Nebraska November

Just some images of late fall.

Happiness List

1) Finding ways to use local honey instead of sugar. In cookies, applesauce, tea.....

2) Minnetonka Moccasins. Nerdy? Maybe, but I have loved them since childhood when they could be found in every souvenir shop from Mitchell, South Dakota to Donner Pass, Idaho.

3) Puppy sitting. For the record, he hates the sissy jacket.

4) Finding a Gluten-Free pie crust recipe to swear by instead of at. We all owe you, Shauna, for sooooo many things.

5) A naughty kitten who loves to "model" fabric and yarn.

"How many apples fell on Newton's head before he took the hint?" --Robert Frost

I've always turned my nose up at fancy apple peelers. They waste too much of the apple. I prefer the "zen" of paring and coring by hand. They cost too much....

A few pies and a batch of applesauce later, I've changed my mind.

I planted a pair of Granny Smith trees in my backyard this summer. With any luck, someone will present me with one of these before the trees begin producing. (hint, hint) This one is pretty too but a little pricey.

The tiny apples are crabs but they are sweet! We got them from Charles and Susan of Prairie Song Apiary.

Going to let my hands rest now. ;)

Twining Woodbine

Saturday was the annual Applefest in Woodbine, Iowa, my father's hometown.

Over the years more and more members of my family have descended on this tiny, rural town, located on the Lincoln Highway, for this celebration. We troll the fleamarkets and craft shows and have lunch at one of the local churches.

There are vintage car and motorcycle shows, quilt exhibits, and more.

The day wouldn't be complete without a visit with our favorite beekeepers.

Much apple peeling and honey tasting to come!

"Who loves a garden, still his Eden keeps, Perennial pleasures plants, and wholesome harvests reaps." --A. Bronson Alcott

Autumn has arrived early in the Heartland. I believe we are going to have an early and long winter. All summer long I have been watching for a doe with a single fawn. All of them have twins or triplets.

The walnut and oak trees are just sagging with nuts this year. While walking among the Bur Oaks this morning, I gathered acorn caps which are all triplets. Normally, they would be singles or twinned.

The geese have been flocking for two weeks now. There is such a sense of excitement and urgency when they are gathering, getting ready, and eating to fuel their journey. It gives me a serious case of wanderlust.

I have been staying at the country home of a friend. Watching her dogs and cats and horses while she attends the 50th Anniversary Party for her parents. The last few mornings have been breathtaking. Fog was nestled into the hollows and low over the fields. The rising sun cast beautiful pinks and violets into the sky. A mama bobcat and her two kits have been sleeping on the top of my car! Thankfully, they haven't tried to sharpen their claws on it, there is just some wild kitty fur sticking to the fabric.

On an excursion around the property, I spotted two different bucks with their hareems of doe and all those fawns, a group of wild turkeys, and some prairie voles. This is my favorite season. I wish I liked winter, even a little, but I don’t. So, I’m soaking Autumn in as long as I can. I know that the calendar says it hasn’t started yet but, well, the calendar is wrong.

That reminds me of an elderly gentleman I once knew. Gustav Andres was his name. Gus, as we called him, ran away from his home in Saffle Sweden at the age of ten because he hated fish. Saffle is a fishing village and he actually believed that since he was one of twelve kids, no one would miss him. He stowed away on a ship and came to America. He lived to be 96 years old and talking with him was always fun and interesting. He insisted that God only made two seasons: winter and summer. The others were “manmade”. I guess this would make sense when you come from the land of midnight sun.