When the Engine Breaks ...

 Visit the Giants

We were planning to take a "leaf peeping" train ride on Saturday.

That was the plan.

On Friday, we were told that our ticket price was refunded because the train engine was not working.

So, we made another plan.

Instead of driving east,

we headed north ...

to the Bernheim Forest just south of Louisville.

The arboretum is known for its "Giants" sculpted or constructed of wood.

We followed the short path to see the 3 giants

and then found a few other paths to follow and enjoy.

One path was called the Iron Ore Loop - but felt more like the Iron Man Loop.

We followed that with the Meditation Loop which was much easier.

And we ended with the Nursery Trail which also was a storybook trail (my personal favorite - who wouldn't want to read a story about a polite garden slug while enjoying a walk?)

The day was just beautiful.

While the "main attractions" were man-made,

we enjoyed the work of our Creator in the forest around us.

We enjoyed the pleasant breezes,

the warm sun,

the scent of warm pine trees and hardwood leaves,

and wandering new paths.

ZZZZ

On this Thankful Thursday,

I am thankful for rest.

I am thankful for sleep.

Aren't you glad that God made the lesser lights at night?

Aren't you glad that God gave a day of rest?

Aren't you glad for a body that recharges on rest?

I think that the shorter days and

the changing seasons

have made me feel a little more tired.

It takes awhile to get used to the early setting sun.

And I am glad that there is time to take physical rest.

Sometimes, we have to listen to what our body needs.

Maybe the alarm can go off 30 minutes later in the morning.

Maybe the workouts can be a little simpler, and less demanding this week.

Maybe "lights out" can be a little earlier.

And that's all ok.

In fact, many times, God wants us to just rest.

He gives physical rest and also wants us to rest in His strength.

He wants us to rest in His Word, to rest in prayer, to rest in meditation.

There are problems and concerns all around us,

but our strength comes in resting in Him.

For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; 

In returning and rest shall ye be saved; 

in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: ...

Isaiah 30:15

Taste the Rainbow

There are some people who can forget about eating.

Some folks don't feel hungry in the morning.

Some folks can get so busy that they forget to have lunch.

Not in our house ...

I just put another batch of Peach Blueberry muffins in the oven.

They complement a breakfast smoothie,

can be a healthy mid-afternoon snack,

or provide a breakfast on the go.

To me, food is a comfort,

it is social.

I suppose that is normal in our society.

I am trying to enjoy it more for its value to my life and health.

What is my food doing for me?

So while one of my siblings is assuming that my blog post today is about Skittles,

I am referring to a challenge to "Eat the Rainbow."

Each color in our food provides different vitamins and minerals.

We do not eat all of the colors every day,

but we definitely try to throughout the week.

Yesterday was a travel day,

so I didn't do too well on my colors.

I got red - strawberries (on my peanut butter sandwich) and an apple

orange - pumpkin in my gingerbread muffins

green - peas in my soup (they weren't in the recipe - but they were so good)

white - onion and potato in my soup

Today I did much better

red - strawberries (smoothie), red pepper (casserole), tomato (on casserole), raspberries (just a snack)

orange - orange juice in smoothie (whole fruit would be better)

yellow - lemon (drink at lunch), ginger (drink at lunch)

green - spinach (drink at lunch), green pepper (sauteed on hummus sandwich), zucchini (casserole)

avocado (on casserole)

blue - blueberries (smoothie)

purple - onion (sauteed on hummus sandwich)

white - onion (casserole)

So here is how I got them today:

Morning smoothie

1/2 c oj

1/2 c almond milk

3 oz tofu

1/3 c oatmeal

1 scoop coconut protein

1 cup blend of blueberries and strawberries

Lemon drink (for 2)

1 1/2 c water

a handful or two of spinach

1 lemon peeled

a squirt of honey

a squirt of ginger (I buy my ginger pureed in tubes)

Hummus Veggie Sandwich

toast

spread with hummus, any flavor

peppers and onions sauteed in olive oil sprinkled with italian seasoning and garlic salt

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

Are you up for the challenge?

Give it a try.

Let me know what colors you got today.

You can even give me a challenge of your own -

or wait for another challenge next week.

 

Take a Hike

 Saturday was solar eclipse day,

but we had a cloudy day and were not able to see it.

Saturday was also men's prayer breakfast at church.

Prayer breakfast is at 7.

So we need to leave at 6.

So we sit down to Bible study at 5.

So prayer breakfast days mean we get up like a normal work day.

Because of this, it is sometimes hard to get motivated to support it ...

... but we try to "habit stack."

We link another activity with it.

Last time we had a prayer breakfast,

hubby finished the prayer meeting and we went to the greenway right near the church.

This time, we planned to go to the Greenway in "local" Springfield, TN.

We had hiked it last year on October 15.

It was a warmer day, and I was still recuperating from surgery and lugging around a new cast.

This year, though not as sunny, was more pleasant.

The path is marked in 1/4 miles.

We hiked the 3-mile path out,

wandered Springfield a bit,

hiked the 3-mile path back,

and then enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch in the park at the trail head

(well it was lovely to be together, but it was a bit cold).

About the time we sat to eat,

it got quite dark behind the clouds,

so I think that we did experience a bit of the eclipse :)

The Scarecrow Trail

 Last year, we discovered a local fall activity.

It is not really large, but does pull a crowd.

It is a scarecrow walk.

Some local businesses get advertising by decorating a scarecrow in a theme that matches their business.

They line a local walking trail that we enjoy from time to time.

The walk started October 2 and will run through October 22.

Not knowing what else we would find to do in the coming weeks,

we visited the walk today.

It was a beautiful sunny day with temps around 65.

I think the sun warmed us a little more than that,

but it was a pleasant day for a stroll.

Here is a sampling of some of the "ads" we saw.

Parker Lord deals with industrial parts and made their scarecrows out of those parts.

I didn't know DIXIE products were made by Georgia-Pacific in Bowling Green!

This display was so traditional and celebrated fall so nicely.

Just a cute display advertising a farm that is a local venue for events.

It Just Makes Me Smile

 There are just some things that make me smile,

Recently, green grass has made me smile.

I am excited to see that the yard has filled in and is looking healthy.

It is encouraging when an investment of time and money pays off.

These little fruits - Rambutan - made me smile in the store.

They look like little little monsters or critters.

I saw them in the store ... and I just needed to try them.

They were yummy,

probably not worth the price,

but definitely an experience.

This little chubby scarecrow has been cheering me as I do the dishes.

Just a cheap Hobby Lobby trinket, a little piece of fall that makes me smile.

And of course, an essential oil for fall.

This "Autumn Wreath" oil smells like apples

and fills the house with such a pleasant scent.