A Season of Splendor

After experiencing one of the hottest summers on record for our area, no one really expected that we would have abundant autumn color this year, as it seemed that the distress of the heatwave would have taken its toll on the trees and shrubs. However, in September, we did receive a fairly significant amount of rain for this area, about 3", and so this October has truly been an October of Octobers! The colors have been beyond spectacular, stretching now almost into November, we are still seeing beautiful golds and reds on the hillsides.

My harvest season from the garden continued well into October, with ripening tomatoes coming out of my greenhouse, and I've canned 40+ quarts of tomatoes, plus I've given away over a hundred pounds of tomatoes to friends, neighbors and our church food bank. And... I  still have tomatoes in the greenhouse ripening! 

Truly the harvest was plenteous this year, and I am grateful for it all! I currently have about 20+ pounds of ripe tomatoes that again need to be canned. They just keep on giving! 

My strawberry patch produced again this fall, and so alongside tomatoes,
I was making strawberry jam :) 

Out of my garden came pumpkins... and pie!
The beautiful bouquet on my table is also from my garden, as is the pie pumpkin I'm using for decor. 

For our birthdays, we decided we wanted kayaks! So, our children pitched in and we invested in a couple of kayaks. We bought them late in the season, and so far have used them once, taking them out on our little mountain lake just down the road from us. It was a beautiful afternoon. Kayaking is just an amazing experience, and we are excited about more adventures to come with our kayaks. 

 

Autumn has been full of wonderful, beautiful things.. so much so that I have to apologize in advance for the heavy photo sharing that I am about to do, but I hope you will enjoy all the beautiful photos that I've taken throughout the month of October. I am going to share them below, and I hope your heart will smile with the beauty we've been able to enjoy here. Everyone is talking about the beautiful fall we've had here, and how vibrant the colors are. I hope you enjoy a peek at our spectacular autumn scenes here in North Idaho. :) 

This aster is still blooming in my garden... after everything else has frosted!

This is the Hunter's Moon that I was able to capture one evening as it shone brightly. 

We took a quad ride at dusk to watch the sunset, but...
it was the moon that put on the show for the evening! 

I hope you've enjoyed the Fall delights in the photos I shared. I also want to share with you a special experience I had on Monday, October 11.  It was our Canadian Thanksgiving Day, and I had roasted a turkey and served it to our family along with the pumpkin pies I made. I was making preparations for bed when I noticed the sky had a glow to it. I realized that we were having a Northern Lights show! I packed up my camera, and headed outside to take some pictures. I had never experienced the Northern Lights before! It was so amazing to watch them. It was a very special treasured moment, and I truly hope that someday soon I will get to see them again! 

It has been such a beautiful Fall, that we have enjoyed evenings out on our porch, and our son plays the guitar for us, while we sit around our propane fire pit table. I have little solar lights, LED lights, and mini lights mixed in with my porch decor to add to the ambience. 

So, my friends... October has been a month to enjoy the bounty of our harvest, the glory of the Fall colors, and the rich blessings of time spent with family. I am grateful for this beautiful harvest season, and all the blessings that the Lord has given us. I know though, that for so many, this has been a very difficult season, as indeed the c-virus has made its rounds in our community. I have a dear friend, who blogs at Pink Paper Cottage who lost her spouse and is grieving, if you would reach out to her, and keep her in your prayers. 

Isaiah 45:12
I have made the earth and created man upon it:
I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens
and all their host have I commanded. 

I know others have been very ill. My prayers are with each one of you who has suffered losses through the difficult season of this virus. Our prayers continue daily for all those who are grieving, and also for the state of our nation, and the world today. One thing I know, is that our Lord holds this world in the palm of His Hand, and nothing happens, but that He doesn't know about. He has a Plan, and we continue to trust in Him and thank Him for the beautiful gifts He showers on us daily, and know that He will make all things beautiful and right, in its time. 

In a previous post here, in case you haven't read it, I am giving away 2 copies of a very special devotional book written by my dear friend Cheryl Smith who blogs at Homespun Devotions. Be sure to visit that post and her blog, you will be blessed! The giveaway is open until October 31. 

One evening after a passing thunderstorm, this rainbow appeared, like a stripe in the sky. It was quite unusual, not the typical half-circle, but was a straight line from the clouds. So beautiful to see! 

May the rich blessings of the Lord be with you, and I hope that the beauty of the Lord in the midst of this Fall season has brought a smile and joy into your heart today :)