Autumn, Blacksmith & Soccer

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The First Day of Autumn, the September Equinox began Saturday, September 22 at 9.54 PM, EST.

Once Upon an autumn day, 

Colorful leaves began to fade

In the midst of a chilly, frosty air

As multitude of trees grew steadily bare.

Once upon an autumn day, 

The whispering breeze was here to stay

Moving aimlessly through the countless trees

Scattering leaves with the greatest of ease.

Once upon an autumn day, 

The leaves whirled freely in every way, 

Until at last they came to rest

Finding a haven in which to nest.

Once upon an autumn day, 

The trees were dormant, and the leaves lay

Waiting for the winter snow to fall

To quickly obscure them one and all.

Joseph T. Renaldi

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Published an article on the Briartun Blacksmith Shop, here.

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The Richmond Fire Department and the Richmond Police Department put together their respective soccer teams and played a game at the Richmond Stadium. The Stadium is home of the Richmond Kickers soccer team.

It was an exciting game, more so because our son Stephen is a Richmond Fireman and played an excellent game. (Okay, a father’s opinion.) Anyway they won 3-1 and were presented the First Responders Cup.

The Richmond Fire Department Team

Accepting the Cup

Both teams posing after the Game

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Dee and I took a quick trip to Raleigh-Durham, N.C. to have dinner with our son Eric. We enjoyed a nice evening with him as well as having breakfast on Friday morning.

We arrived early to do a little shopping. Dee laid out a “trip plan” for flea markets, thrift shops, etc. She wanted to check some new places and then pick Eric up after he got out of work. 

One rather unusual place that we found had odds and ends, antiques, books, furniture, clothes and more, all in a small two story house. There were also items outside, but most of them were covered from the rain that fell earlier in the day. It’s called, “Everything But Grannnies Panties,” and, they mean it. We did not leave empty-handed. Check out their website.

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The win over Wake Forest puts the Irish Lads at 4-0. 

Read John Heisler’s article, What the Irish Learned.”

They play at home against Stanford Saturday night.

Richmond is now at 2-2 after their loss to the Seawolfs.  They are at home against James Madison Saturday afternoon, and it is not going to be an easy game.

Go Spiders!

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Our yard has needed some topsoil, aerating and seeding for the fall. Fortunately a good friend recommended someone and the work was completed. Now I need to make sure to water the lawn. 

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David Allen Cole - “Would You Lay With Me”

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

The Briartun Blacksmith Shop

In March of 2016 I introduced Thom Gilman, the blacksmith of Briartun. Since that time I’ve been wanting to make a blacksmith shop for him. I found a photo of a Prussian field forge over at “Der Alte Fritz Journal.” It was simple and I figured on making something similar to it. I could than add one of my completed homes to go with it. This would provide Thom a home as well as a place of work.

Fortunately for me, our son Todd has been gaming with some friends in North Carolina. One of them, Steve, is quite the model builder. Todd showed me some of the structures Steve made for their “konflikt 47” games. I was impressed with his work and asked if he could make a blacksmith shop for me. Just the shop, unpainted. I would paint and mount it myself. So, I sent him a copy of the photo. A very short time later Todd showed up with the blacksmith shop and some photos of the building process. 

This is the prototype shop to show scale size and basic layout.

The roof

The back and left walls

The assembled shop

A surprise for me, the prototype forge/hearth, 

sitting inside the shop.

A bigger surprise! The completed forge/hearth that lights up! 

The completed shop showing Thom Gilman, his apprentice Salem Poor and Thom’s new assistant, Symon Dew. Both men have plenty of work as new people begin to settle in Briartun.

Thank you to Der Alte Fritz and Chris. 

Deacons, Grandma and Tornados

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On Saturday, at The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia, Bishop Barry C. Knestout ordained Victor and Joe as Deacons. Both men are members of our parish, The Church of the Epiphany. Blessings and congratulations to both of them.

