Here’s a wrapup of the last few days in Hammond River:
1. Regular readers of this blog know that I had a really big garden this year…we had frost last week (the rest of the tomatoes are ripening in the basement under newspaper), so it’s time to start bringing stuff in before the snow starts to fly. I spent Sunday harvesting the remaining pumpkins and squash, and stored them in the basement…the kids each want to carve a pumpkin for Halloween (Hope’s already decided on Mickey Mouse for hers). I also brought in about eight rutabagas, and cooked them in the oven. Loads of rutabagas, carrots, and beets still in the ground…they’ll be okay for a while.
3. Hope was in a baking mood when she got up on Sunday…she wanted to make muffins, so she found a recipe for Cinnamon Muffins and we made them. They were yummy…tasted like those little cinnamon donuts we used to have when we were kids! We used wooden skewers to spear the muffins and roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mix…way less messy that way.
4. We’ve had an issue with rodents in the house again this fall…Dad has set traps all over the basement, and a few baits as well. He’s caught four star-nosed voles in the traps, which he then puts into the compost bin outside…he reported this morning that that latest one he’d caught had been partially eaten! Can’t wait to see that one in the bin – NOT! Dad really wants to catch the critter that’s running through the walls of his bedroom and keeping him awake at night…he thinks it’s one of our squirrels or chipmunks.
5. Dad has a couple of good friends who usually stop by on Saturday mornings at the bookstore for a chat…he mentioned that they hadn’t been around for a while, because they were away on a trip to Washington, D.C.  Dad said that he’d encouraged them to stop in at the White House to see if the President had received the Abraham Lincoln bookends he’d sent him. What???Â
“When did you do that, Dad?”Â
“Three or four months ago,” he answered.Â
“I’m surprised they haven’t sent you a Thank You note by now,” I said.Â
“Oh, there was a box to tick if you wanted an acknowledgement, but I didn’t check it off.” That’s my Dad…he’d read somewhere that Abe Lincoln had been a hero of Obama’s (as he is for my dad), and decided to send him his bookends, which he’d had for many years.
6. I smelled a skunk just before I was about to let Jake out into the back yard the other night (I decided to take him out on the leash out front instead!)…we saw one dead in the road near our driveway yesterday…reminds me of a song!
7. We took the Toyota to Canadian Tire yesterday to have new snow tires put on…while we were waiting, we visited Jim’s parents. The guy at the service counter told us it would be an hour-and-a-half, and they were true to their word. Jim is quite excited about the new tires…we were “testing” them on the highway on the way home…he took his hands off the steering wheel momentarily: “Look…no more wobbling!” he said. I was disappointed when we got home to find that Jake hadn’t folded the two big piles of laundry in the family room…we may have to look into trading him for a more industrious canine! He can undo zippers on lunchbags…why couldn’t he fold laundry?
8. Last night, we had Puddin’ Pop (Elise) and her mom and dad over for supper…it was Scott’s 27th birthday. Scott had grown a beard in honour of his birthday. I had roasted a couple of small chickens, made mashed potatoes, corn, and a Whipped Rutabaga Puff with the rutabaga from the garden. It was amazing and easy: just threw some eggs and bread crumbs in with the cooked rutabaga, and used the mixer to whip it. We had two cakes: Black Forest, and a Cinnamon Coffee Cake for the non-chocolate lovers (Devin and Hope). Jim and the girls got the cakes ready in the kitchen, lit the candles and carried them in. I brought up the rear, and started counting 1-2-3, and burst into the Happy Birthday song…all by myself! They’d gone ahead without me, and had already sung it. Everybody (except me) got a good laugh out of it!
After supper, I played with Elise a bit…she had a great time grabbing my glasses off my face and trying to get hold of my dangly earrings. I’ve missed her since I last saw her two weeks ago. We’re looking after her on Saturday while Kaylee and Scott go to a wedding. I told Kaylee she’d better have instructions for me: have never put on a cloth diaper in my life! I’ll have to remember not to throw them away! Hope will help me with that, though…
9. Thanks to the Internet, I finally have an idea for Halloween costumes for Jim and I for his sister’s party Friday night…big secret…will post photos later.
10. My friends have been having some good fortune this week:Â my buddy, Guy, was elected to his municipal council in Lavigne, Ontario; my buddy, Jamie, was in a BMW Mini TV commercial (click on his name to see it – he’s the bald guy trying to break the egg); and my blogging friend, Lin, got to meet David Sedaris who talked to her while autographing two books (click on her name to read all about it)!
#1 photo possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen. But #5 is cute too.
