Sign up to receive the Books Leaving Footprints Newsletter. Comes out occasionally. No spam. No list swapping. Just email me! jhyshark@gmail.com
Previous gifts include a short story, a poem, and coupons. Add your name, and don't miss out!
Here are 6 of the last 7 days of the sky. Even the blue has gone more to gray. Those bright clear days of October are over. It's odd how the tones from the top to bottom panes matched up. Just chance.
November 13- a nice clear day, and I think I did some outside work.
November 14- overcast but mild. I did trail work.
November 15- still mild but not much sun
November 16-Changeable skies. Blue, black, white, everything in between.
November 17- Pleasant for November, but ended with a little snow- all gove now
November 19- cold! But not bad.
Are you liking these? I like the tiles, but can't seem to think of much to say about them.
I didn't move around enough today. Sat at the computer too much. That will change tomorrow.
I have mentioned my friend Betty a few times a year. We used to get together just about every week to work on handicraft projects.
She now lives quite near the Methodist Church, and Tuesdays is bell choir right? And the School Forest and Church trails are there, right? And I have to walk before practice now that it is getting dark at 5 pm, right?
So, today, I walked, then visited Betty until bells, and then went to bell practice. Turned out I was late for everything. As I was going into town, gas prices had jumped by 50 -54¢, but one station still had $2.76, so I had to pull in there. Of course, everyone else was too, so there was a big wait. But I got gas. Then my walk was shortened, and my time with Betty was shortened, and I got to bells later than I usually do, so I got out of any of the set-up help, so I stayed till the end of tear-down.
OK, back to Betty. This picture was taken a couple of years ago, but she approved using it. (She is not a fan of pictures)
And we've decided that until they head to their winter location, we'll meet like this on Tuesdays and "stitch."
She asked if I still have a project. Well, the "rule" was it could be anything that was portable.
However, if I didn't have any project in crisis, I was working on a crewel embroidery picture. Can you see what's coming next? I haven't taken a single stitch on this since Betty and I last did handicrafts together. I don't even know what year that was.
But, there's plenty still to do. I'm not in danger of finishing it before she takes off for warmer climes.
Want to see some of the stitching closer? The golden lines are the parts I haven't done yet. They are printed on the fabric for those of you who don't know how this stuff works. Then you stitch the pattern in with various yarns and various stitches. Hope I remember how to do them!
So, I edited and stuff in the morning. Managed to get in a 2-mile walk by moving very fast.
Look what was happening while I was walking! But it won't last. Should be in the 40s the next couple of days.
Miles hiked in 2025: 445.6.
Ludington School Forest, various trails. 2.0 miles.
Of all the holidays I never heard of, today is probably one I should have known. Apparently, it's National Take a Hike Day!
I did not take a hike. I did not even take a walk. I did cut some autumn olive and put away some more gardening stuff.
In honor of the National "Day," I am posting a video from my completion of the first NCT hike that you may not have seen. This was filmed by Petoskey News on August 5, 2010.
Of course, I finished the whole North Country Trail a second time in 2023. Some of you were there. Nobody made a video, but this is from the celebration at Timber Creek trailhead where I began and finished.
I guess I've taken a few hikes.
What I did do today was get a lot done on computer tasks and editing, and some house stuff.
Bell Choir Sunday! This first one was pretty easy. Hymn of Grateful Praise, which is a medly of "For the Beauty of the Earth," and "All Things Bright and Beautiful."
Our second song was a lot harder, but we got it pretty good. This is "On Eagle's Wings," a moving and powerful song that was written in the 1970s and is based on Psalm 91, Exodus 19:4, Isaiah 40:31. I'll put the words after the video.
On Eagle's Wings by Michael Joncas
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in His shadow for life,
Say to the Lord, "My Refuge,
My Rock in Whom I trust."
Chorus:
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His Wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield.
Chorus
You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day,
Though thousands fall about you,
Near you it shall not come.
Chorus
For to His angels He's given a command,
To guard you in all of your ways,
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Chorus
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
This may be Omer's favorite song.
And, of course, my new computer won't use the same video software and the new version is just awful. I managed to make it marginally functional. I'll have to try to figure something out another day.
I walked after church, came home, discovered I was tired. So, I made it pretty much a real rest day!
Miles hiked in 2025: 443.6
Ludington School Forest, various trails. 3.1 miles
Woo hoo! I finished cutting down that one big autumn olive I showed you the few remaining trunks of a few days ago. I raked the area where it had dropped all its leaves and killed any other vegetation.
I cut up the larger trunks for campfire wood. It's not the greatest. It's a soft wood like aspen. But I checked just to be sure it doesn't give off toxic smoke or anything. I wouldn't put it past this noxious plant. But it's ok to burn.
I treated all those cut stumps with the Tordon. Bright blue was just treated today. I put it on right while the cut is fresh. That blue-ish one on the left was treated a few days ago.
And what is my magical wand for getting at least this done? I bought a cordless pruner. Took me all summer to look at brands and decide what I wanted. This is Greenworks brand. It was purchased primarily because it's not too big for my hands. So far, I'm happy. The company makes over 100 tools that all take the same battery pack (so the inventory is expandable), and I got this on sale.
Now go back and look at the first picture again. See what's behind where this bush was? See what's beside where this bush was? More autumn olive.
In other news, I worked really hard today at necessary tasks- computer, editing, this yard stuff, kitchen cleanup. I hereby pat myself on the back.
