Up, Up and Away

Early this evening, I went out the backdoor to get some wood for the fire when I saw a hot air balloon ready to touch down in the field. I hurried in and shouted with excitement to come outside quickly. I scrambled for the camera while Pipsqueak scrambled for shoes, we raced down the hill.

They wanted to move the balloon across the field and closer to the truck, so they offered Pipsqueak a tethered ride. She was incredibly excited since she was just telling me a couple of days ago that she wanted to ride in a balloon. They went up maybe thirty or forty feet while they moved the balloon about 500 yards. Afterward she was presented with a picture of the balloon to take to school tomorrow and a bottle of champagne.

We told them they can drop in anytime.

Pumpkins

My garden was nearly a total bust this year. The herbs were strong, and we had a bounty of green beans and sugar snap peas, but the the rest... not so good. The tomatoes got late blight which happened in most of the northeast. (Late blight was what caused the potato famine in Ireland way back when.) Everything else was pretty unproductive. This was mostly due to an over-abundance of rain, a cold summer and not enough sun.

I had about eight pumpkin plants but only had two measly pumpkins... one green one slightly larger than a softball and one greenish orange about the size of a cantaloupe. These were not jack 0'lantern material, so today we went pumpkin shopping.

We could have gone to any area supermarket to buy them, but we wanted a fun experience, and we wanted more hot cider and cider donuts, so we went back to Wellwood Orchards where we did our apple picking.

Pipsqueak, my fashion maven, informed me that she wanted to wear orange and green this morning so she'd coordinate with the pumpkins, and she pulled out the pumpkin hat I made for her.

She wasted no time choosing a large one for me to carve and smaller one for her to carve. (We won't be carving until a couple of days before Halloween though.) She pulled the wagon holding our pumpkins, 1/2 peck of apples and a 2 year old local cheddar cheese to the car.

I rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. - Henry David Thoreau

Snow!

In case the calendar wasn't reminder enough, Mother Nature fired a warning shot this morning.

My winterizing list is being prioritized and shifted into hyper drive. This won't last; it'll be gone by this afternoon. The lasting stuff probably won't show up for another month at least.
But never to be outdone for fun, Pipsqueak and Sweetie strapped on the skis and took a couple of runs down the front hill.

We're at about 1100 feet above sea level. The village is at something around 500, so they got rain. When I arrived at school with Pipsqueak this morning, kids were grabbing snow off the roof of my car for a quick snow ball fight.

Winterizing

We had a hard frost last night, and I hear it's going to be down in the 20s tonight. Our most important winter preparation is done; our fire wood is bought and stacked. That was finished in June, but there is still plenty to do...

• clean up the last three raised beds in the veggie garden (four are already done)
• wash the windows, take out the screens and put the storms down (there are 27 windows in our house)
• caulk around some leaky windows
• weatherstrip a leaky door
• clean out the deck pots and store them away
• put away the outdoor toys (bubbles, balls, bats, etc.)
• wash and put away the bikes

I'd like to clean out the shed and tidy it, too, but I think snow will be flying before I get to that. Sweetie still has to bushhog the field and give the lawn a final mow. The lawn grew into October this year. It usually stops by the end of August, but it was so wet this summer, it just kept on going.

What do you have to do to get ready for winter?

I Love Apples... a Bushel and a Peck

Okay, technically it was a 1/2 bushel and a 1/2 peck, but it was still a hell of a lot of apples.

I bought a 1/2 peck of Cortland at the store, because I couldn't wait to make apple crisp with this year's fresh apples. Two days later, we went apple picking and picked a 1/2 bushel of Cortland, Macoun and Honey Crisp.

I made more apple crisp, and apple pie, along with a banana bread from three overlooked bananas.Every snack request has been met with apples. They've been regularly munched and packed in lunches, but I still had a 1/4 peck left and they weren't so crispy fresh anymore. Today I made a big pot of chunky applesauce...

another round of apple crisp...

and apple mini muffins.

All my recipes came from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. It's the first cookbook I ever owned, and I always seem to turn to it for the classics.

I still have 10 tiny apples left, but I think I'll chuck them down the hill for the deer to munch on.

