Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Happy Halloween -
According to legend, the jack o’lantern was named after a reprobate Irishman called Stingy Jack who tricked the Devil into promising he wouldn’t go to hell for his sins.
When Jack died he learned he was barred from heaven, so he went down to the gates of hell after all to beg for a final resting place.
Wouldn’t you know it, the Devil kept his promise, dooming Jack to wander the earth for all eternity with only an ember of hellfire of to light his way.
Thenceforth he was known as Jack O’Lantern.
It wasn’t until Irish immigrants brought the custom of carving jack o’lanterns to North America that pumpkins began to be used for that purpose,
and not until the late 19th century that pumpkin carving became a Halloween fixture.
Update - yesterday’s weather. We got 3 inches of snow!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
World Series - Phillies and Rays
We live just north of Philadelphia.
Last night the World Series game was suspended because of terrible weather.
This morning, we’re having snow flurries.
I wonder when they’ll finish the series.
I wonder if the original ticket holders will be able to get in to the stadium for the finish of this game.
If you look closely, I think you can see the snow.
LUNCHTIME UPDATE
More Snow!
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Are You Ready For Some Football?
GO TEAM GO!!
UPDATE -
HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The end of this year’s garden
I read that kale lasts till 10 degree weather, and that’s good, because there’s a lot left.
We had a sliced tomato with thin sliced onions with our dinner last night.
How delicious. Now if I can only memorize that flavor till next summer.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Fox or Dog?
We live in a suburban area with no foxes, or so I thought.
While I was still on the phone, that little fox came up on our deck, looked around, and had a drink of water.
A few days later, I got an email from a neighbor titled, “Fox or Dog?” He had a camera nearby and managed to get a picture of the fox.
So at least I know he was really there, not just in my imagination.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Pumpkins!!
and to see the annual Pumpkin Weigh In.
There were some of the biggest pumpkins we ever saw.
There was a man (from Oregon) who travels around the country around carving pumpkins,
and he was there, carving a 996 pound pumpkin. .
The largest one there weighed 1270 pounds.
That’s a lot of pie!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
A nice place for a long walk
Don and I went on a long walk at the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
That’s a long name for a 160-acre,wildlife area. There are 10 miles of paths to explore.
It was just beautiful. We saw lots of chipmunks, some horses, and about a dozen wild turkeys.
The weather was very nice, and it’s another place that I’d really like to go back to in a couple of weeks, when the leaves turn this autumn.
It’s just amazing what wonderful places you can find less than an hour from here.
And I’m just loving exploring the area around our home.
We walked a couple of miles, but hope to go much farther on our next visit.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
A really healthy appetizer
I made hummus for the first time yesterday. And it was just delicious.
The good part of making it yourself is that you know what’s in it and can adjust the recipe to your taste, and the cost is about 1/4 what it costs in the stores.
Don’s funny - I say hummus, and he gets a look on his face as if he’s saying, ugh. Then when I serve it, he can’t get enough.
I think he just doesn’t like the name. Maybe I should call it bean dip. And I served it with veggies and some chips.
Hummus -
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons salsa
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 Teaspoon cumin
1/2 Teaspoon chili powder
1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro (parsley if you don’t have it) rough chop
1/2 red pepper. chopped
Salt and Pepper
Place ingredients in a food processer or blender. Process till smooth.
Adjust seasoning to your personal tastes.Serve with veggies and/or chips.
I love it. l Don likes it,
