Fall

It's funny because lately I have been dreading the colder weather that this time of year brings, wishing that I could skip from early fall to late spring and miraculously miss the dropping temperatures that cause you to put away the summer shorts and tank tops in exchange for the winter coats and gloves. But I just now walked out on our back deck and as I stood there a certain excitement ran through me as I breathed in the crisp, cool fall air that smelled of burning wood and fallen leaves... and it is a decidely glorious thing!

And the fall colors that abound here cannot compare to where I grew up where farms, fields and open spaces predominated the landscape and trees were far and few between.

Here we are surrounded by mighty Oaks and Maples, Birch, Elm and  Ash trees that grow so readily that they tend to grow like weeds in any disturbed soil available. But that comes with the abundance of them... many trees make many seedlings!

But I really don't mind, I can easily put up with the babies that abound as it is their parents that I truely love. (Yes, I admit it... I am a tree hugger! Ü)
The shades  of orange, red and yellow they display this time of year is breath taking and there are some of which that seem to possess an impossible internal glow. And this year, I have found the colors extremely brilliant. It is a magnificent sensual explosion to feast your eyes upon. I have been having a hard time keeping my eyes on the road while driving!

I was curious as to what tree leaves turn what colors so I found this information on the NewEnglandTimes.com website-

"Leaf color changes in New England fall foliage color changes are determined by the tree's species. For instance, the evergreens, spruce, fir trees and rhododendrons and laurel, among others, are called evergreens for a reason. Even though some species will change the color of their leaves, what remains at season's end stays green.
Birch, elm, poplar, redbud and hickory trees give us the gold and yellow hues that seem to dominate as the backdrop for the reds in autumn's color scheme.
Red oak, hickory, ash, sugar maple, sweet gum, black gum, sourwood, red maple, as well as dogwoods give us the stunning red, deep magenta and purple colors, although they can produce yellow leaves. We get maroon from sumac."

And just in case you missed it, or you live where farms, fields and open spaces predominated the landscape, here is a little recap of the month of October in our neck of the woods.



I truely would not want to miss being here this time of year!


But perhaps... I could miss the months of January and February then?

Ü

Noah's stream of Consciousness...

Noah says: Did you know there are no bathrooms in the Hundred Acre Woods...

I say: Oh... well then... where does Pooh go poo?

Noah says: Hmmm... I don't know... it doesn't say...

I say: ... I bet he goes in the woods, bears do that you know.

Noah says: Yeah, probably in a hollow log or something... then the bees will come by and say 'what's that smell?'

I say: They probably think it smells like used Honey. Heh heh heh

Then Noah immediately drifts in to talking about the Taj Mahal...

He says: Did you know that the guy who built the Taj Mahal built it to bury his wife in?

I say: Really?

Noah says: Yeah... you didn't know that? Here let me show you...

And he goes to the bookcase and brings back the book  'My First Atlas' by DK.

He says: It says it here in this baby book... 'My First Atlantis'...

I laugh and say:  Atlantis?!? It is Atlas, Silly, not Atlantis. Look at it again.

Then he sits down with me on my chair and proceeds to flip through the book and begins reading to me.

"The Taj Mahal is an enormous marble temple decorated with precious stones. It was built by an Indian emperor as a burial place for his wife. The Taj Mahal is in Agra, India."

And he continued reading all kinds of interesting facts about-

Orangutans in Borneo... Fossil hunting in East Asia...Gold and Diamonds, Oasis's and Love birds in Africa... and then he looked through all the flags of the world... of which he pointed out to me the flags of the country's that were involved in WW II.

I was duly impressed.

Then he says: Mom let's go to www.Icanhascheezburger.com

To which I said: Thanks Madison! 

Oh... Look at all the funny kittehs!

:- p

Bread and Butter

Boo Boo likes Bread and Butter

Hopey likes Bread and Butter too

Boo Boo and Hopey

Share Bread and Butter together!

And to think... Hopey was a terror to cats?

Pshhhhaw!

Nonsense!

Ü

Shovel

I Brake for Yard Sales!

You know there are times when it seems that everyone else is the Lucky one finding that proverbial four leaf clover...

and sometimes it seems my timing just isn't right as I may be in the right place but at the wrong time and then there are times when I get a bad case of the "Oh, if only's"... But then... there are the times when God sees fit to put me in a place where he can bless me...

and today just happened to be that day!

Mike and I were on our way to lunch when we passed a sign that said two fantastically Lovely words… Yard Sale. I didn’t even see the sign myself, it was Mike that pointed it out and asked if I wanted to stop…???

*Snort* thought I… Does a horse poop in the pasture?? Of course I wanted to stop!

So, we turned around and went back and my, oh my, are we glad that we did!
(Right Honey? Ü)

The people were liquidating stuff that they had from their eclectic little business that was a deli and garden shop in one!