All's Fair

Geez, another crazy day and weekend guests have just arrived, so it's another photo heavy post.

Two weeks ago tonight, we went to the Tunbridge World's Fair. We look forward to this every year. It's small and agricultural...

yet it has all the thrills...

and goodies...

that big fairs offer.

A Day with the Raptors

Today was crazy, and if I don't want to fail at NaBlogWriMo on the first day, today will have be a photo-heavy post. We've got some catching up to do anyway.

A few days before school started again, Pipsqueak and I went to VINS (Vermont Institute of Natural Science) in Quechee, Vermont. They are a rehabilitation center for raptors (hawks, eagles and owls) and other birds. They are released back into the wild, if possible. If their injuries prevent them from a chance at survival in the wild, they are cared for in this beautiful facility. Since I am a VINS volunteer by teaching a nature program that they sponsor at Pipsqueak's school, we get a free membership, and we try to take advantage of it by visiting at least twice a year.

They have three programs a day where they talk about raptors and bring a few out so we can see them up close. Sometimes we're even treated to a display of flight. We got to see a Barred Owl...

a Red-Tailed Hawk...

a Kestrel....

and a Turkey Vulture.
After the program, we wandered the facility, including the frog and turtle room. The Snapping Turtle's shell must have been over twelve inches in diameter.The raptors are housed in roomy cages with trees growing in them to help them feel like they are in their natural habitat. The particularly photogenic ones on this trip, were the Bald Eagle...

and my personal favorite, the Saw Whet Owl, which only weighs about a quarter pound.

Independence Day Recovery Period...

That's what I'm in right now. No, I didn't drink too much. I had one beer. It's all I had time and energy for. I started the day with a protein rich breakfast, because I knew my next meal would be late. I do live from meal to meal. I have a love affair with food, and we can't be apart for long. I got all decked out in my red, white and blue and got to wear my once-a-year socks.

My first stop was our library's book sale. I wanted to be there at 9am when the door opened, so I wouldn't miss anything good. Hardcovers and big paperbacks were $2, small paperbacks and movies were $1. I also have a love affair with books, and I can never have too many.

After that I had to set up for a morning of performances, and be ready to start at 10:30. First I played clarinet in the town band in the parade, then I performed in an hour long concert with the town band, and finally played djembe drum for a short concert with the a group of community drummers. It was a lot of fun and went well, but I get a little nervous when I perform, so I takes more energy than it should.

I got lunch around 1:30, (oh, food how I missed you) and checked out all the town festivities, and ended up playing music trivia with a group of around 20 people (most baby boomers with song from the 70s) for an hour or so. At the end of the game, I dragged myself home and collapsed on the couch for a couple of hours. We grilled some burgers for dinner (that's where the beer came in), ate some festive cupcakes which we made the day before(more fun with Wilton Color Spray) and headed back downtown for a concert (which I didn't play in) and firework viewing. Not surprisingly, that night was the best night's sleep I've had in weeks.

Eastern Milksnake

When I got home from grocery shopping I pulled up to back door to unload. I made one trip in and when I came out... OMG! There was a snake skin on the cement at the foot of the steps. We find garter snake skins all the time around here.. in the stone walls and wood piles. But this was huge and something told me this wasn't a garter snake. I brought it in and measured it. It was 42"! That's almost as long as my 7 year old daughter is tall.

I looked in our Field Guide to New England and it said garter snakes grow to 22". I couldn't quite match the coloration (dark tan and light tan bands) to anything in the field guide, so I hit the internet looking for Vermont snakes. I found the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas Project with a phone number. Being curious (and a little apprehensive) about what was lurking in my backyard, I called. I was dumbfounded when the phone was answered with a "hello". I was expecting some lab or research facility. Apparently, this is a one-man operation. "Uh, hi. Is this the... uh... the snake people?"

"Yes, you want to speak with my husband, " whom she put on the phone.

