Onion Braids, and Shameful Things

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I took my camera along on our Monday excursions, but didn't take any pictures.

Michael and I learned to braid onions in the morning. I don't know if you can look at them and say, "Wow! Look at those braided onions!" But we did braid them, so that's what they are, by dingo!.





We took a very long piece of twine, folded it in half, and tied a loop in the end.





The first onion was placed on the twine, making three strands to braid; two that were twine and one that consisted of onion top.





Begin braiding...





Add another...





Get tired of how slow it takes and add several at a time. They are small anyhow.





Tie it off and trim. The loop at the top is how you hang it.





After doing some work in the garden and kitchen on Labor Day we took off for parts known.

A stop by the home improvement store to pick up lumber and paint samples for a little girl named Maddie. Maddie is a sweetheart. She's got a wonderful new family with a brand new baby brother. But she's been going through a lot. Her wonderful new daddy is battling cancer. Doctors say he is likely not going to survive this.

So with all that going on, plus having a newborn in the family, it's kind of nice to give Maddie a little extra attention. She's got a doll that does not have a bed. Michael and I are going to build one for her, and we hope it makes her smile. Her favorite color is pink.





If you remember to pray for this family. Todd truly means a whole lot to all of us. We selfishly desire to keep him here, with us.

It was a gorgeous, mostly cloudy day, as we headed to the blueberry farm for one more go at filling our freezer and jars.

The leaves were just beginning to turn color in some places. Not as red as these in this photo.





The bushes were mostly stripped bare. It was the last day he was going to be open. It was a little sad, feeling the season coming to a close, seeing the bare branches, feeling the change in the air, the leaves the soil, even the birds sing differently as the years progresses. The incessant joyful twittering of spring has long since faced into simple occasional calls to one another across tress.

It was only Michael and I then, so we didn't have a lot of constant chatter. Filling the buckets was taking a long time. We'd just decided to reduce our goal of 4 gallons down to 2 gallons, when we hear voices across the empty fields, calling our names.

It was our dear friends, coming to help.





They knew we were going picking today, and we were late meeting them and couldn't reach my cell phone which had been left in the minivan, so they piled into the car and drove to help us finish. Needless to say, the gloominess I was feeling quickly vanished and all was well with the world, once again.

The rest of the day was just hanging out with them. We played the clicker game, so everyone could get an idea of what clicker training is like to not only teach with, but what it is like to learn with.





Then we went down and worked with the horses a few times, had dinner, and watched "The Shaggy Dog".

Aaaaaaaaaand on the way back home, late, tired, needing to visit the powder room.....

Michael and I are chatting, wishing we were already home and sleeping, when he tells me he feels nervous. I look over at him, concerned, and ask why. He says, because there is a police car with flashing lights right behind us...





...I got my first ticket in nearly 20 years. AGH!

Common criminal, signing off,

~Faith

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