Thursday, September 25, 2014

First Week of Fall...

I love living in a part of the country where we have four very distinct seasons.  By the time we get tired of one season, another one comes along!  

I'm having a little trouble letting go of summer this year, though.  We had a fabulous summer, weather wise...just the right amount of rain...lower humidity and lower temps than normal, with just enough hazy, hot and humid days to remind us that we do indeed live in southeastern PA.  I don't ever remember a summer like this, and oh how I would love to see another one like it next year!

There are some definite signs of fall here, and I've captured a few.

The corn fields are disappearing, and the soybeans are turning yellow.  Soon they'll be ugly and brown, and it will be time to harvest them.  Give them another three weeks or so...




These bales were from last week's 5th cutting of hay.  Some of you have commented on how many cuttings we get.  Five cuttings are typical for this area, and occasionally we get a sixth off of a few fields...


Jim's been busy spreading manure on the fields, now that some of the corn has been chopped for silage.  There's still a lot of standing corn.  Some of it will be used for refilling the silos and the rest will be shelled out and stored until we need it...


I can see my neighbors again!  And no...I'm not spying!  She likes it too!


Last but not least...tonight's sunset was so pretty.  It was raining all day, but I think there's better weather coming, at least if  "sky red at night" is true.

Three lonely corn stalks, left by the chopper...


...and the beautiful sunset...


What does fall look like where you are?


*an update on my back issues...
It's been six weeks since I herniated a disk, and it's been frustrating to say the least.  I've waited for doctor appointments, had tests, and waited some more for doctor appointments.  In order to avoid surgery, we've decided to try the epidural steroid injections, followed by physical therapy.  Finally, yesterday, I saw the doctor who will do this.

The last few days were horrible...I think perhaps the worst two days in the last month. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise, though...because when I saw him yesterday, he looked at me...looked at my chart and said..."I can see how long you've been dealing with this, and I can see that you're in a lot of pain.  I'm leaving on vacation..."  and my heart sank.  And then he said, "I'm going to fit you into the schedule tomorrow, so we can get started on this now. I don't want to make you wait any longer."  I am so very thankful that we were able to start doing something, even if it doesn't work.

This morning I had the (virtually painless) procedure, and everything went smoothly.  We should have a pretty good idea by the beginning of the week if it is possibly going to help, and we'll go from there.  But for now, I'm thankful for strong pain meds that make me sleepy, and for finally seeing  a doctor who was willing to go the extra mile for a patient.

8 comments:

  1. oh, glad the doc fit you in! i do hope those shots will help! loved your fall scenes. and 5 cuttings... wow. i just can't imagine!

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  2. Howdy, I have herniated 6 of my vertebra in my life. I have had 2 laminectomies performed by a wonderful neurosugeron in Houston, TX Dr. Stuart Weil http://stuartweil.md.com/ The surgeries I had, I was walking right after they woke me up. The key is to have a very good neurosurgeon and not a bone surgeon. Because of him I was walking pain free. I had the second surgery after falling through a ceiling. Again, walking without pain right after. Was on pain meds for 4 days only. Need help showering only. Surgery is a great option to try. If Dr Stuart is on your insurance plan, he is worth an out of state consult. You can e-mail him your scans and see what he thinks. I understand your fear and the pain. Good Luck.

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  3. Our season here ended up pretty good too. Hope you get relief from our pain soon.

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  4. Alica,

    Good Luck with your back issue. I'm glad to hear you got the medical attention you need and I hope all goes well.

    I too enjoy the 4 seasons. My folks have been here visiting. Mom and I have been taking lots of pictures of the autumn foliage. Wednesday we got some neat sunset picts too.

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  5. Your first week of fall looks great. You will reap the benefit of your hard work. So sorry about your back pain. I never herniated a disk but I've been incapacitated by back pain before and needed help to get out of bed and to get dress and to the bathroom. Not a pleasant thing. Wishing you a quick healing. I'm so glad the Dr. fitted you into his schedule.
    Prayers for healing.
    Hugs,
    JB

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  6. Love your pictures!! Hope your treatment makes you feel much better!

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  7. I am so glad you got a doctor who would help. I do think that is one of the hardest things anymore is to find a doctor who takes the time. I love that you have had such perfect summer. Some years are just like that.
    I love that your farm crops did so good and I am so glad to know that you have so many wonderful things like beautiful sunsets and seeing your neighbors house. That is so important.

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  8. Its a blessing to have a variety of seasons (and that too not the extreme ones)
    Hope the treatment goes well.

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