Sing a Song of September

We spent Thursday evening and Friday at Leahaven last week, trying to get some work done before our next groups of guests arrive.  We needed some supplies, so we drove into Henagar to shop and eat an early dinner.  We had a very mediocre Mexican meal, but the country karaoke afterwards made it worthwhile.  There were some really talented people singing!  If you're ever at Leahaven on Thursday night, it's worth eating there to enjoy the local color!

After we put away the shopping, we drove the truck down to the stock pond to see if we could see the beavers.  There was no sign of them, but there were birds singing from the woods, bats zooming overhead catching mosquitos, and frogs plopping into the water.  The sky was doubly beautiful as we enjoyed its reflection in the water. It seems quite appropriate that my Sunday school lesson about the 6th commandment used the image of our own reflection in a pond to explain to the children about us being made in God's image!

It got so dark we could hardly see the sky reflected in the water, when Herb touched my arm and breathed, "Look!"  I peered around him and there, barely 10 feet away, was a possum.  He didn't seem very scared of us, although he froze when my flash went off.  Maybe it mesmerized him, because he sat for two portraits!

I enhanced this one so he shows up better.  I'm so glad God made possums!  As soon as we got back to the house, I read a children's book about them.  Did you know: 
They are the only North American marsupial and have more teeth than any other North American mammal--50! They usually have up to 16 babies, but the mother only has 13 nipples in her pouch. After birth each baby (which looks like an embryo) finds its way to the pouch, latches onto a nipple, and doesn't let go till it's ready to leave the pouch. Only the first 13 survive. Isn't that sad?

Our eventful country evening ended with a light show as the half moon (the glow makes it look full) sailed in and out of the clouds above our heads. (Yes, I know the clouds really sailed past the moon, but I'm exercising my poetic license!)

 The next day began with a stunning golden sunrise out the back door and toast made in the new toaster, purchased with a thank offering from a previous guest.  No more burning toast on the griddle!

While Herb mowed the lawn with the push mower, I drew bush-hog duty.  I consider that I got the long end of that stick!  :)  There's been a lot of rain on Sand Mountain compared to our home in Georgia, and the road to the lake had nearly disappeared under long grass.  I bush-hogged from the gate, around the barn, out to the cabin at the lake and around the grove of trees there, and on beyond the lake to the campground above it.

Here are some before and after pictures:

Meanwhile Herb had finished the lawn and started to work on the cabin.  He wanted to panel the inside walls to cover up the insulation, but first he had to add extra studs.  Tony seems to have spaced them very randomly when he framed the cabin!  Nothing ever goes as fast as you think it will, but Herb made great progress until he ran out of siding.  So he swept it all very nicely and headed back to the house.

By that time I was just about finished cleaning.  From tractor to vacuum, I do it all!  :)  One last touch was making the master bed with the new bedspread the Lord provided to replace the mish-mash of throws I was using before. I found this great "old rose" bedspread in a two-year old LLBean catalog and thought it would be perfect. When I called to see if they still had it, I found that they do and that I had almost enough money in LLBean coupons to pay for it.  Within a few days, a thank-you check arrived from a guest, enough to finish the purchase! What a joy to see God provide an "extra" blessing--unlooked for and unexpected--for our guests.

As we finished our work and loaded up the truck to head home, I couldn't resist photographing these last views that capture the peaceful ambience of Leahaven in September. Wind waving over the long grass in the field . . .

. . . and fall-tinted trees reflected in the lake refresh our spirits after a hard day's work.  May this beautiful corner of God's creation continue to bless His servants who come here to rest.