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?

Learned Something New

 When we first got our Google Pixel phones in 2021, there was no way to cast from the phone to a TV. No icon nor setting. It didn't matter because we did not have a smart TV. 

We are in the process of buying a smart TV. My husband thought he would buy a new cell phone so that he could do some casting. We visited Verizon today with the objective of purchasing a new phone for him.

 Fortunately, we started the discussion by mentioning the inability to cast. That is no longer true. As long as the version on the cell phone is Android 8.0 or above, there is a way to cast under connections. His phone is currently Android 13.0. The sales rep just typed in cast under the Search box in settings and the relevant setting popped right up. I had used mirroring on my old Samsung and was looking for that kind of icon. 

We saved money today because we stayed with his old phone. We are all set for our new TV.