October was full and has flown by in a flash. It's usually a busy month with football, the Fair, and fall colors. This October added in a busy political season, a lot of visits with friends and a brand new baby in the family. Blessings are all around us. Here are a few blessings that I counted in October:
These knock out roses are in Lattimore in front of the horse barn. Knock Out Roses have a long blooming season and Mom and Dad say they have more healthy blooms if they are pruned regularly. It's not unusual to ride by and see Mama outside pruning her roses to keep them looking great. It's also not unusual for somebody to call and say, "Can you believe Ruby is out there pruning roses? At 87?"
For some strange reason, the peaceful looking cotton fields always remind me of Dorothy running through the poppy fields from the Wizard of Oz. When I drive by a cotton field I can almost see a little girl running through the fields and hear her saying, "cotton, cotton..." Makes me want to take a nap!
The most beautiful part of the cotton plant has to be the fully opened fresh white cotton. Soft and pure.
Moma hoed and picked cotton as a little girl and many of us remember "getting" to pick a little cotton in the fall to earn a little spending money for the Cleveland County Fair.
These bright yellow and blue flowers bloom every year in our backyard. Dr. Gebel suggested these for fall color. Fifteen years ago we planted a pot or two of each and they really do expand with time. I have given cuttings to a lot of people and still have more than I know what to do with. I saw Dr. Gebel recently and asked him, once again, to tell me the name of these things. He said the blue ones are a type of Aster and the yellow are a variety of Helianthus. I looked it up on google and I think the helianthus is also called a Jerusalem Artichoke.
It wouldn't be fall without Cullers Fries at the Cleveland County Fair. David, Jay and I had our share this year. Mary, Carol and I also took our annual trip to the fair and loved seeing Brooke and Darin Aldridge perform. Brooke and Darin are great to hear on cd but are so much fun to watch in person. They have a great sound and a sweet fun loving spirit on stage.
We took a fun foursome weekend and that included four guys who love to play golf and their four wives who love to hike, cook, eat, laugh, talk, and dance! While the guys played golf, the girls did all of the above.
The fun foursome paused from an active weekend to get a group shot on the couch. You can tell by the smiles that this was a fun weekend. We cooked, ate, hiked, golfed, talked, slept, and danced around a campfire. To music like the Allman Brothers and Pure Prairie League. None of us have grandchildren but we did talk a lot about our grand dogs. 
It wouldn't be fall without a tailgate or two. The Panthers hosted the Cowboys and Tigger found us a spot to roll out BBQ, Ribs, and all kinds of things. The sweet Glovers joined us and brought some brownies that they called Symphony Bars. Yum. 
David, KC, Rhett, Jay and Devin came from all directions to meet us for the Panther/Cowboy Tailgate. We did bring the Okra pickles for the taste off and KC's pickles won hands down! I don't think the Cowboys OR the Panthers really won the game but it was still a beautiful, fun day.
David and I went to Wofford's Homecoming and then somehow wound up on top of Chimney Rock. I don't recommend going up there with boots on but it is possible to do. They have a handy elevator to the top if you find yourself up there in the wrong shoes! It is a wonderful place and I'll obviously go at the drop of a hat.
At Mom and Dad's house, some sweet ladies from the NC Legislative Staff dropped by for lunch. Libby and I helped Mom and Dad fix lunch and it was a fun time of laughing and remembering all kinds of tales from the legislature over the last 30 years. 
For Lunch with the Legislative Ladies, Mom set the dining room table with her pink Limoges China and the Thanksgiving Turkey Centerpiece. It was fun to watch the faces and hear the conversation as Dad and others talked about how much fun it was to be a part of the legislature in the 70s and 80s. As Dad explained, and all agreed, back then politics was tough but civil. It wasn't unusual to fight all day in committee or on the House Floor over issues of the day but to still be cordial and friendly once the issues were decided. 
When Mary visited from Florida, we decided very spur of the moment to invite her mother, David's mother, my parents and Gene over for a country supper. We jokingly called it the "old folks dinner" and it turned out to be such fun. The conversation around the table was hilarious and I think Mary and I enjoyed it as much as anyone. These old friends have history together and they also have a lot of life left in them.
Sweet Rachel Elizabeth Rhodes joined the family circus. She's a welcomed sight and even though they live in Raleigh NC, I look forward to helping Elizabeth, Dan, Libby, Paul, and all the rest of us teach her the ways of Lattimore.
Halloween is here and Simba got into the act as a Rufferree. Who can think of a more perfect outfit for my granddog?
The October Sunset at Lake Lure is as beautiful as any time of year. I emailed this picture to David in Texas and we both noted how far to the left the sunset is at this time of year. There was a beautiful moon rise in October and I tried to get a picture with my cell but it didn't take. I needed a real camera to catch the bright moon against the dark sky with clouds eeriely floating by. It was very halloweeny and I half expected to see a witch fly by on a broom.
Waldorf Salad is something I begin to crave in the fall when the apples are coming in. I learned to make this by watching Judy one time. It's really crunchy and delicious.
Waldorf Salad
Wash several types of apples. You can probably use any kind, but I used:
1 Granny Smith (a green tart one)
1 Gala (a red crispy sweet one)
1 McIntosh (a red one)
Don't peel the apples. Chop in uniform pieces.
Chop three or four ribs of celery
Add a couple of handfuls of walnuts
Stir in just a touch of mayo to hold everything together and add a little lemon juice
Enjoy fall flavor in a flash. And always remember to count your blessings!