Thanks, Renée! More pumpkin/Puddin’ Pop pictures here: https://writerwoman61.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/two-thanksgivings-a-quarantine-a-helicopter-attack-and-a-giant-pumpkin/#comments
My goodness. You’ve been a busy little bee, eh? I’m going to have to go investigate that cinnamon muffin recipe. I loves me some cinnamon so I highly doubt I won’t like it.
Oh and Puddin’ Pop is SO an appropriate nickname for her. Too cute for words.
Gee, Ian…I thought you didn’t really like kids… The muffin recipe is easy and delicious…I think I got about 17 2 1/2″ muffins from it, which didn’t last long with seven people in the house! Wendy
With cheeks like those how can I not like her? She seems to have that rare immunity from my normal disdain for children. 😉
I have to say she inherited her cheeks from me (through her mom)…I think you’re just a softie… Wendy
I LOVE that your dad sent those bookends! Lots of interesting things going on by you~
It surely surprised me, AG! Wendy
This is such an interesting post – LOVE the pic of your little Elise, she is too gorgeous! Your home and your garden and your rodents and snow tires and Halloween all sound so interesting – a very different world from mine! What is a rutabaga? (I can just imagine a HUGE inhale of breath from you now!)
And by the way, I’ve never put on cloth diapers either – they really make my bottom look big! 🙂
Sunshine xx
That’s okay, Sunshine…I’ve got a new blogging friend in France (she’s British), and I’m always asking for translations from her. A rutabaga is a smaller, milder version of a turnip…more white than yellow…delicious! I thought about clarifying who was wearing the diaper as I was writing it…laziness won out! Hugs, Wendy
Baby on a pumpkin! Fantastic. Thanks for sharing the muffin recipe. I’m also a little jealous of your friend who got to meet David Sedaris.
Thanks for stopping by, Rivki! I was telling Lin that I was reading David’s book, “Naked” on the bus one time…people were looking at me strangely because I was laughing out loud! Wendy
Garsh–your granddaughter is the cuteness!
busy days, lady!
busy days!
blessings
jane
I have to agree with you there, Jane… Hugs, Wendy
You are a busy person! Your Puddin Pop is beyond adorable. Thanks for the link to Lin’s blog and I can’t wait to see the Halloween costumes. 🙂
Thanks again,
Amy
Thanks, Amy…don’t get too excited about the costumes…I’m not very enthusiastic about Halloween! Wendy
Aww. I love that your dad sent bookends to Obama. What a fantastic story. And I love that your friend got to meet David Sedaris. What a fantastic way to spend a few minutes! I saw him at a reading in Columbus a few years ago. We laughed for the full two hours. Love that guy.
Oh my gosh, that Elise. She’s absolutely lovely.
Thanks, Maura…have to agree with you about Elise! Wendy
I remember those days when it was great fun to steal my glasses. That was the last straw before I got LASIK.
Puddin’ Pop has such adorable cheeks. I can’t imagine how you must miss her when she’s not around!
I used to wear contacts, Joey, but I find as I get older, I’m getting less vain (I started having trouble with infections too). Luckily, Elise and her parents only live about 25 minutes away, so I get to see her fairly regularly depending on our schedules! Thanks for stopping by! Wendy
The bounty of your garden that you have shared has been spectacular. Makes me hungry and a little envious at the same time. I do not have the gardening touch. We were lucky to get that one tiny cherry watermelon this year. Guess it’s a start…ha! Diane
Ah, but you’re good at organizing, which I suck at. I’m not a gardening genius by any means…we’re lucky to have good soil, and good weather this year!
Wendy
Aaaaaaaaw Wendy…Puddin Pop is such a doll!! I can scarcely believe she’s the scary zombie zombie baby!
When you train Jake to do the laundry, can I borrow him? It’ll reinforce his training 😉
The cinnamon-coffee cake sounds divine 🙂 I’m neither a cake nor a chocolate lover but cinnamon and coffee are both favorites!
Those bookends sound cool…can we see a picture?
Cheers, Harsha
Hi Harsha: Thanks for your kind words! There are days when I would gladly send Jake to India!!! I tried to find a picture of the bookends on the Internet (since the real ones are hopefully at the White House), but didn’t find anything quite like them…they were made of heavy metal (cast iron or bronze?), basically a bust of Abe. I’m sure Dad had them for 50 years! Hugs, Wendy
Frost? Already? Boy, I’m so glad I live in the south! Can’t wait for the Halloween pics!
Don’t get too excited, Jane…Halloween isn’t my favourite holiday! Thanks for stopping by, though! Wendy
Just a few more and you can play 13 Thursday! I had a really big garden too. My pumpkins came early and are barely hanging on for Halloween.
The kids carved theirs a couple nights ago…hope they’ll still be okay on Sunday! Thanks for stopping by, Colleen! Wendy