I was having a blast rummaging through shelves, boxes and bins...

... looking for trinkets,

trifles...

...and treasures to call my own!

As a matter of fact, I had so much fun

that I went back for a second time...

And even gave them my phone number

to call me for the next yard sale

which they said they were planning to have again next month.

They listed me in their phone as Angie 'Yard Sale'... I kinda like that, and am kicking around the idea of making that my middle name.
heh heh heh

So, if anyone else is interested… I suppose... I could let you know Ü

But the best part of all of this is when in the midst of my excitement I stopped and realized what was happening and I took a step back and looked toward Heaven and said… Thank you Lord… from whom All Blessings flow! ♥

You know, every so often there are the times like today... when God's orchestrates and leads me to the perfect place where he gets my attention enough for me to hear him whisper and there he blesses me.

It was in the midst of my delving that I realized what was happening... that it is not the blessing of physical gifts that is important... it's that the giver of all gifts is God and every blessing there is to receive comes from his hand.

And he is my provider and it is he who always seems to give me more than just my needs... and gives me so much more than I deserve.

And all the physical blessings in this world cannot compare to receiving the one true and incorruptible treasure which cannot rust or be destroyed or taken from me because it is not kept here on earth but is kept in heaven.

So, even though this stuff is kinda nice... it is God's gift of Jesus, who is my salvation, whom I am, and will be, eternally grateful for! ♥

It's a Fall thing to do!

The time has come... 

(Some of these pictures were taken in 2007... when Webster was just a peanut!)

for apple picking... and pie making...



which, incedently, this year I have accomplished the latter without doing the former!

I had wanted to pick my own but when I went into the grocery store and found fresh regionally grown totes of apples for 85 cents a pound I decided to forego the picking myself and just buy them there. I just couldn't pass up a deal like that, I mean, the cheapest pyo orchard that I found was $1.10!

So I bought a tote of Greenling, Granny Smith and Empire to make my apple pie filling. And it's a smashing combination if I don't say so myself! I was able to make 4 quarts to freeze and also one pie to eat now.

That just happens to be a picture of the pie I made Up There ↑

And my recipe that I used is right Here ↓

Eve's Apple Pie Filling... It's so good it's *almost* sinful! ;- )

3 Totes of Apples (as mentioned above)
I know, I know... that's not a very precise measurement and I don't know how many pounds it was or cups it actually made... I had briefly considered measuring and/or weighing them but that is all that it was... a fleeting thought...  I will try to do it next time because I do plan on making and freezing more!

4 1/2 Cups White Sugar

3/4 Cup Cornstarch

1/4 Cup Flour

1 TBLS Ground Cinnamon

1 TSP Salt

1/2 TSP Gound Nutmeg

8 Cups Water

1 Cup Dried Cranberries

I like kitchen gadgets and one of my favorites is my handy dandy apple peeler that I bought at Wally World for about $10. You stick the apple on the spindle and turn the crank and off comes the peel!



I have one similiar to this already, but that one peels and slices at the same time and I like my pies to be filled with hunky chunky morsels of apple not flimsy frail slivers!

Like this...

Pretty Hunky Chunky, eh?

So after all the apples were peeled...

I slice and core them like this...

 

and place them back into the big bowl. 

Then I mix up the 3 TBLS of lemon juice with 1 cup of the water and pour it over the apples and toss them around in it to help prevent browning.

The remaining 7 cups of water goes into a large pot over medium heat... with the sugar, cornstarch, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg... stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Next slowly dump the big bowl of hunky-chunky apples and lemon water in the pot and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 10 minutes or so.
Add the dried cranberries in the last couple minutes of cooking.

Let it cool down for about a half hour before ladling into your freezer containers leaving a 1/2 inch headspace, then cool at room temperature for a couple of hours. Put the lids on tight and put in the freezer and viola' your done!

Well... unless of course, you wanted to make a pie like I did because then you would need to do the pie crust thing (which I cheated and used a pre-made one) and bake it in a 375° oven for about 40-45 minutes.

But if you did decide to do that... you would have this ↓



And get to do this ↓

Open up... here comes the choo-chooooo! heh heh heh 

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

I am still planning on going apple picking though, as there is something about picking one right off the tree and eating it on a cool fall day that is Priceless!

Sorta like this picture... Priceless! Awww...♥ my little Boy!


And besides, there is this one apple that I Must pick as I absolutely Love to eat it and I don't find it for sale Anywhere in the stores ... and that is the Cameo apple!

Oh, through hail and fog and stormy nights (or however that little ditty goes) I would travel the world for you my Darling Cameo! ♥



That is a Cameo apple that Webster is eating... my mouth waters just looking at this picture!
But I have to wait a little bit longer as it is one of the last apples to ripen. These pictures were taken on the very last day of apple picking, October 31st!

So very soon we'll be back here ↓ 

Ü