As I said in my previous entry, the main reason I went to the pioneer event last Sunday was to go on the long walk through the woods in safe surroundings. There were shorter trails extending from the main path & I decided to be adventurous & explore a certain one. It went up a hill on a deceptive slant, much steeper than it looked when I started. It doesn't look that steep in the photo, does it? Lots of tree roots & uneven ground made it a real challenge for clumsy me & I wasn't able to get all the way to the apex of the trail, never mind to the top where the cliffs start. When I turned around to go back, I regetted the whole idea, since it was much more verticle in that direction. I really didn't want to slide all the way down & ruin my 2nd favorite pair of cargo pants. So I clung to tree trunks until the ground levelled out & heaved a sigh of relief at once again reaching the main trail.

   There were more wildflowers than expected in the woods lining the trail. I had underestimated the number of those that bloom in the fall. Aside from goldenrods, I couldn't identify any of them, but took pictures of the most intriguing ones. The ones below were large pink fluffballs that resembled something from Dr. Suess.

 Sunday I went to a Settler's Celebration at a nearby metropark, a combination of pioneer stuff and country/folk music. It was held between a nature center & antique buildings which are now a museum. There's a mile long path leading between the 2 sites sprinkled with food & craft activities, so visitors were encouraged to travel along sampling the various things, all manned by people in traditional costumes.Though when a lady in long dress & bonnet pulled out a cell phone, it rather spoiled the mood. One guy looked like Davy Crockett, but wasn't as handsome as Fess Parker. Much of the music was a bit too twangy for my taste & the crafts were mainly for kids, but my main reason for going was to walk through the woods. I did like the small pioneer camp alongside the trail, with strange axes & long flintlock guns with powder horns.

    The old buildings were intriguing, with the clothes, furniture & war memorabilia displayed, sometimes each room focused on a different time period. The stairs in the houses were incredibly high & steep, I regretted touring the second floor each time. My favorite building was a small cabin that I could see myself living in with the addition of electricity & indoor plumbing. It didn't have stairs either. There was an old-fashioned general store that still retained it's Depression era flavor. Attached to it was a huge room with farming utensils, blacksmith supplies & an old fire engine.

   There were dozens of dogs, sno-cones and foliage that was just starting to change. It was a great way to spend a beautiful autumn afternoon.

   Sunday I went to a reptile show, on my way home, I passed this billboard. I thought it was fantastic. It was so uplifting & made me smile.

    

   I got a new betta! My purple one, Prince, died last month in one of the hot spells. He was sluggish a couple days, perked up & then died during the night. He was a show quality fish, so maybe he was more fragile? He also seemed mentally slower than all my other bettas, he could not get the hang of finding the flakes & kibbles. I know he ate some, but now I wonder if it was enough. Or maybe it was a bad move buying him on Memorial Day?

       

   Earlier this summer I was kittysitting for the couple who used to live next door, but now live about 5 minutes away in a quiet cul de sac. Their apartment is larger than it was in my building & they have a lot of nice dark wood furniture & a comfy couch. Their 4 cats all have very distinct personalities & I enjoy interacting with each of them.

   Ginger is the Grande Dame & the others don't mess with her, even though she's quite elderly & frail under that beautiful long hair. She spent most of the time napping by the living room window, drenched in sunlight. Though she gets special food because of her health conditions, she prefers to eat the regular food in the other cats' dishes. She ignored me when I tried to persuade her otherwise.

    Winston is a burly kitty who has has turned into a bit of a lap cat as he ages. He takes up my whole lap & is a big, warm bundle of fur curled there. He likes to chase things for a brief time too, but especially to sleep on their big bed, right in the middle of the pillow.

    Sheevie is the most playful. Not only does she nab balls in mid-air, but spends loads of time playing with her birthday gift. It's a circular track with an electronic mouse. She's determined to catch that mouse! It doesn't even need to be turned on for her to be swatting the fake rodent. She's also quite possessive of it, watching Ginger with an eagle eye when the older cat stopped by it to have a look.

    Jelly may be my favorite. The other cats beat her up(except for Ginger), so she can't be out with them, instead, has the spare bedroom as her own. She was abused when young & is very nervous, though she has a calm, caring home now. Once she feels safe with a person, she becomes very cuddly, wanting constant petting & ear scritches. Her vulnerability moves me to tears & I spend a lot of time with her in case she's lonely. Her window is at tree top level, allowing her to birdwatch in the apple trees outside. We saw finches, cardinals & sparrows hopping among the branches.

    I spent 3 days with the kitties that time, coming home at dusk. It was quiet & peaceful in their cozy apartment & I was sorry to have to leave early on the last day because of a doctor's appointment. It had been like a vacation for me, too.

    Have read a couple of nifty books lately. Just finished a very good novel set in England & France about 10 years after the Restoration of Charles II. Called "Dark Angels" by Karleen Koen, it starts slowly, but the reader really grows to care about the characters. There's lots of period detail, humor & poetic sentences such as one describing lace: "It was costly, delicate, as fragile as if fairies had crept in at night and woven it from moonlight." Or another "...when she blushed, it was as if cream was suddenly mixed with new strawberries."