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 jalapeños 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.