Bonanza of Birds and A Big Stink

Today I sat in my sunroom to eat lunch. My husband put up the bird feeder again about a week ago. We take it down in the summer as there should be plenty for the birds to eat in nature. While eating, I saw house finches, titmice, a nuthatch, and a chickadee. The birds in the last few days have finally discovered the feeder with its sunflower seeds. I felt happy watching them.

 It has been a beautiful sunny autumn day. The sun coming through the patio door warmed my arms after a chilly morning. I put my fall kitchen towels out today, too. 

I am not a fan of the color orange, but this towel has reddish orange and a kind of russet.

I needed some cheerful things around me because I have been battling a big stink. On September 30th I heated a breakfast sandwich wrapped in a paper towel in my microwave oven. I went to another part of the house for a few minutes. When I came back, there was a terrible burnt smell. As I opened the microwave oven, some smoke came out. The paper towel had a round black charred spot. We have not been able to get rid of this bad smell.

We thoroughly washed the microwave oven surfaces. I nuked a cup of water with lemon juice. For 3 days, I had a container with baking soda inside. The baking soda soon smelled like the oven. I changed the baking soda often but the smell remained. Besides those attempts, the internet suggested changing the charcoal filter on the microwave. The what? It turns out the over-the-range microwave has not only a grease filter, but this charcoal filter. In fine print on the papers left with me when Grace Village bought and installed the appliance, it told me about the filter. I could find nothing about a part number or the size of the filter on those papers nor online at Whirlpool.

 Today the replacement I ordered on Amazon arrived and is too big. I finally contacted the Grace Village maintenance scheduler. She said the guys might have a filter; if not, they could at least measure it so the right one could be ordered. I wish I had just turned it over to them from the beginning.

My little raspberry Renuzit cone fights valiantly to counteract the burnt smell, but as soon as I use the microwave the air blowing out of the vent next to the filter stinks it up again.

Have you ever had a successful way to get rid of an odor like this?

Doud Orchard, Bluebird Cafe

We were looking forward to a little outing just to have a change of scenery. Tomorrow Doud Orchards in Denver Indiana celebrates 130 years of existence (though under new ownership). They are having musicians and food. We had planned to go, but because of the rain coming our way from Hurricane Helene, we decided to go today instead. Gray skies and very windy today, but no rain.

 Lots of corn shocks, pumpkins, mums, Indian corn, gourds for sale besides their apple cider and apples.

They have a vast assortment of apples, many with which I am unfamiliar. I bought two types: Zinger and Rubinette. I also bought some apple butter to eat on biscuits tomorrow with our beef stew.

The apples on the left are the Rubinette; the yellowish ones on the right are the Zinger. Both of these varieties are crisp and sweet though the Zinger has a hint of citrus flavor according to the signs. It will be interesting to try them.

Since Doud Orchards does not open until 11 a.m., we decided to eat lunch at the Bluebird Cafe in Laketon which was enroute. We had eaten breakfast there many years ago.

As you can see, it is a small place with a small-town ambiance. 

Lots of bluebird and bird house knickknacks. I could hear the bacon for my BLT and the patty for my husband's hamburger sizzling in the kitchen area separated from the dining room by a small counter behind the refrigerator. I don't think I would make a special trip to eat here, but as long as we are in the area it is worth a stop.

We drove through lots of Indiana farm country. In the north anyway, there are lots of corn and soybean fields. Not much fall color yet except for the pumpkins and mums on folks' porches.

Fort Wayne Botanical Conservatory

 

This morning we visited the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in Fort Wayne. It is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a special exhibit of art glass. These larger pieces were made in 2004 by Michael Kahle to celebrate the conservatory's 20th anniversary. They have been in storage since display until this year. After this exhibit ends November 17th, the pieces will be sold to individuals or companies interested in them. I think it would be rather difficult to blow glass pieces so large. In addition to the Kahle pieces, some smaller pieces were purchased this year to put in the exhibit. I actually like the smaller ones better. These newer pieces are blended into the landscape. 

To contribute to the glass theme, there were shards of colorful glass next to some of the pillars and strewn among the gravel paths.

It wouldn't be worth it to me to put bits of glass among the stones. How hard it will be to clean all of those out of the exhibit hall paths. Of course there were flowers as part of the display.

Though I am getting some relief from recently-prescribed Celebrex, I find I still need to sit down every 12-15 minutes so the ramped-up pain can subside. Fortunately, this was a good venue for that as there were plentiful benches in the room. It was pleasant with air circulating throughout the conservatory. The sunshine brought out the best in the glass. 

We lunched at Biaggi's at Jefferson Point followed by shopping at Trader Joe's. I had seen comments about the pumpkin-flavored foods being featured for autumn. Maybe we will get tired of pumpkin; however, I see the expiration date for the soup is December 2025. For that, there is always next year. Bet it won't last in the cupboard that long.

Waiting for Autumn

 

There is a saying, "There are two seasons in the year: waiting for fall and fall." 

This weekend we had autumn-like weather. It will warm up and go back to summer this week, but that hint of fall makes me anxious for the season to arrive. Not too far away now, just 2 weeks on the calendar but of course the weather may decide otherwise.

I will probably put out some autumn decor in another week whether the temperatures feel like autumn or not. Autumn is my favorite season. 

Things are getting busy again. Choir, ladies' Bible study, Winona Literary Club. I will have less free time starting tomorrow.

Are your days busier now, too?