Happy Halloween!

We're a little "Looney" here this year!

October

Another month has nearly disappeared!  I haven't taken as many pictures as normal, but here are a few.

Melting caramel for caramel apples.

Beautiful blue eyes.

Making applesauce with Grammy.  My parents got me this wonderful sauce maker that allows you to make applesauce without coring or peeling the apples.  Super time saver!

We finally got some much-needed rain, which also brings mud, of course!

"Picking apples" by Nora.  I love the person on the ladder dropping apples to the person below and the basket full of apples.  It just makes me smile!

 I did a lot of running in the dark early mornings this past month to train for the half marathon I ran last weekend.  Here are a few pictures I took during runs when it was actually light enough to see anything!

Dawn over a nearby lake.

Somehow these flowers survived long after everything else was frozen in our recent cooler temperatures.  They were a welcome pop of color along the roadside recently.

A recent misty morning.

 Mike and I spent a couple of days in Minneapolis and St. Paul last weekend while my mom stayed home with the kiddos and the farm animals.  We had such an enjoyable time with Ben and Jen!

We spent one night at The Depot hotel downtown.

Wandering around the Mill District one morning.

We picked up our packets for Saturday's race.  Behind us was a large poster (much larger than the one panel visible behind us) with the names of every person running either the 5k, 10 mile or half marathon the next day.

Timing chip on my shoe.

Jen the skunk and Ben the tortoise.

The tortoise and the hare.

Mike's 5k was at a different location, so we didn't get to watch him.  Thankfully he got this photo of him with the running refrigerator!

Love my sister-in-law!  Thanks for a lovely weekend!

Fleeting

I can't believe September is already gone!  It was a lovely month; I love this time of year for so many reasons.  The main reason I love it so much is that it seems to go by too quickly.  Fall vanishes before our eyes, and soon the days are cold and the trees are bare.  One day you notice the fall colors, and the next day they seem to be gone, usually in a gust of wind.  The word "fleeting" has come up in a couple of recent conversations to describe these beautiful days, and I couldn't agree more.

Another reason I love September: back to school!  It seems to bring a much-needed routine back to our home.  I love how much they both still love school.



Dane's first day of first grade.



Nora started pre-K this year, two mornings a week at the same school Dane attends.   



Giving the kitties some love before Nora's first day of pre-K.





Nora loves to write and draw for us!



 Yard work slows down dramatically this time of year, especially with our lack of rain.



Blossoming succulents.




I had to bring in my plants a few weeks ago because of an early frost.



 Apples!  Our tree was loaded this year.  It seems to bear every other year.



Dane helped pick from the loader of the tractor.




Tired after picking many bags full!

  Here are some random photos of our cuddly kitten Pepin who is growing so quickly.  He loves to sleep near your head at night.  This wouldn't be a problem, except that any time you stir, he purrs very loudly!



Harry is getting bigger, but he's still so tame after spending the summer out to pasture with older, less sociable cattle.





A long-overdue photo of our sweet nephew Milo.



 I love the fall harvest.  Here are some of the pumpkins, squash and gourds from our garden.

 A bunch of random fall photos from around home.

 More pictures taken from our neighboring areas.

 Beautiful evening skies.



Sliver of a moon.



 Homecoming game 2012.  I love watching football games during the cool fall evenings.



Punt, pass and kick contest.





Hair and faces painted for team spirit.



Enjoy October!!