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My nephew Matthew and his wife Amber celebrated the birth of Violet Rose Perez 9-8-18.

That makes my younger sister Kim a granddaughter.

I'm feeling a wee bit older.

Yes, they are all Bills fans.

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Monday storms brought a record eight tornados to Richmond, Virginia. We are blessed that none of them came through our neighborhood.

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The Irish Lads continued their winning streak by defeating Vanderbilt 22-17.

Richmond has a 2-1 record as they head to Stony Brook on Saturday to face the Seawolfs.  

Dejon Brissett was named the Colonial Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the week.

Go Spiders!

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“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” 

Leo Tolstoy

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The Box Tops - “The Letter” (An interesting video)

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

Bilbo, Florence and Henry

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Our grandson, Justin, had a reading assignment for the summer months which included “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien. I haven’t read the story in a long time, so I thought it was time for another read. I was not disappointed. 

Now I plan on going back to read, once again, “The Lord of the Rings.” There are actually three books, “The Fellowship Of The Ring,” “The Two Towers” and “The Return Of The King.”

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On our way back from the Outer Banks last week, we stopped at our favorite breakfast place, "Mel's Diner." The food is excellent and so is the staff. Last year the restaurant was listed fir sale and closed for the season. The owner, Billy, decided to reopen this year and we are glad he did.

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Dee and I traveled to Maryland to visit with my brother Tee and his wife Karen. It was a short trip and we came back Wednesday evening. Karen is recovering from a hospital stay and I would appreciate prayers for her continued recovery.

While we were there I noticed that the Maryland squirrels act the same way our Virginia squirrels do. My brother doesn't use squirrel baffles but enjoys scaring them with his BB Gun.

Squirrels 1 - My Brother 0

Maryland squirrel.

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Hurricane Florence changed and did not come as close to Virginia as expected. So, all is well here in Richmond this morning. Unfortunately that is not the scenario for those along the Virginia coast and in the Carolina's. 

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Week 2 college football results:

Notre Dame 24 - Ball State Cardinals 16

Richmond Spiders 52 - Fordham Rams 7

Last nights game: 

Richmond Spiders 35 - Saint Francis 27

“With its backs against the wall and down to the final seconds on the clock, the University of Richmond scored two touchdowns in the final 1.7 seconds of the game to take home a 35-27 victory over Saint Francis Thursday night at DeGol Field.”

Details here.

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“The Rainy Day”

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,

But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,

But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,

And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-82) 

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The Statler Brothers - “Flowers On The Wall”

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

Jack Ryan, OBX & College Games

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The new Jack Ryan series has started and I’m pleased with the story line and actors. John Krasinski as Jack Ryan, Wendell Pierce as James Greer and Ali Suliman as the protagonist Suleiman. Excellent choices. 

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We have a beach group, which I have written about before. When we travel to the Outer Banks, I’m one of the first to get up in the morning. So, I make the coffee for the gang, regular and decaf. This trip they surprised me with a special coffee mug and a “thank you card” for my efforts. 

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These are some photos of our “beach home” for this year.

Mid-morning from the 3rd floor deck.

The Beach house.

The Chapel in Duck, off the boardwalk.

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Our ladies, modeling their aprons.

The cooking is always done by couples, in groups of two. My job is table set-up and dish washing. I don’t cook. This year it was Lou, Brenda, Dee and Me. Last trip it was Tony, Pam, Dee & me.

Dinner 

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It’s college football season again and Notre Dame started with a 24-17 win over Michigan. This Saturday they face the Ball State Cardinals.

The Richmond Spiders lost 13-42 against Virginia last week in Charlottesville, Virginia. This week they play at home against the Fordham Rams. Go Spiders!

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"By all these lovely tokens 

September days are here, 

With summer’s best of weather 

And autumn’s best of cheer." 

Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

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Five Satins - “In The Still of The Night”

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.