedding, with family and friends in attendance.  

 

Our son Samuel married his sweetheart of seven years, Caitlin.

They have persevered several military deployments during that seven years. They continued to grow stronger in friendship and love.

Here is our son Samuel and his beautiful wife Caitlin. 

 

 

 Thank you dear blog friends for praying for this new couple. Many of you have watched our boys grow up through reading my posts here at The River.

 I am excited to share this news with you today. 

A new chapter begins.  

 ♥

Carla

#38

 

 

 

Hello Friends,

We are still doing our weekly dates. #38 was a fun Saturday drive for us. We traveled one of Wisconsin's rustic roads. As we did we stopped at a few farm stands. 

 

 

 

We headed to one of our favorite state parks, Brunet State Park and enjoyed a hike along the Chippewa River.

 

 

Sights along the trail.

 

 

I love all the late summer green in this photo and a taste of autumn as well.

 

"But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer."

J.R.R. Tolkien

 

Happy Autumn to All and it is the Hodgepodge

 

Hello Friends,

Happy Autumn to All and now it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. Fall arrives this week in the northern hemisphere. Does it look/feel like fall where you live?What's something you love to do this time of year that makes you feel its officially fall? 

*If you're answering today from the southern hemisphere feel free to sub spring for the word fall. 

 

 The colors are just starting here in Wisconsin. The last week of September and the first weeks of October are the showstopper leaf peeping times.

I love to stop at roadside stands and pick out my favorite pumpkins to set out on the porch.

 

 

 2. What's a small daily task or chore that always seems to fall through the cracks when your schedule gets busy?

 

 Folding laundry, we will be picking through the clean laundry baskets and pulling items we need during that busy time. 

 

 3. What's something you're falling for lately? 

 

A warm cup of afternoon tea. It has been ice tea for the summer months, but we are cooling down and that hot afternoon tea hits the spot.

 

  4.  Pumpkin is a popular flavor this time of year.  Are you a fan? What's your favorite pumpkin flavored food or beverage?  

 

I do like pumpkin flavor, in pie, cookies, bars and cake. 

 I love pumpkin pie and pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.  

 

 5.What's something you wish would never change? Explain. 

 

A good hair day. When you are rocking that good hair day, everything is in place and feeling just right.  

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Happy Autumn!! 

 

The Joy in the Journey

 

 

Within a tiny acorn, a mighty oak is waiting! Great things always start small, so embrace beginnings and take joy in the journey.

Pearl Sanborn 

 

 

If we are to better the future, we must disturb the present. 

Catherine Booth 

 

 

 

Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. 

Unknown

 

 All the above photos were taken during our daily walk along the river. 

 

♥ 

Carla

 

Choo - Choo and it is The Hodgepodge

 

Once upon a time we took my mom on a train for Mother's Day Brunch.

 Me and my mom.

Choo - Choo

Can you hear the train coming? 

No matter if you can or if you cannot, it is Wednesday and it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. How do you define beauty? 

 

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.

St. Augustine

 

  2. Have you ever taken a trip by train? If so where did you go and what did you think of the experience? If not do you have any desire to do so? Where would you like to go? (You might find inspiration here-The Best Train Trips in The World)

 

Our family took a day trip on a train. We treated my mom to a Mother's Day Brunch on the train. It was a fun day. I am sharing some photos of the day below. 

 

Me and my husband... our first year of marriage.

 

 

 

My mom. All the mom's were given corsages as they boarded the train.

 

 

 

Enjoying our brunch as we choo choo along.

 

 

 

3. Shell shocked, bombshell, bandshell, shellacking, in a nutshell, walking on eggshells...choose one and tell us why you chose it, or how it relates to your life in some way currently.

 
  Shell shocked by the current comments regarding September 11, 2001.

 

  4. Tacos, pistachios, oysters, clams, eggs...your favorite food on the list that comes in/with a shell? 

 

I do enjoy eggs. I have an egg everyday for breakfast. They never get old for me. Yum!

I also enjoy tacos, but I do not usually eat them with a shell. 

 

  5. Are birthdays a big deal in your house? Is your own birthday a big deal in some way? Elaborate. 

 

Oh yes, birthdays are a big deal. We are to be sure to gather for birthdays. It might not be on the day, but we will get together at some point to celebrate.

 My birthday is a big deal to me. My birthday is 12/12. With that 12 is my favorite number. And my 12/12/2012 birthday was VERY special. I felt very loved by family and friends on 12/12/12.

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

September, the month you get to enjoy all the hard work you put in during the garden season. We made salsa this weekend with some of our bounty.  

 

 

 

 

Joy List Monday

 Joy List Monday

 ♥ a weekly ritual ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

 

 

 ♥ my friend Kitty inspired me to make a tomato tart

♥ harvesting herbs, peppers and tomato from the garden

 

 

♥ decorating for autumn

 ♥ pulling out my favorite decorations

 

 

♥ turning the air conditioner off

♥ opening the windows and letting the fresh autumn air in

 

 

 

♥ autumn evenings are coming in earlier and earlier 

 ♥ enjoying twinkle lights and candles to light the evening

 

 

Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

 ♥

Carla

  

 

 

Go Bears!! And it is the Hodgepodge

 

 

Hello Friends,

That is me. I loved the Chicago Bears. Yep, I know I am a born and bread Wisconsin girl. And now you know a deep dark secret about this Wisconsin girl, she did not cheer for the Green Bay Packers.

