Come in and sit awhile! I'd like to introduce you.

Gramma, Gramps and the kiddies. What a precious combination. We want them to know Jesus. There is some good advice here for entertaining our angels, and how to help bring them up to be honest, caring, responsible adults.

We're also good friends here, sharing things that are common between us, like gardening, birding, and cooking. Jesus is our best friend.

We enjoy some chatting over tea, share God's blessings and pray for one another. Don't the best conversations happen in your kitchen, or at the garden gate?

Plant some seeds for someone's heart at Appleseeds Enjoy a heart to heart over coffee with Louise DuMont
Share memories from the back porch about harvesting abundance with Lucinda Strine.
Gain some grandma wisdom with Jeanne Martin
Take a field trip with grandma Apple
Read the Letter Home from Donna Faye and her wise shopping.

From my notebook:

October 2008

This is my favorite time of the year. Fall leaves are more vibrant than fading summer flowers. They seem more inviting. Perhaps that is because we are not responsible for their color and timing at all! We labor, and trim, and water, fertilize and pamper our favorite garden flowers- helping them along. We protect wildflowers in some areas, to give them a better chance against invaders and pollution. However, we do nothing to encourage or strengthen the fall foliage. It is all God's handiwork!


Autumn fare is also a favorite for me. Hot soups and casseroles are so welcome when the temperatures start to nip. These foods always say 'welcome' and 'comfort' to me. Wrap up my toes in front of a toasty fire and add cocoa - and I'm a happy camper. I am glad that there is a season when these things are appropriate and appreciated. I can't imagine going through an endless summer when we never arrive at this time of year! Here is my own simple, quick recipe for hot soup!


One family size can of cream of mushroom condensed soup.
About 2 tablespoons of corn
About 2 cups of diced cooked chicken
1 cup of chicken broth
1 cup of milk
A little chopped red pepper or pimento
A little onion powder or finely chopped onion.
Serves 4


These well-known soups can be adapted in so many ways and changed to something heartier. Give this recipe or other can soups your own twist.


I like this one for a twist on minestrone:
One small can of any vegetable soup without beans or pasta
One small can of bean with bacon soup
One-half can of diced tomatoes
One cup of previously cooked small pasta.
A pinch of Italian seasonings.
Serves 2-4


This combination gives canned soup a homemade taste!


One of our favorite trips in the fall is to go to a local pumpkin farmer's patch. Our friend says he is a 'recreational ' farmer; something that many retiring or enterprising farmers do these days. There were wagon rides out to the patch, corn mazes for the big kids and small hay mazes for the little kids. There was a petting zoo in the barn, pumpkin and corn throwers for competition, and a little shop of fall produce. We all enjoyed the mild autumn air, pumpkin ice cream and visiting with other known neighbors.


BIRD REPORT


Cedar Waxwings continue to visit from time to time, gleaning insects above the pond. Today, I noticed they were moving towards the crabapples. I am told that the birds beef up on protein first, then gain their migrating energy from sugar fruits. Hummingbirds do the same. Did you know hummers use spider web-threads for nesting, and sometimes get caught in the traps?


I was surprised to see that the Killdeer have not migrated. It's early yet. They are amusing birds, and one of the few whose chicks are miniature versions of the adults. Killdeer stay together as families as well. Once the nestlings fledge, they begin to run about on their stilted legs looking and acting exactly like their parents. They will even pretend to be lame if you approach the family. Other specie's chicks tend to be fuller of down for a period, making them look rounder. They are appealing in the same way human babies are. We consider that round look to be 'cute'!


The songs of Carolina Wrens are filling the air with cheer. This bird has a large repertoire of songs, and never fails to fool me. They are most welcome this year because they've done a superb job of picking an annoying worm off my azaleas. No other creature could manage this tedious work. But I'm sure he was happy to be fed. Carolina Wrens are a little larger, rounder, and more colorful than our House Wren. They are not shy about visiting the feeders either, when the snow flies.


"That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, of things in heaven and in earth, and things under earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:10, 11


~April