slsommer 

Long walk with Sallie, late morning; stationary bicycle with audio book (I succumbed, need still to baby my achilles).

Here is one answer to some of the concentration camp photos I posted earlier. I have a copy of this print in my office -- it is of Dirk Willems, from the Martyrs' Mirror: Willems, an Anabaptist, was pursued across an icy river. His pursuer broke through the ice, and Willems turned and rescued him. After the rescue, however, the man rescued by Willems, turned him in and Willems was burned at the stake. http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/dirk-willems.htm

Tomorrow I expct to be another low-step day with a trip to the Chicago area for a meeting. Sorry, competition partner, Mary.

So, DD2 walked in with sweet Joshie (who, btw, is beginning to get a mind of his own, but that's another story), brought her own coffee (we don't know why) and joined us in DH's office where we were having our own second cuppa. As she sat down, I said, "It's been a long time since I've worn out any jeans at the knees."

To which she just grinned and said, "Mom..."

DH said, "You bought those that way, didn't you?"

She grinned, "They were on special."

"You didn't really buy those," I said, by then knowing she really did buy them. "Twenty-five cents at a garage sale!"

"Twenty dollars on clearance."

I could hear her Grandmother Lehman laughing all the way from heaven. "I'll laugh up my sleeve at that," my mother was saying.

Not only that, I could hear my grandmother laughing as well, "Oh, forever-more," Grandma said. Then she and Mom started talking in Pennsylvania Dutch -- and they laughed again.

"I've got to get a picture of this."

"No, you don't -- I know what you're going to do with it."

"She's going to post it for the world to see," DH said.

"I won't show your face, just the jeans."

(And so I didn't.)

Wonderful trail walk with Sallie, spots of ice on the creek. Finished on the treadmill while watching the news.

Traveling day, had to work to get these steps! No news is good news re: CT scan, and no news yet.

Home late afternoon, in time for Sallie and I to get some trail steps in before it was too dark to cross the creek. Added treadmill steps later and finished with three cul-de-sac rounds.

Here's a photo of Queen Anne's lace, November.

Two long walks today -- another great walking day: ground was soft, but not muddy; temp cool, but not cold; wind present, but not a gale. Expect tomorrow to be a low step day due to travel to St. Louis for CT.

We knew a fairly large oak was in the brush along the "new" trail, but didn't pay much attention -- until the leaves were down and we saw just how big a burr oak it was. Took Jim three arm-stretches around, and he's 6'3". Jim thinks it's five feet in diameter -- not as large as the Anabaptist Oak (Oct. 30 blog) -- but plenty large.

We immediately named it the not-too-creative, Big Burr. Jim's been clearing away the brush surrounding it. Today he took down the smaller tree you see immediately in front of it.

Here's an apple pie I baked for @Rosemary and @henross who happened to drop by this afternoon. As you can see, there's plenty left -- so help yourself!

After Rosemary and Ross left, Sallie and I took a long trail walk. Had to look really closely -- but we walked the last loop in a bit of a snow flurry.

In preparation for our hosting Thanksgiving this year (for 25, with children) I put four pie shells in the freezer, ready to fill and bake the Thanksgiving week.

I think any steps taken while making pies OUGHT to count double, don't you? (Expect to get a few more steps yet tonight; sorry, not pie steps this time)

Had Zachary, DGS2, here this afternoon. He was delighted to have counted each block as he put them away -- all 80 of them! A year ago, he likely would have displayed a bit of temper at the thought of picking up toys. What a difference a year makes.

After he left, Sallie and I took a long walk, returning at dusk.

This is a photo of the execution room at Struthof, a WWII concentration camp. A sign outside the door, written in three languages, reads:

The deported were killed here by a gunshot in the neck.

The floor was slanted toward a drain that collected the blood and thus allowed the floor to clean rapidly after executions.

In the night of 1 September and 2 September, 1944, no less than 107 members of the network "Alliance" including 15 women were massacred here together with 33 members of Alsace-Vosges mobile group.

Two walks with Sallie and a walk by myself as well. DH is on his way to Bluffton for meetings. I get to watch one of my grandsons for a bit tomorrow when DD1 meets friends at the cabin.

This is another photo from Struthof, a WWII concentration camp. This is a beating table in one a torture room. One would wish there were no longer any torture rooms  -- but...

A Sallie walk, a trail walk (took the camera, but missed yesterday's colors) and folding laundry walk. Banjo Club tonight, so the mandolin minutes are higher. Club will cut a CD, so we'll increase our practices... don't know how that will go.