It is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?  On a scale of 1-10 how much of a fan are you? (10 is never miss a game and 1 is I'm just here for the snacks). Who's your team? If you're playing along today, but live outside the US feel free to sub your feelings about futbol for the more American sport of football. 

 

Once upon a time...  I was a big football fan. I was a 10!! Take note of the above photo.

Things changed in the NFL and with the changes my excitement left me. I was seeing more politics on the field than football.

 

 2. What's something you currently have a game plan for managing? 

 

 My husband and I have some upcoming travel plans. It is time to get the planning in motion.

 

 3. Do you like chicken wings? I do like chicken wings.  Hot, mild, or some other flavor? I am more of a mild kind of gal with all foods.  What's a must have food for you on a tailgate menu? We tailgate at Milwaukee Brewer baseball games. Oh it is so fun to tailgate at Miller Park... yep I still call it Miller Park. We have brats.. the good old Wisconsin way.  I know tailgating isn't as big of a thing outside the US of A as it is inside the US of A, but you can also answer the question this way-what's a must have food for you at a sporting event viewing party? 

 

 

Me at Miller Park in 2016.. when it was still called Miller Park. The last time I  was at a game was in 2019. We had a fun, fun tailgate party and  the stadium was renamed, American Family Field. 

 

4. Teams typically have strict playbooks they follow. What is one unwritten rule or piece of advice in your 'life playbook' you think everyone should know? 

 

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church....a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.”
― Charles Swindoll 

 

 

 5. This is the week we remember and mourn all that was lost and changed on September 11, 2001. I always include a spot for bloggers to share anything they'd like to share about 9/11. Share as much or as little as you like. 

 

 

 

The Red Bandanna

Book by Tom Rinaldi

 

 One Sunday morning before church, when Welles Crowther was a young boy, his father gave him a red handkerchief for his back pocket. Welles kept it with him that day, and just about every day to come; it became a fixture and his signature.

A standout athlete growing up in Upper Nyack, NY, Welles was also a volunteer at the local fire department, along with his father. He cherished the necessity and the camaraderie, the meaning of the role. Fresh from college, he took a Wall Street job on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, but the dream of becoming a firefighter with the FDNY remained.

When the Twin Towers fell, Welles’s parents had no idea what happened to him. In the unbearable days that followed, they came to accept that he would never come home. But the mystery of his final hours persisted. Eight months after the attacks, however, Welles’s mother read a news account from several survivors, badly hurt on the 78th floor of the South Tower, who said they and others had been led to safety by a stranger, carrying a woman on his back, down nearly twenty flights of stairs.  After leading them down, the young man turned around.  “I’m going back up,” was all he said.

The survivors didn’t know his name, but despite the smoke and panic, one of them remembered a single detail clearly: the man was wearing a red bandanna.

Tom Rinaldi’s The Red Bandanna is about a fearless choice, about a crucible of terror and the indomitable spirit to answer it. Examining one decision in the gravest situation, it celebrates the difference one life can make.

 

 

 6.Insert your own random thought here. 

 

Our morning glories are making me smile each and every day. 

Here is a smile for you. 

 

 

This and That

 

Hello Friends,

A bit of this and that today to catch up a bit from the month of August.

Fresh salads for dinner have been what is on the menu a many a night. It is great to go out and pick your meal in the backyard, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes.

 

Finding white sweet corn at the farmers market. We usually only find the bi color sweet corn. Another favorite is all yellow sweet corn. 

Do you have a favorite sweet corn? 

 

Speaking of sweet corn.. how do you like to eat yours? Butter and salt?

 

Dark was setting in early this particular evening. I decided to light the candles for dinner. I started to smell something burning. My candles were just close enough to burn the flowers in the bouquet I made. OPE!

 

We met our boys for fish fry at a place along the Chippewa River. We had to wait for our table, we enjoyed the setting sun and river as we waited.

 

 

Wisconsin Cotton Year Two

 

 My friend L gifted me cotton seed last year. I wrote a post about it 2025 Cotton in case you want to read the birth of Wisconsin cotton. 

Well that cotton grew, but did not form its pods until late in the year. I brought the plant inside for the winter. Two cotton bolls were harvested. 

The plant wintered well, so this spring I potted on the plant into a larger pot.

Thanks to our hot and humid summer. I am going to have a bumper crop of Wisconsin cotton this year. 

 

Cotton flowers... as the flower matured it changed color.

 

 

Cotton pods are forming. 

 

 

More cotton pods.

 

 

Before the pod, came the flower. The flower started out yellow/white. 

 

 

 

Year two of the cotton plant.

 

The below photos are from the start of the cotton plant in 2025.