Harvest Festival

 A couple of weeks ago the fam here went to one of the local "harvest festivals", which seem to be built up around farm stores at this time of year. We ended up with the most beautiful sunny day we had had that week. Perfect for an outdoors outing.

Naturally, we had to take lots of pictures (well, some did, I dutifully brought my camera and took pictures with other people's cameras instead). I was supposed to be in the hole in this one, but it is difficult to both be in the picture and be taking it. Poor Seraya didn't make it into any of these.

After hanging around taking pictures, playing games and looking for Mel's lost necklace (it was her mom's so rather important and they did find it in the end) we went on a hay ride. Of course, we also had to go through the corn maze. It was a little well used and some unofficial short cuts had definitely been made, but it was a fun walk through. I had the stroller so Seraya and I didn't take a lot of unorthodox shortcuts. The biggest problem was making sure the two "big" girls didn't run of down someplace we couldn't see them.

But we made it through and found all of our key landmarks, including the hay bale ziggurat  in the middle. I think both Vienna and Ziva were feeling a little nervous by the time they reached the top, but at least they managed to pose for cute pictures anyway. :)
Having escaped out the other end of the maze we came to the pumpkin patch. Matthew got us a wheelbarrow and we picked many, many pumpkins.

It was a bit icky because many of the prettiest pumpkins were partially rotten (esp. the handles), but still fun to meander through and find ones that we liked. Eventually we all found ones though--Ziva and Vienna found a rather large one that we cruelly refused to take home with us. Seraya on the other hand was also not too happy with her pumpkin. She wanted the other itty bitty pumpkin.

I picked the best punkin of all though! Unfortunately they made me give her back.

On our way out we swung by the petting zoo and the farm stand and the play park (it was a circuitous way out). I think a good day was had by all.

Saturday Market Meanderings

First off, I am perfectly well aware that today is not Saturday, but I meant to post this last Saturday or Sunday right after I wrote it. Obviously, that didn't happen. But better late than never! (which is so not true)

I really need to bring my camera down here. But I'm no photographer and I am afraid that a picture--despite being worth a thousand words--would sadly fail to convey the beauty that I am seeing and feeling. I truly enjoy all the seasons, but if is difficult to choose whether I like fall or spring best.
When I arrived down here (at the market today there was this beautiful surprise: two of the trees near my booth had turned. The one still has a little green but otherwise they range from golden yellow to a pinky orange to red. Most of the other trees are full of green still, but have little leaves here and there that have turned vibrant red. It makes it look like there is fire in the trees.There is another tree that is a dark, dark green as though it would turn bugundy if it could. One or two of the trees have turned completely red.
Days like this I wish I could paint. I'd idealize the market with stalls filled with fall bouquets and overflowing with fall produce like pumpkins and squash in all various colors, under trees decked out in all shades of fall glory with just a little sunlight peeking through (that's the idealization part, there is no sun today despite the weatherman's promise).
And of course the people. or perhaps just the dogs--like the huge white ones that wear sunglasses and a tiara or the greyhounds in their Halloween pjs (yes, I am embarrassed for them). There are so many dogs that come to walk their masters (tempting to set some cats running through). Perhaps I would just personify the dogs into some of the people I see regularly. Like the man who always buys two almond croissants or the Scottish guy who comes by on his bike for a scone and a chocolate tart. The lady who always buys the small pinwheel danish. Or the grandma who gets something different each week as a treat for her granddaughter. I would want to include them all in my painting.
I love watching the people go by. There are families out for a stroll, the trendy "green" people (in all shapes and sizes), older people who just want something to remind them of the old days  or the old country. And the vendors and their products are as varied as their customers. Produce, plants, flowers, food, jewelry, rocks, glass, leather, pottery, wood, lotions, soaps and much, much more!
It's a fun place to be.

Little Prayer Answers

Last week I asked for prayer about my migraine. It did eventually die down over Sunday and Monday, but it continues to lurk in the shadows waiting for its moment. I still don't know what to do to get it to completely disappear, but I am thankful (very thankful) that I have not had to spend the whole week on the couch because of it. There is definitely power in prayer. I just need to keep remembering that. :)

Little Prayer Request

It is interesting to me that since I have come to the States I have not been putting up as many prayer requests as I was in Ukraine. Sometimes I miss being more connected with some of the ministry things. Today I have a personal prayer request: I've had a migraine for six days now and just can't seem to lose it. The pain isn't too bad for the most part, but it does wear me out. I've tried all of my standard tricks from drugs to wheat packs, tiger balm to chiropractor. And then today I realized that while I've tried all of those things, I haven't reached out and asked for your help. So I thought I would. Please pray for the migraine to release. Thanks.

Market Day

So, here I am sitting at the Saturday Market, listening to the buskers, savoring the changing colors of the leaves and scrawling on a scrap of paper (inbetween hopping up to serve customers--should've started writing earlier).
It's chilly today, I'm all wrapped up with a scarf and extra layers including a shawl over my legs--and I'm still getting cold. But I don't mind. It is such a beautiful fall day.
I do truly enjoy the seasons. God did such an amazing job with them. Driving here this morning it was impossible not to notice and enjoy the yellows and reds that are just beginning to tip the trees heralding the beginning of fall (I know some places are well into it, but this is Oregon people--we'll have fall almost till Christmas!).
Often I trade pastries for flowers or produce and this week I enjoyed two beautiful fall bouquets as well as some lovely orange squash, which I set up by one of the bouquets before I ate it (the squash, not the bouquet). The bouquets were full of dark maroons, bright reds, brilliant orange and lively yellows. They were the epitome of fall colors.
I wish I could better describe the vibrant color that I am experiencing, but words are a pitiful means to describe the glorious beauty that is God's creation.