Yum!

I just discovered a wonderful cooking blog through Sam at My Carolina Kitchen…. click the link below for a great pumpkin cheese ball recipe from Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen…
Easy to make too, I’m definitely using this recipe for fall entertaining.

http://lakelurecottagekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/pumpkin-cheese-ball.html#comment-form

After a Saturday of road tripping,
we had a lovely  low-key Sunday complete with comfort food.
Mike made his sauce and meatballs… food for the Gods…
and I’m not embarassed to say his is better than mine.

I made Cheyenne’s pumpkin muffins…
see two posts below for recipe..
Have to tell you, they are THE BOMB, the best pumpkin muffins I’ve ever had.
Moist, delicious.. even Mike likes them and he doesn’t do pumpkin.

Happy Fall, Y’all!

I just wanted to say that. Now if only I could master the southern accent.

Hop in the car.. Let’s go to Vermont!

This time we trek up Route 30 N into Manchester.
The leaves are not quite “peak”… hard to judge this, as weather conditions
are always a factor leading up to the event itself.
I laugh to myself, because our mission is “to see the color”…
and to find a genuine church-made apple pie. 
Never had better, not even my own, no kidding.
The laugh is because we have the same beautiful foliage in Connecticut, truth be told..
but something about the mountains and the crisp air and maple everything
makes it more magical in Vermont.
First Stop.. West Dummerston Bridge…built in 1872…
longest two-span covered bridge in Vermont  at 267 feet.
It crosses the West River, which we follow for much of our trek up 30 N.

 

 

The West River is beautiful, we step down under the bridge
and we think out loud what an awesome kayak trip that would be.
Then we drive through the town of NewFane,
where volunteer firemen are collecting donations with their boots in the street..
and we stop at the Heritage Festival.
I love this town.
There were about 100 artisans and vendors on the church green
selling all kinds of beautiful things… this festival is worth a trip up North for sure.
You know I bought some of these….
and in that church on the left?…
I found this…
What we notice most when we visit Vermont
is the genuine ease and  friendliness of the people.  Even when they know you’re a “visitor”.
Mike always says he feels instant decompression when he drives over the border.
The Town of Newfane has some really  lovely typical Vermont
 buildings and houses along it’s “Main Street”…
 

Heading up to Stratton Mountain and Manchester just beyond it,
we come across this big red barn…
and a purple one too….
In Vermont, house and barn are usually close together,
and sometimes attached… as the winters are coooold.
Less exposure to the weather. 
This is why the bridges are covered.. to protect them from the elements. 

Manchester surprised me and I didn’t photograph it…it’s a very  upscale ski and shopping town,
with stores like J.Crew, Kenneth Cole, Michael Kohrs, etc…
Although we met a very down-to-earth shop owner of the Country market and gas station at
the  entrance to  town. He’s originally from New Jersey…
moved to Vermont to get away from it all.
He said it’s absolutely lovely to live there.. .just… bring a restaurant with you.
We followed the river back home….
..got awesome Maple Cheddar and Sage Cheddar at the Grafton Village Creamery..
This is seriously so freak’n delicious. Are you a cheese lover?
Find out if you can order it online, it’s worth it.
…and a stop at the Dam Diner. 
I just couldn’t pass that sign up.

Good morning!

..and it is a glorious one here in New England.
I plan to enjoy it to the fullest…
a walk with one of the dogs in the State forest
to kick start my fitness project (that would be myself)
and later some pumpkin muffin baking with
The light was so beautiful as the mist burned off this morning
that once horses and chickens were fed I ran inside to grab my camera
  to capture some of the awesome glow.

The horses are still munching on crab apples off the old apple tree in their pasture…
and I take the extras out daily, fighting off the bees…
as we don’t want them to have too many.

New chicks and old are getting along fine…
Notice my year-olds look like a hot mess, being smack in the middle of their first “molt”.

This is Dorothy, currently outside the coop as punishment
this morning for mercilessly picking on the newbies.
I’d had enough of that crap and threw her featherless butt out for the morning.
She’s not quite sure what happened… I’m hoping it stirs up the pecking order some.

This look means:
Mom.. I ripped my new sheet already..and it’s been over a week.
Please get me a new one, my nails keep getting caught in the rip.
Love you lots though, really, BEN.

Have a great weekend, all – we’ve made a pact here at This Old House.  
WE… aren’t going to talk politics.
Ever again.
ever.

Organon – a market at Chester

   Today while out running errands I came across a new market in Chester, CT.  For those of you who are local and like to buy fresh local produce, organic groceries and cleaning products, delicious foods and desserts made right there on the premises… I recommend you make the trip to check it out.  Opened just 10 weeks ago, they  carry an array of good foods and organic cleaning products I usually travel a longer distance to buy.

