Preparation for the Winter

A couple of weeks ago while making my way to the chicken coop to collect eggs, I passed this stump on the pathway. Obviously the chipmunks had been through a last minute frenzy to gather and stash food before the cold winter months set in for the long haul! The ground below the stump is littered with pine cone debris, too! What a party they must have had!

Autumn Daze

Colorful vine maple leaves fell in swirling clusters in the storm that visited us this past weekend.


We were doing a bit of yard clean-up, were thoroughly soaked in the pounding rain, yet found it somewhat exhilarating to be out amongst the beauty!

Our Burning Bush, taken 2 weeks ago.

Fall asters grow up by the mower shed.

This bowl is sporting 12 cups of huge, luscious raspberries that I picked on Monday. I find it so odd to be picking the bulk of my raspberries in the fall! Every 2-3 days I go out in the wet and harvest a big bowlful of the red buggers, and it will continue until the first hard frost hits, whenever that may be. One year it wasn't until mid December! Who has some delicious raspberry recipes for me?

Something to Slurp Over

A bit blurry, but devoured already, so cannot take a better shot. This is one of the best soups I have in my recipe collection! Comes from an excellent cook and my friend, Andra. She has a wonderful cookbook titled Celebrate the Rain that is full of delicious Northwest recipes. Even if this one sounds a bit sketch to you, try it. I know it will surprise you with its savory taste!

Cheese Tortellini Soup

2 Tablespoons oil
12 ounces thinly slices fully cooked smoked kielbasa sausage
1/2 cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 -14 oz cans chicken broth
1 - 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with liquid
1 -15 oz white beans rinsed and drained
1 -9 oz fresh cheese tortellini
1/2 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage, onion, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes and saute until golden, about 12 minutes. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the beans and tortellini. Simmer until the pasta is tender to the bite, about 10 minutes. Stir the spinach into the soup and turn off the heat. Cover and let stand 2 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

A good wife and a hearty soup. What a lucky man! ~ Beanball

Something to Stew About

Yummy stew for our chilly evenings

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~ George Eliot

FYI: George Eliot was a female author who wrote in an era where women writers were not taken seriously, and never published. So she took on a male pen name. You may know her for her great work of Silas Marner, amongst other pieces.

Thanksgiving is not over yet!

I wandered in to Ben Franklin on Saturday afternoon to pick up some pumpkin scented tea candles. All of their Thanksgiving decorations were 50% off ALREADY!!! They were hosting their Home for the Holidays weekend gavanza........... Christmas crafts and holiday everything..... and it was only Nov. 8! Well, so I picked up this unique pilgrim couple. I am having Thanksgiving at my house this year with extended family, so though I perhaps would update a couple of decorations (mine are all from when the kids were toddlers) since they were fairly cheap. Another 50% off would have been even better! Here is the couple:

Close-up of the bottom........ pretty cool, huh?

Vote Here for the Cutest!

I harvested my pie pumpkins today... still greenish, but the weather is turning too cold to remain in the garden. Hopefully they will ripen more quickly in the warm house. Gotta make pumpkin pies in a few weeks, after all! Darrell took Chase with him to load the squashes in the wheelbarrow to haul to the house. At his suggestion, I went along for a photo opportunity. Now I cannot decide which picture is the cutest! These are my favorite shots out of the bunches I took. He is just so cute, no? Vote in the comments and let me know which is your fav shot!

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I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
~ Henry David Thoreau

A Little more of Fall

These two photos are of the vine maples around the fire pit.....

These two are taken along the road on the drive down the mountain.....

Below are odd cloud formations for our area. The entire sky appeared like this. Very pretty. Perhaps a new sign of fall?

Scout lets the warmth of the afternoon sun soak into his sore joints.....

Bagheera enjoys a cat nap amongst the carrots.....

Whatever the name of this bush is, it has the most magnificent fall coloring.....

The leaves are now quickly falling.....
And what would fall be without the colds that swirl around? I managed to catch a doozy of one this year. I haven't had a cold for years. This is what I am taking for it, in hopes my head will not be clogged up when we fly out tomorrow night for Kansas. And yes, it tastes as bad as it looks! Maybe worse.....

When you fall on somebody, it's not enough to say you didn't mean to; after all, he probably didn't mean to be underneath you. ~ Pooh

The Heralding of Fall at our Home

Leaves alongside the road..... Yellows and reds......
Golden leaves.....

Scarlet leaves.....
Japanese anemones waving their heads in the wind.....
Smoke wafting from the chimney.....
Firm, bright rose hips.....

Lots of spiders spinning webs.....

Apples.....
Long shadows slanting across the lawn.....
Winter's wood stacked in the sheds.....
Wood chips and logs.....
Sunflowers, the last ones holding their heads up in the garden.....

Asters bursting forth.....

Big squashes (this one is from last year, as I didn't grow any Blue Hubbard squash this year..... it was 50 pounds!).....
Sugar pumpkins for Thanksgiving pies.....
Early morning frost on the pumpkin.....

.....and herbs.....
Ice on the windshields.....
Colorful squashes of all sorts.....
And finally, scary harvest moons!

That orbed maiden with white fire laden,

Whom mortals call the Moon..... ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley