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Saturday, October 28, 2023

October Roundup

64 this morning, overcast. Occasional sprinkles through the day.

I have certainly been a slacker, haven't I? It is rare that I go so long without posting, but this month we have been up to our ears busy, although nothing really newsworthy to write about.



So October is nearly at an end. The last blossoms are holding on as we have not yet had a killing frost, although there were a few mornings where we saw frost on the vehicles and in some low- lying areas. 


We are still enjoying a few veggies from the garden, 



and Larry has gathered and hulled a half bushel of black walnuts so far. He will let them dry for a month or so before shelling them. We put some hulls in a bucket of water to soak, and will strain them in a week or two to get walnut wood stain.

This Fall continues to be one of the most beautiful I can recall. The leaves have just been spectacular. Most of them are gone now, but the beaches and oaks are still putting on a show. It takes my breath away just driving down our road. 

Today was garden and deck cleanup day. I put away most of the flowerpot and garden tools and decor items, but could not bring myself to dump out pots where the plants are still doing well. I bet I will end up out in the freezing cold doing that job! But can you dump pretty flowering plants? 

Of course work on Sarah's cabin continues, although pretty much at a standstill until the roof arrives. The company is performing true to form, and for the life of me I don't know how they stay in business.  At least the outhouse is coming along.


Larry and I have been making more cider. I believe we are up to about 15 gallons now, and more to come. This is mostly pear cider, with some mixed apple- pear batches. 


It has been a long time since we have had such a good year for pears so we are making the most of it, with canned pears, spiced canned pears, and the cider.

I also finally got around to canning pickled jalapeƱos rings. I waited so long my peppers had turned red! I read that the heat on peppers increases as they turn red, but since these have no heat to begin with, I guess it won't matter. They sure are pretty.



I have been working on a few furniture projects too, and finished up this wine cabinet this week.  

Moving on now to a large cabinet. We stocked our booths again yesterday,  and next week will be taking out Halloween decor and begin to add Christmas.  Far too early for me, but customers are asking for it.

I have been reading a good bit lately, but nothing that has really excited me enough to recommend. I was disappointed in the book Claire and Mr. Tiffany. Since it was about the Tiffany glass company's history, I was sure I would find it fascinating, and it made the NY Times bestseller, so I thought it would be great. But not so much, unfortunately.  The story is told through a great deal of dialog, which in my view was poorly written, seeming unnatural and stilted. Much of the history is shared with the tired old "As you know, Bob" trope, where characters explain something that both characters already know.  I am amazed that editors overlooked the books weaknesses, but perhaps they considered the subject matter interesting enough to excuse it? Basically, the the story is told through Claire, the woman who designed many Tiffany lamps, and indeed came up with the concept of the stained glass lamps Tiffany became so well know for. Claire was never credited for her design work, all credit being given to Louis Tiffany. It could have been a great story, but this telling of the tale is definitely lacking to me.

Enough for now--I need to catch up with all of you!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

12 comments:

  1. I thought that you must have been busy with all harvested produce, pickling and preserving :-)) Love pickled jalapeƱos!

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    1. It has been a busy time for sure, Angie. And lots of cooking!

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  2. So glad you've had a good autumn! And all those ciders and canned things just makes my jaw drop in awe. My plants (all potted on the porch) will be snugged up against the building when our frost comes probably Mon. or Tues. night. As they fade, then the pots can be cleaned. No way I'll deny those scraggly yellow mums and red geraniums their last hoorah!

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    1. Yes, frost and freeze are coming our way this week too, Barb. Kind of sad, but it's time. So I will be out there gathering flowers and any veggies left in the garden!

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  3. How nice for you that you are having a colourful autumn. We're just about done here and it's not much over freezing this morning. I glance at Alexa and see a snowflake symbol. We shall see.

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    1. Uh-oh, snowflakes? I am definitely not ready for those just yet. You have had some good color up there too. I have enjoyed the progress of the tree you have been following.

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  4. Bummer that book was so bad. I know exactly they conversational style you are talking about. I find it boring and intellectually unstimulating. And that says a lot coming from me!
    The walnut stain sounds interesting. I've never heard of anyone making some at home!

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    Replies
    1. We made the stain years ago, Jim, but not since those early days on this land. It is what we used on all the trim in the house and still looks pretty good.
      Reading a different book now, an older one by Helen Hoover. She and her husband moved to the deep woods of Northern Minnesota in the 50s. I read her book A Place in the Woods in the early 70s, and this one is the sequel to that. Enjoying it so far.

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  5. I worry a little about you when you don't post but I understand how life goes.
    Please share everything you do with your black walnuts. It's something I never learned how to do & would love to learn. We have quite a few trees here. I feel overwhelmed at how hard they are to process but maybe you can give some advice?

    Our fall here in nw Arkansas has been spectacular too. Most years I long for a WV autumn but this year I've had such glorious color. You can check it out if you want to on Instagram @jennylovescharlie The reds are almost gone here but we do still have lots of yellow & some green. We're supposed to hit 17' with our first hard freeze so that will soon be gone too.

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  6. Autumn is looking great in your neck of the woods. If I don't enjoy the book I'm reading, I close it and move on. Glad to read that you had a great harvest this year, you definitely worked had for it, Came across a video my wife sent me, it's about zero waste-Furniture: Shabby to Chic. It is from Japan (like PBS) and has subtitles for the translation, it is 15 minutes long and I thought of you so the link is below. Enjoy!

    https://youtu.be/Y4th1YFT7PA?si=Xq8IAtSK15SuvF9L

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  7. When I look at your photos, I think of all the professional food sites that talk about their food designers. And I think, Jeeze they ought to hire Granny Sue. Her pictures are spectacular. And I enjoy your "fall" photos. It is truly beautiful where you live.

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  8. I love that rose - what a color! I've never seen one like it. And your cabinet look like a very useful size and design.

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