Visit their website HERE  for more information.
I was greeted by the store owner and given a tour of their new shop. I found the atmosphere to be very clean and friendly.  Local artists display paintings on the walls.. and there’s a chalk board for store patrons to write suggestions on things they’d like the store to carry.  Aloe Juice was my contribution to the list.
Pastry Chef Danielle Hoff with market owner Peter Kehayias

Debate THIS

Him:  What time is the debate on tonight?….

Me:   Nine.

Him:   Get ready to rock and roll, baby….

Me:   Oooooh nooo you don’t. You’re starting all ready.  Are you capable of keeping your opinions and your wise cracks and the attitude to yourself?

Him:  Nope!

Me:   I’m going to my mothers house to watch it then.

Him:  Good idea.

 The secret to staying married to a polar opposite?  Sometimes it’s one simple word.  Distance.

Have a good night, all.   🙂  

October and the Noble Pig

 I just found an awesome blog through another Blogger, thanks Diane!   Today’s post  – these awesome treats…

See recipe and Noble Pig blog HERE

 October is one of my favorite months, and Halloween one of my favorite holidays. The  girlchild has a birthday and I get to make a fun cake.  We brought our first newborn home from the hospital  on Mischief Night and all I could think about was… OH NO… what if the car gets egged?   What if we get TP’d??  The birthdays over the years have been so much fun to put together and just because she’s now a grown up I don’t have to stop the festivities,  right?   I shan’t.    That is too a word.

 October is also Adopt a Shelter Dog month… you all know by now I’m a big advocate.  If you’re new to my blog, just click on the Shelter Dog or Dog Days Adoption Events labels on the left to read more…

and last but not least….

 October is also Breast Cancer awareness month.   I just got my yearly mammogram after delaying it some because of the fear of it all.  I definitely suffer from medical anxiety… but I sucked it up and went… and you should too if you are due for your annual mammo. 

Early detection saves lives, it’s as simple as that… so just do it.

Rainbow

Last night we took a walk up on the hill behind This Old House.
 There was a light rain and some gusty wind,
with the most unusal golden light sky – just beautiful.
Shortly after the rainfall, up over the house…
was this..   a double rainbow
I could see most of the rainbow’s arch, but it was very hard to capture all of it in one frame…
Can you see the double rainbow ring below?

* Author Donald Ahrens in his text Meteorology Today describes a rainbow as “one of the most spectacular light shows observed on earth”. Indeed the traditional rainbow is sunlight spread out into its spectrum of colors and diverted to the eye of the observer by water droplets.
* The traditional description of the rainbow is that it is made up of seven colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Actually, the rainbow is a whole continuum of colors from red to violet and even beyond the colors that the eye can see.
The colors of the rainbow arise from two basic facts:
Sunlight is made up of the whole range of colors that the eye can detect. The range of sunlight colors, when combined, looks white to the eye. This property of sunlight was first demonstrated by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666.
Light of different colors is refracted by different amounts when it passes from one medium (air, for example) into another (water or glass, for example).
*Sometimes we see two rainbows at once, what causes this? We have followed the path of a ray of sunlight as it enters and is reflected inside the raindrop. But not all of the energy of the ray escapes the raindrop after it is reflected once. A part of the ray is reflected again and travels along inside the drop to emerge from the drop. The rainbow we normally see is called the primary rainbow and is produced by one internal reflection; the secondary rainbow arises from two internal reflections and the rays exit the drop at an angle of 50 degrees° rather than the 42°degrees for the red primary bow.
*Notice the contrast between the sky inside the arc and outside it. When one studies the refraction of sunlight on a raindrop one finds that there are many rays emerging at angles smaller than the rainbow ray, but essentially no light from single internal reflections at angles greater than this ray. Thus there is a lot of light within the bow, and very little beyond it. Because this light is a mix of all the rainbow colors, it is white. In the case of the secondary rainbow, the rainbow ray is the smallest angle and there are many rays emerging at angles greater than this one. Therefore the two bows combine to define a dark region between them – called Alexander’s Dark Band, in honor of Alexander of Aphrodisias who discussed it some 1800 years ago!

Durham Fair 2012

   As far as fairs go, the Durham fair is a pretty big deal around here.   Last night’s entertainment was Kenny Rogers and tonight Kelly Pickler will perform.  We postponed our Vermont ride due to the rain, so the girlchild and I went to the fair for a few hours this afternoon.    I used a camera app on my phone that I am not familiar with, and I did not save my best shots… apparently…. @#$!# ….  So  you’ll have to  tolerate a little suckitude in the photo department today.  That is totally a word.   

Of course, my focus was Food. 

These are really cool dog treats!

..and an adorable bunny who would look so cute in a rabbit hutch
next to my chicken coop, don’t ya think?
Mike would choke me.

But I could probably get away with this…..