In honor of yesterday's Remembrance Day and U.S. Veterans Day, here's a photo of Struthof, a WWII concentration camp we visited Aug. 30 -- the same day we visited the site of the Anabaptist Oak. An extremely moving day in two different ways...

Each of the flat areas in this overview photo was the site of one "dormitory." Here in this most beautiful scenic area, once the site of a ski resort, a concentration camp was built. The site was chosen for its remote location. Hideous. What humans do to other humans -- and why???

Grandkids in the morning, then rain. DH (sweetheart that he is) went out in the rain with me, just to get me out. We walked the full trail with Sallie, having first dug out Lucy's old coat for Sallie. The coat is too big, but it served the purpose.

The wet prairie grass had deeper color -- beautiful against the mist with the bare trees as a backdrop. Naturally, I hadn't brought the camera.

Here's the last of the series by my DD2 for her Christmas  photos: Jill herself -- better known as Jillybean.

Couple of trail walks today. Our landscaper friend ID'd the bush I posted Nov. 7. It's Euonymous americanus (I'm adding the "americanus" here, but Friend is going to check. In any case, while we were eating lunch, a whole flock -- well, 7-8 -- of bluebirds descended on the bit of Euonymous outside our patio, accompanied by some gold finches and some chickadees. They were wonderful!

Here's a second photo from DD2: twins Alex and Jill with little brother Josh>

No trail today...trying to spare my achilles. Picked up steps on the treadmill while listening to pod casts. 'Twas ok -- but not exactly fun.

Here's a couple of my grandchildren, DD2's boys Alex and Josh. (Aren't they cuties?) Photo taken by their mother.

A morning walk with Sallie, then DH did the trail walk with me. Nicely brisk with a northwest wind hitting us on the north side of the trail -- great for walking. Tiny bit of misty snow early morning, but no real snow today.

Here's a Downy Gentian blooming yet today on the western rail trail, Mountain. My wildflower book says "the flowers of Downy Gentian are one of the last to appear on the prairie and often survive hard frosts."

Emily Dickinson had at least two poems which included the Gentian. Here's one (Tyrian is a shade of purple):

GOD made a little gentian;
It tried to be a rose
And failed, and all the summer laughed.
But just before the snows
There came a purple creature
That ravished all the hill;
And summer hid her forehead,
And mockery was still.
The frosts were her condition;
The Tyrian would not come
Until the North evoked it.
"Creator! shall I bloom?"
                        Emily Dickinson

Wonderful trail-walking day. Cool enough for a sweatshirt and a jacket with a hat and gloves. Breezy, but not the wind of a couple of days ago. Did a long walk without Sallie and a couple of shorter ones with her (she does so love to walk).

Here's a photo of -- well, I don't know. I thought maybe it was in the bittersweet family, but apparently, both the native and the oriental bittersweets are vines -- and this was on a shrub. Plus the fruit "shell" here is bright pink  rather orange. So... I don't know. Marty?? Anyone? (I don't recall noticing the flower)

This was a hard day to get steps. Rain in the morning, though got some steps in folding laundry. Trail walk with Sallie in the afternoon... but still had to finish with six cul-de-sac rounds, faster, but boring.

In the Alsace-Lorraine area and still near Salm, we saw the area in which the Sommerhof had been. We were told there are ruins, still, in the mountains behind the trees in this photo. The tour, however, couldn't spare the time for a search.

DH is descended from a John Sommer, born in 1813 in Europe and came to America in 1830 to Ohio. In 1846 he and his brother, Joe, started with their families in two wagons to go to Indiana. On the way, Joe took sick with Milk Fever and died, leaving his wife with five children. John looked after two families... they came to Illinois, where for the first time, they were on the prairie. They had all come from the mountain..

The Sommer family all come from the 1690s Amish split from the Mennonites. I believe the Lehmann family came from the Mennonite side -- though my mother's family (Miller and Beechy) came from the Amish, too.

Took Sallie on the shorter, then took my camera on the longer trail. Windy, windy day and warm -- but the mountain was sheltering this bit of milkweed parachutes ready to take off. Rain expected in the morning, then cooler again. Ready for the cooler weather 70s is too warm for November.

Still giddy from the Obama win. Abraham Lincoln: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
Abraham Lincoln, (attributed)
16th president of US (1809 - 1865)

Posting this for @debby80 -- voted! Historic day, no matter how one looks at it.

