We’ve added only one new stocking this year. Sixty-two years ago our mantle held only two stockings. Now, we have 35 with another one on the way. This is what happens when you have four kids who had 14 kids who have, at present, seven more. The more the merrier! I think they’ll all be here for Christmas to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of good will.
After everyone went home from Thanksgiving dinner, I checked the refrigerator to have an evening snack and call it good. This is what I found under the aluminum foil in the turkey plate. I guess the 30 people liked the turkey, brisket, and all the fixins’. I was a little nervous because this year I brined the turkey–something I had never attempted before in all my 50+-some years of hosting Thanksgiving. Now, on to Christmas with even more guests!
Winter weather is just around the corner. I hear whispers of, “Broccoli Cheese Soup” in my brain and belly. Here’s a recipe I found online the other day. I think I’ll try it. Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Servings: 8Ingredients Original recipe yields 8 servings 1 tablespoon butter ½ onion, chopped ¼ cup melted butter ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups milk 2 cups chicken stock 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced 2 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese salt and ground black pepper to taste Directions Gather all…
Every fall I decorate with a pumpkin on my porch. This year the squirrels got to it before I did. As you can see they ate a hole in the side and even ate the seeds inside. Guess I’ll have to dig deep in the freezer for pumpkin pulp made from last year for Thanksgiving pies. Have you ever made a pie from a pumpkin? The instructions are below. Pumpkin Pie from Scratch We grow our own pumpkins so I…
Leaf Life In the beginning, a tiny budonly a bump on a branch,my friends and I. Soon became full-blown leavesproviding shading shadowson hot days to a nearby home. In fall, our foliage morfedto brilliant reds and yellows—my friends floated to the earth. I clung to the branchuntil, I too, joined the others,no longer able to clap praise to our Creator. We lay listless until strong windsscattered us in scurrying swirls.Then we were raked into orderly piles,sucked into a dark tube,mangled…
With all the rain this summer, the mint around the patio took over everything. In order to rescue the strawberry plants, I bought this fancy pot and transplanted some for safekeeping. After about six weeks, they have taken hold and are doing well. They are everbearing. I wonder if I might get some fall strawberries. Do any of you have a pot like this? Do you take it in in winter?
For the longest time this year I didn’t think I’d harvest any beets. They finally came up. This is the biggest one. Over a pound! Very delicious. I planted a second crop for fall, but that’s when the rain stopped. None of that planting came up. Well, there’s always next year!
Colorado peaches arrived last week. They ripened quickly and since I bought about 65 of them, I had to do something–quick! I made 33 half pint jars of peach jam after I made five pies. Now the pies are in the freezer and the jam is in jars. This will be soooo yummy on those cold, winter days. Then in my insanity, I bought another box! They should be ready to turn into something by next week. My books…
I planted a flower garden to help my bees have more flowers to work on. Nothing came up but weeds. I’d love to spray them, but that would kill the bees so I’m reduced to pulling them one by one. When I finished, my clothes were covered in stick-tights. It took more than a half hour to pick them off. Drat! My books are available on Amazon.com here.
Fifty-five years ago, my back door neighbor and his dad planted a tiny pine tree. Recently, several branches attacked the house it had shaded these many years. The fallen branches didn’t puncture the roof, but it did crack the supports. Upon further inspection, it was apparent this senior tree had suffered a lightning strike. The diagnosis: For everyone’s safety, they tree had to come down. So, one day this past week, fifty-five years of growth disappeared in a matter of…