Fall is Here?!?!

We know it has officially been Fall for a couple of weeks, but this week it started to feel like it!  The cooler weather was a welcome change, as it meant we could enjoy being outside (although we would have welcomed rain).  There wasn't a lot of sunshine, but we didn't mind.  We're starting to notice leaves changing colors on trees when we're out and about.  Let's hope Fall will last a while, and we can all enjoy the colorful season!

Our week began on Tuesday with a fun session at Freedom Park with the master gardeners.  It was Birdhouse Gourd Day!  We learned last year that gourds have to be picked and left to dry for about a year before they can be used for functional or decorative purposes.  Last year, we tried growing our own at the Botanical Garden, but they didn't produce the way we hoped.  MG Joanne volunteers at the garden at Blayton Elementary, and she was able to get some from there.  MGs Karen and Linda were able to store them at their homes for the past year as they dried.  Recently, Krafty Karen cleaned out the seeds, sanded them, had her helpful husband drill holes in them, and then painted all of them with a primer.  WOW!  Thanks, Karen, for all you did to prep the gourds for us.  It was A LOT of work!

Our session began with Karen showing us pictures of what gourds look like as they grow, when they are first picked, and after they are dried.  They are not smooth and white like the ones before us at the tables!  In fact, they go from green to brownish and even have spots on them!  They can also get moldy and smelly during the drying process, but luckily, most of ours did not. 

This is a picture of gourds growing over a fence in Colonial Williamsburg.  They are very pretty!

Karen also showed us a small gourd that was recently picked and hasn't been dried.  She said gourds are in the same family as pumpkins and squash, but aren't particularly edible.  Linda said they are mostly used for decorative purposes, though Native Americans used them for kitchen tools, storage, and to make instruments, among other uses. 

Everyone chose a color and we used our "paint thinly with sponge brush" technique to put a couple of coats on the gourds.  

Patrick demonstrated!

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Our MG friends were standing by to help as needed...but we did pretty well on our own!

While we waited for the first coat of paint to dry, MG Jordan gave us interesting information about backyard birds, and who we might expect to take up residence in our houses.

Jordan told us that certain birds love to make their homes in gourds.  She showed us pictures of birds nesting in gourds.

Her advice was for us to put our houses out in early Spring, though maybe late February would be good, too.  That's when common house wrens sometimes begin house hunting!  

Jordan said these are birds in our area who are "cavity nesters," which means they like to nest in small areas, such as inside our gourds.  They are (top row) the Carolina wren and common house wren, and (bottom row) Carolina chickadee and bluebird.  She added that we're most likely to have the house wrens nest in our gourds.

In addition to learning about gourd birdhouses, we also learned about the Herb of the Day from Linda...it's goldenrod!  This is an herb that is not really used for cooking, but more for decorations (after drying) or, in past times, making dyes.  There are over 100 species of goldenrod, and Linda also told us that Thomas Edison discovered one species that has a type of "latex" in it, which made his friend Henry Ford very happy to hear, as Ford needed a home-grown source of rubber back in the 1920s! 

Here are our painted gourd birdhouses!  Krafty Karen will take them home to add a layer of shiny gloss that will protect them from weathering, and we will bring them home at our next session on October 22.  Thanks again, Karen, for all the effort you are putting into these for us.  We can't wait to see what happens when we put them out in the Spring!

Where did the time go on Wednesday?  It seemed like a very quick day, perhaps because we were busy!  First thing, Alexis, Kacie, and Bo reported to the library for shelving duty.

 We rocked out during our dance warm up, and then went right into talking about Stop Bullying Day.  Even though we don't have a bullying issue at the AoA, our guys find the topic relevant as they think about others and our society in general.  We partnered them up for several activities related to recognizing and helping to stop bullying.

Bo and Alexis worked with their partners Drew and Abraham on highlighting key words related to different types of bullying behaviors.

During this activity, Liz and Laura identified "thumbs up" vs. "thumbs down" behaviors. 

As usual, everyone spread out when we went outside.  There is a lot of space and we have options of how to spend our time.  Kevin and Xavier threw basketballs while others walked.

It was windy and a little cool as Sam picked up his pace! 

Alexis and Kacie were pretty in pink as they took a few laps.

This group enjoyed throwing the disc, and chasing it every which way the wind blew!

We have some baseball fans in our midst.  Congrats to Liz's Nationals for moving on in the playoffs!  Better luck next year for Patrick's Braves!

Several of us enjoyed having Teddy Bears at work today.  Laura invited hers to play Candyland with Carol during Choice Time!

Also during Choice Time, Sam taught Cameron a few pool shooting techniques.

Earlier in the day everyone had colored a teddy bear puzzle.  We cut them apart and shared with our friends to solve while we waited for Patti to come for yoga.

Xavier assembled the puzzle Devin had colored.

Patti invited our teddy bears to join us in yoga!

This week we began choreographing our "Thriller Yoga" that we will do on Halloween.  We remembered how much fun it was last year!  Here, Sam and Abraham are practicing a zombie walk.

Kevin and Kacie practiced being ghouls rising up from the grave.  Yikes! 👻  Haha, we all know it's just pretend! 

Meemaw was back with us at Eaton on Thursday!  Look at her driving this load of PowerSlide doors.  She's a dynamo!

There were so many light bulbs to unpack that Liz and Kate set up in one room...

...while Kacie set up in another!  

It never ceases to amaze us at how smoothly our door assembly goes.  With Meemaw on the electric screwdriver and Xavier, Cameron, and Kevin specializing in attaching nuts and bolts, the job gets done!

Of course, the efficient work of Sam unpacking, Devin attaching windows, and Nan and Alexis placing labels gets the whole operation started!

Yes, it took Drew, Patrick, Laura, Annmarie, and Bo to snap a small piece off of about 1,000 parts today!  Twist, twist, snap...that's all it took, and they finished all but a few by lunchtime.

At the end of our shift, we make runs to the trash and recycling dumpsters.  

Hi Nina!  We sure enjoy stopping by Wendy's sometimes after Eaton work days!

On Friday we studied the 13th state to enter the Union, Rhode Island.  It is the smallest state in America, but has one of the largest state birds!

Our food item today was Rhode Island's state beverage, coffee milk!  It's apparently very unique to Rhode Island, as we learned that if you're not from there, you've probably never heard of it.  It's like chocolate milk, but flavored with coffee syrup istead of chocolate syrup.  We ordered the coffee syrup from Amazon, but it's made in Rhode Island!

Most of the gang liked coffee milk.  Liz said she would have preferred it to be heated.  Others said they would have liked us to have made a "coffee cabinet," which is what Rhode Islanders call coffee milk with ice cream mixed in!

Monday is Columbus Day so we had a lesson about his contribution to world exploration.  We learned that while he led voyages to the Americas, he did not "discover" America and he did not treat the native (indigenous) people he encountered very kindly.  In fact, at least six states have renamed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day, choosing instead to honor the millions of people who were already here in 1492.

Our birthday boy Abraham was filled with joy when his mom treated his friends to pizza, salad, and cake for lunch.  This was Abraham's first birthday with us!

Thank you, Ms. Mona', for the fun party and tasty lunch!  We are so happy to have Abraham in the AoA!

Our week ended with a challenging game of Disney trivia.  This question didn't stump our guys, but a couple of others did.  We now know that Cinderella lost her left slipper and Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney company in 1923!

Here's what we'll be up to next week:

Tuesday:  We're bowling and having pizza for lunch today!  We'll also stop by the Botanical Garden to see if there are any zinnias left as we need to make centerpieces for Thursday's luncheon.  When we return to AFCC, we'll enjoy a yoga session with Kiley!  She's coming to our place!  Wear your Arc shirt and comfy pants or shorts for yoga.

Wednesday:  Jeff from the Rotary will be here today working with us in the computer lab.  We'll have lessons on Native American Day (Oct. 14) and the Navy's birthday (Oct. 13).  Dress to stretch for yoga with Patti today!  Lunch on your own.

Thursday:  It's National Pasta Day!  More importantly, it's a day we have created:  Master Gardener Appreciation Day!  We've invited our MG friends for a luncheon (pasta, of course!) so we can thank them for their dedication to working with us.  We're excited to celebrate them!  Chicken Ranch Pasta and Caesar Salad for lunch!

Friday:  Today we're learning about the 14th state to enter the Union, Vermont.  Expect a taste of Ben and Jerry's ice cream today! We're also heading to the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg for a visit with Christina after lunch.  Wear your Arc shirt and please bring a bag lunch. It's a week out, but the forecast looks good for a stop at New Quarter Park for a picnic and some exercise before heading to see Christina.  

Saturday, October 26:  Come out and support the Arc at Anheuser Busch Williamsburg Brewery's Oktoberfest!   There will be tours of the brewery, live music, food trucks, games, and more.  Admission is free; beer tickets must be purchased.