Halloween just doesn't thrill me for some reason, but I have to say we had a great time trick-or-treating tonight in Frankfort. Country kids get rooked a little when it comes to trick or treat, but we always manage to find somewhere fun and safe to go.
It made me a little sad to think this will probably be the last time to take out one of our kids, and Mirian may have been on the older side this year. She begged and we compromised (I figured that she never had the opportunity while she was still in Peru) and decided she could go IF the majority of the candy goes along with us to Peru to be passed out to the children there.
It's always fun to see the decorations at the Governor's Mansion beside the Kentucky State Capitol. The jack-o-lanterns and other decorations (shown up top) are very neat.
Many in the diverse neighborhood of mostly older homes really get into the spirit of Halloween- I know that not everyone is into passing out candy, but you can tell that some of the older folks truly enjoy their young visitors in costume and many decorate to the hilt.
I'm feeling a little pensive today... perhaps because it's the birthday of my late brother Mike and I'm doing lots of reflecting on life.... not blue, just feeling philosophical. (Started the other day...)
In the midst of our busy-ness getting ready to go to Peru, I have somehow carved out time for these things and more.... and this gorgeous fall has been in the forefront of my mind as we go about our daily routine. I had a nice talk with my Mom on our quick visit about how lucky we are to have been taught to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us... and this has been an incrediby pretty fall.
My cup is full.
My friends are great cooks, and as always we ate well. Our favorite meals are those we share on the trail, and this year we had "Gallop Gals" wine with our lunch, complements of Marti. 
Mary Beth had put together some pocket stews to cook over the campfire, and they were awesome, with ground buffalo and fall vegetables simmering together over the flames. Yum! 
It sure as heck beats fighting traffic!
We have three century-old pear trees on the property, and despite their gnarly appearance they always produce a ton of fruit. This year we had such a good growing season and our renter fertilized the trees for the first time, resulting in a true bumper crop.
On Saturday, we went on a trail ride at Cave Run Lake with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager's Club. There were 33 riders and their horses (and mules) and the weather was stellar.
It was good to see Paul on horseback for a change! (Normally, he likes to ride the two-wheeled sort!)
Then we got ready for the Blessing of the Pets at our church, since it was St. Francis day. This was the first time that Sushi had been dressed up in a while, and he took it all in stride.
It was a lot of fun to see the variety of pets! (No, we didn't take any alpacas along).
* Clean alpacas in the fields! (In late summer, our humidity is high and they roll a lot in their dust piles, subsequently looking like little muddy pigs. I like them better like this! That's Rosa, one of our Maremma guardian dogs). 
I'll be detailing our trip more and more as the time grows nearer, but wanted to get the word out that we're collecting unopened over-the-counter pain medicines to take along. If you would like to help, please send or bring to us boxes of aspirin, ibuprofen, baby aspirin, etc. The people whom we'll be assisting live in an incredibly cold and harsh high-altitude environment and deal with a lot of pain on a regular basis. This is our small way of helping.... and you can, too!