SO.. I’ve been going to the Durham Fair since I first started visiting Family in CT
in my late teens.  It’s definitely an exciting place for the youthful… bands playing, 
 lots of  strutting and flirting and mingling and dressing to impress. 
 The glance that turns into a lingering look,
perhaps a sideways smile… oh, the possibilities…
you know what I’m talking about.  
I used to be ONE OF THOSE.
Then we were married and had a family…
Strollers through the crowds, cotton candy and corndogs..
kiddie rides,  Dad the hero wins a giant panda.
Sticky fingers and rosey cheeks…
I loved  when we were one of those.
Now I’m just one of the space-taker-uppers who complain about the big hill
because my knees are complaining even louder.
Gone are the sandals,  tight shirt and shorts to attempt “sexy” despite the early fall chill…
Heck no, I want COMFORT. 
 Out come the sneakers, jeans and a long sleeve shirt, pullover too. 
The only lingering stares are if the bathroom line is really really long
and you’re  wondering if you’ll MAKE it till a stall comes open
because that big Lime Rickey you just had to drink up might just do you in. 
Yes, I’m one of those.  

Smile!

Are these awesome or what??!! 
Apple slices, mini marshmallows and peanut butter!
These pics were found all over the internet (Pinterest, Google)
I’m always looking for something new to make just for fun.
To keep the  “smile” together, use peanut butter like denture cream!..lol..
It’s a delicious combination. 
 More awesome treats… 
candy apples… 

Caldron cookies

Ghost cookies!
Nutter Butter cookies dipped in melted white chocolate
mini chocolate chips for eyes.

Two of my favorite blogs had inspirational fall posts today…
Great recipes at Bee Haven Acres HERE
Beautiful fall decorations at Chronicles of a Country Girl HERE
 We might or might not take a trip into Vermont tomorrow..
depends on the weather.  You know I”ll bring my Canon and show you the colors if we go.
Happy weekend to you!

A request

I received an e-mail  this morning from a friend who lives down the road. I don’t know a more courageous group of women…”C” has lost her husband and son to muscular dystrophy, and her two daughters, both in their forties, are afflicted as well.  When her children were born she did not know of her husband’s eventual diagnosis, which is hereditary and passed on to offspring.

“Good-morning all….



* Maryellen  started with a sniffle Sunday morning in church. She didn’t want to expose anyone to germs and went to the back of the church during the “passing of the peace”, not to shake hands. You just gotta love this girl.


 Monday afternoon she called  – her husband was taking her to the Yale New Haven Hospital ER. Four hours later she was released. Her xrays looked good and in fact they were better than the ones taken in July when she was admitted. They gave her some pills and sent her on her way.

Tuesday AM, while at my weekly Bible study I got a call from my daughter *Erin.  *Maryellen  was in trouble and needed me. Her husband  was at work in Norwalk…..a good hour and a half away. I’m only 20 minutes away. She had called her doctor and he wanted her to go the the ER in New Haven. He even suggested she call an ambulance. “OH NO”….was *Maryellen’s response. “My Mom will take me”. Well Mom is getting a little too old to handle these situations again……but Mom did. God is so good to me and gives me the strength to do what is needed.


*Maryellen’s  O2 sats were 82 and heart rate 118 when I arrived. I boosted her O2 up to 5 liters from 3 and drove her to the ER reminding her all the way that she needed to call 911 in the future. They could get there quicker than I and had all the necessary equipment on board to treat her quickly and could start an IV. Have you ever noticed when your talking to your kids and you know when what your saying is going in one ear and out the other?????


Well, 7 hours later  *Maryellen was admitted. During those 7 hours we found out she had a collapsed lung, given fluids via IV for dehydration, and allergic reaction to an IV antibiotic, a shot to take care of that, then vomitting for a good 45 minutes, another shot to take care of that, about 10 bottles of blood taken but only after they brought in a machine, ultra-sound, to find her veins. By the time she was put in a bed on the 6th floor she was exhausted and looked like she had been in a battle. Well…..actually she had been.

It was time to head home for me. Picked up a delicious cheeseburger at Burger King and sat in the car with visions of sitting by a nice lake, sipping a real good red wine, dining on a good steak, baked potato, green beans and romantic piano music playing in the back ground……..Boy do I know how to dream. All this while listening to Steven Tyler and Aerosmith singing Dream On…. There is nothing like hearing Aerosmith when your down in the dumps. On my bucket list is to see them in concert someday.



Back home I had the glass of wine, watched the results from Dancing with The Stars and so happy to see Pam Anderson go home. Oh What A Night!


Prayers please for my girl *Maryann  and her hubby *Daniel.

 
Blessings all…”

 
So I’m sending a request to all you prayer warriors out there… say a few for my friend “C”,  *Maryann,  her husband *Daniel and  sister  *Erin.     They’re fighting one heck of a fight and I truly believe in the power of people coming together, sending healing thoughts out into the universe.