Major morning housework, then Sallie and I took an hour-and-a-half walk on the trail. The north trail does give me a work-out. Saw a wonderful bursting milkweed pod. I'll take my camera next time -- if the rain waits just a bit. Supposed to be major windy tomorrow, though.This lovely weather won't last.

Expect to do some weights and calisthenics tonight watching THE returns. Will post later.

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Oh, my! We just saw history! Oh, my; oh, my; oh, my. And I remember James Meredith. I remember... segregation coming down. It's like... I have no words for it. Who'd a thought? Oh, oh, oh YES!

St. Louis and back -- good news continues. Bone density test shows some deterioration, but still within the normal range. They made a timing error, though, for my CT in relation to the study in which I am participating -- thinking I didn't need one yet. Turns out, I do; so must return in two weeks for a CT.

Sallie and I did a full circuit upon my return -- takes me about an hour and 20 minutes to get 10-11,000 steps on the trail (trail walking is slower than, say, treadmill walking or street walking). Rest of my steps are around the house. Hope to get a few more before bed -- now that the Lehman Sisters are a team in one of @PoconoGreg 's comeptitions!

The flood plain is full of this autumn goldenrod, and the lowering sun makes them glow beautifully.

Sort of a busy day: church, then out for a sandwich, then the funeral home where there was a long line for the death of the father of some friends of ours. He was a local businessman and well respected, so of course the line was long. Finally on the trail, then to visit in-laws for a bit.

St. Louis run tomorrow -- bone density test is the only test scheduled (hooray!) and a doctor's appointment as well. Bone density is an annual test as the medication I'm taking can cause osteoporosis.

This house, close to the Anabaptist Oak at one time was both home and a worship site for the Anabaptists near Salm. As we were looking at the house, the owner came out -- her family uses it as a summer home. When she saw my name tag, she said they had purchased the house from a Sommer family -- so she invited Jim and me in to see where the Anabaptists met. The stone above the door says Jacob  Kupferschmit; Susan Eimeini; Christian Gerper; Anne Kupferschmit; and a date I can't quite make out.

Beautiful day. Usual trail walk, now including the newest train trail "mountain" portion. Finished the day with a hot dog roast with family and friends. Put out some solar lamps so we could find the trail home... they're portable, so we can pick them up to store until we need them again. Probably our last such evening of the year.

Here's a ladybug -- but NOT our native one! Cute thing, right? If only... This is an import, not our more benign native species, which has a more red color rather than this orange.

This bunch looks for an over-wintering site about right now and is flying about everywhere! AND it bites. People thought it would be wonderful to have it eating aphids, particularly on roses. What a mistake!

Here's what Wikipedia says: "Although native species of coccinellids are typically considered benign, in North America the multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis), introduced in the twentieth century to control aphids on agricultural crops, has become a serious household pest in some regions owing to its habit of overwintering in structures. It is similarly acquiring a pest reputation in Europe, where it is called the "Multicoloured Asian Ladybird" (In Britain: "Harlequin Ladybird")..."

Took one set of grandkids to the new section of the train trail -- which was promptly dubbed "The Mountain." Did a trail walk after they left -- but cut it short in order to greet trick-or-treaters. One set of grandkids are "too big" for T & T with family. Big sis will help the Saal kids hand out candy while brother T & Ts with friends. Sigh. Twins came as Thing One and Thing Two; their little brother was the Cat in the Hat. Saal girls were Hannah Montana and...well, Grandma's not sure who else, while Zach was an astronaut. (Am getting just a bit tired of this "scary" music I have playing in the background--but T & T's not quite over yet).

Here's my train song for the Mountain Trail (you'll have to imagine a melody here and the mandolin accompanying):

Train, she ain’t a-comin, ain’t a-comin’, ain’t a-comin’, ain’t a-comin’, ain’t a –
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.

Once, she linked the small town to the mid-town and the mid-town to the big-town, but the
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.

Once, she carried Grandpa to his studies, bore his books and bore his luggage, but the
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.

Once, she carried west-bound freight and east-bound, blocking north-bound roads and south-bound, but the
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.

Once, she whistled children to the window with her signal for the crossing, but the
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.

Once, she crossed the corn fields, crossed the prairie, crossed the river, crossed the creek beds, but the
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.

Train, she lost her trestle, lost her trestle, lost her trestle, lost her trestle, lost her —
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.
Train, she ain’t a-
Train, she ain’t a-
Train, she ain’t a-comin’ no more.