Fall leaves and Pink Rhodonite

I’ve been making a real effort to relax and enjoy the holiday season this year, not worrying about finances (ours or the worlds)– just taking in the beauty of fall, the changes in the air and night sky, the different flowers and now pecans are ready for gathering. It’s a blessing to have so many producing trees in the area that have been left to themselves so to speak- no one tends them or harvests the nuts. So, as long as you’re willing to take the time to gather, crack and shell them, you’re pretty much set! They’re so expensive to buy shelled that I like to give tins or bags of shelled nuts for Christmas gifts. Everyone seems to appreciate them as no one really likes to spend the time it takes to get them ready for eating or using in recipes, and that’s understandable! It’s a real manicure-ruiner too but I love to do it. We have a handy contraption called a Reed’s Rocket or else this isn’t something I’d be able to do. You place the nut in the adjustable crushing compartment, pull back the lever and push it forward until the nut is cracked as much as you want. Tump it out and repeat! After that all you have to do (makes this part sound so easy) is pull off the cracked outer shell, collect your pecan meats and use a nut pick to dislodge any small pieces of shell that might be stuck in the meats. I guess it’s the closest I get to farming and that’s why I love it so much. We did put up 14 quarts of tomatoes and 6 quarts of field peas this summer, that was fun- we even picked the tomatoes ourselves. And, I had a big flower garden full of giant zinnias, all colors, that lasted all summer– there weren’t enough surfaces in the house to put vases on and there were plenty of flowers to give away. We had two spectacularly big sunflowers, too– Russian Mammoths. The seeds were around ten years old and we weren’t sure any of them would come up but five did. The squirrels got three but the two left were about 12 feet tall? The heads were massive and we fed them to our birds and squirrels and saved some seed for planting next spring. 

Finally I’ve been able to start making things again. I’m pretty excited about some of the pieces. The first photography session yesterday didn’t go very well but here’s a sample anyway!

 

pink rhodonite and sterling

I love the pumpkin shape of these rhodonite beads! 

I hope everyone can take the time to appreciate the fall leaves and changes at least a little bit. Those of you who are already getting snow– good luck!     LeeAnn