I told him about my find and its markings, he identified it as a Milksnake, sometimes called a Spotted Adder, which is a misnomer since it isn't an adder at all. With that size skin, it's definitely a mature adult. They quite common in Vermont. (Funny I've never seen one in my life.) He told me it was probably feeding on mice and rats. (At least I know it won't be feeding on my dog.) There are plenty of mice in the fields around here. He told me it might get in the house if it follows a mouse in. (Um, no thank you.) But he reassured me that it's harmless and we could pick it up and put it back outside. (Again, no thank you.) Finally, he told me that the snake is probably not quite that long as the skin stretches up to 20% as it comes off. (Thank you.)

Celebrating Farming

Last weekend, our town had a Farm Fest to celebrate local farmers and encourage people to support farming in our community. There were lots of animals, farm food vendors and some local music. For Pipsqueak and me, it was all about the animals.

She may have been the black sheep of the family, but she was the friendliest.

I love alpacas and llamas. I can usually make friends by humming to them, but this one couldn't hear me over the band that was playing.
This sleepy calf needed a name beginning with "C". Pipsqueak suggested Cookie and that's the one they chose. She does look a little like an oreo.
These goats were a couple of uncooperative models, and kept turning their backs on me. My persistence paid off.
Hey, I didn't know Phyllis Diller was going to be there!
And on a non-animals related subject, how about a bike blender? The faster you peddle, the faster it mixes. Nothing like burning off a few calories before drinking a milkshake.

Just Kidding Around

A friend of ours has five-week-old pygmy goat kids, which we visited on Sunday. If you're unfamiliar with pygmy goats (which I was), they like to jump up and stand on high things. When they're small, a person's back makes just the right platform.

Pipsqueak couldn't wait to have a goat on her back.

Sweetie's broad, manly back had room for two. That IS NOT his best jacket. That's his gettin'-dirty jacket... perfect for muddy goat hooves.

Kids are like puppies and... well... kids. After a little play, they get tired and enjoy curling up in a lap for a little rest.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

On Saturday night, a tornado touched down in Washington, Vermont causing considerable damage. There was golf ball sized hail in South Royalton, Vermont. Mother Nature dished up a bit of minor drama in our corner of Vermont.

It had been sunny and warm all afternoon. Pipsqueak went to a birthday party, and the kids spent a lot of time outdoors chasing each other around with water balloons. When we got home at 3:30, I started prepping for our dinner guests. We were having tandoori chicken on the grill with mango jasmine rice, a salad and crème brûlée for dessert. Sweetie made the crème brûlée in the morning. When our friends arrived just after 5 pm, the chicken was marinating, the ingredients for the rice pre-measured, the salad in the fridge, the dressing made and table set.

About the time the first round of martinis were served, the clouds had rolled in and it was getting windy. Beginning with one major gust of wind, our power went out and the deluge of rain and pea-size hail fell. Being the unflappable family, we lit some candles and made another pitcher of martinis. Before long, it began clearing and we were treated to a beautiful double rainbow, which we all went out in the remaining sprinkles to fully enjoy. I should have taken a photo, but being well into my second martini, I probably would have taken a photo of my finger instead. Geez, a tornado and a rainbow! Where are the tin man and the scarecrow?

The dinner went off without a hitch thanks to a grill, a gas stove and a blow torch. (The blow torch was to caramelize the crème brûlée.) Now how do we top that next time those friends come over?

Bridgewater Raft Race - 2009

Last Saturday, we went to the Bridgewater Raft Race. This is an event that never disappoints... plenty of interesting, hand-made raft, plenty of interesting characters, and plenty of destruction.

Some rafts are minimal and are built for speed more than entertainment...

for some, it's all about style...
or costumes...

or supporting their favorite team...

For others, it's a feat of engineering...
For most, it's just a matter of seeing what junk you have laying around that might float when strapped together...
or maybe they just want to channel their inner Wizard of Oz...
A few required a little on site construction...
There was even an Elvis sighting...

At the cannon blast (I'm not kidding. There's a real cannon.), everyone runs to their raft from the starting line and chaos ensues. Many have never been float tested and some instantly discover, they don't. There's some instant destruction, as some discover that a little more duct tape and a couple more screws might have been helpful. And there are the inevitable log jams as around 50 rafts hit the water at simultaneously....

Whatever their reason or method, it isn't about coming in first. It's about having fun and thinking about how they'll do it differently next year.