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Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is here! I can’t believe that it is the end of November. I can’t believe how dark it gets so early.
And yet, I am thankful that the fall weather has been mostly wonderful. The last time I wrote, we were without power for multiple days following a freakish end-of-October snow storm that pummeled New England and left hundreds of thousands without power.
Well, the power came back for us after 3 and a half days. My parents were without power for even longer. I feel fortunate that the weather wasn’t colder or it really would have been miserable. In fact, most of November has been unseasonably warm. We’ve had multiple weekends in a row with temps in the 60s. It has been lovely.
The leaves finally had a chance to play catch-up and turn and fall from the trees. We are almost done with our raking—hopefully with the long holiday weekend upon us we’ll get a chance to finish up the yard work. I still want to do one last fertilization of our new lawn.
In the meantime, I am gearing up to make some Thanksgiving dishes for multiple feasts tomorrow. I love cooking and baking for the holidays. I find it all very creative and inspiring, especially since I haven’t done as much cooking this fall as I usually do. I have been poring over recipe books and scouring websites online for ideas. And here is what I think I will be preparing.
Honeyed Carrots and Oranges courtesy of Real Simple
I still have a bunch of carrots in the garden, but with the temps beginning to get colder, especially at night, I’m ready to harvest the lot. So I think I will make Honeyed Carrots and Oranges courtesy of Real Simple. It looks like a delightfully yummy and easy dish! I am thankful that I am still able to cook using ingredients straight from the garden!
I am also going to make some sort of casserole dish—probably a variation on the “traditional” green bean casserole that uses those fun crunchy onions. I think I’ll add some thinly sliced shallots.
I’m also making a few desserts. I have gone back and forth on what to make, but ultimately I think I will make my very favorite—Swedish Apple Pie. You can find my recipe with photos on how to make the best Swedish Apple Pie here. Instead of honeycrisp apples, I will be using a combo of Granny Smith and Cortland.
I am so looking forward to hanging out in the kitchen tonight to do some baking!
I am very thankful to be able to take some time off to celebrate Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait to see family and friends in town over the next several days. With the holiday season kicking off, it’s so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of doing and the stresses that seam to infiltrate our day-to-day. This year I’m going to take it slow and easy and relish each day. It is really such a short season after all. It’s meant to be enjoyed.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Tags: autumn, baking, carrots, gratitude
Posted in Cooking Adventures, The Daily Balance, The Growing Season | No Comments »
october was pretending to be march
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
October went in like a lamb and out like a very unhappy, unruly lion. We got pummeled with a fierce snowstorm on Saturday evening that dropped 10″ of snow where we live. Normally we can handle 10″ of snow just fine, but not when the majority of the trees have yet to shed their leaves. That made for a very disastrous combination in Southern New Hampshire.
As of this writing, we do not have power or heat at our house. We do have hot water (for now?) but the water pressure is down to a trickle, so I’m thinking we are near the end. We lost power Saturday night just around midnight. And now it is Tuesday. The estimates are that we won’t get power back until Friday.
But I kind of okay with all of this. Is it inconvenient to stumble around in the dark using only a small flashlight? Perhaps. Is it cold in our house? Of course.
But losing power and being forced to go back to basics is so very refreshing. It reminds me of when Craig and I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2003. When it gets dark, you just naturally start to wind things down. You climb into your tent and get cozy.
We are doing the same thing now—when we get home from work we go walking to assess all the downed limbs in the neighborhood. Walking helps to warm us up. Then it’s home for dinner. Our stove works if we light a match for the gas. And then it’s time to climb into bed and make a cozy nest. We read or chat and find ourselves getting lots of extra sleep.
There are many worse problems to have than lacking electricity. It’s important to keep things in perspective. I am thankful that it is not the heart of winter. The house may be cold at 50°F, but we will deal.
Plus, this is a great excuse to wear jeans every day and put my hair back into a ponytail. Quick and easy.
So, October went out with a bang. Gotta love New England weather. I am really hoping that this means we will have a balmy January!
Tags: autumn, gratitude
Posted in The Daily Balance | No Comments »
first snow… and it’s october!
Friday, October 28th, 2011
It was raining yesterday afternoon. A fairly cold and steady rain as I made my way home from work. I crawled into bed when I got home, content to listen to the rain and take a snoozer. However, when I woke up a little while later, it was snowing! Crazy! So, of course, I went for a long walk in the slushy snow, catching snowflakes on my tongue.
When I woke up this morning, I was quite certain that I had dreamed everything. But sure enough, there was the evidence:
So strange to have snow already on the ground!
While the big maple in the backyard has mostly shed its leaves, the maple in front is still going strong. Plus all of our trees lining the back of our property haven’t even turned yet. Sure do hope this snow melts so we can get some raking done!
But, alas, word on the street is that more snow is in the forecast for Saturday night! I’m dreaming of a white Halloween???
Tags: autumn, raking, snow
Posted in The Daily Balance | No Comments »
exploring fall on my feet
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011
My writing just isn’t prolific right now. Most of my thoughts remain in my head for the moment, tucked away until later. And that is okay. Instead, I find myself thoroughly exploring Fall.
It is difficult to be working all day long, knowing that the sunlight is getting ahead of you. When I finally get home from work, I have about 15 minutes before the sun has completely gone away, leaving behind the early evening settled in inky darkness. So I dash home and strap on my running shoes and make my way outside. Sometimes I go for a run, and sometimes I go for long, fast-paced walks—at least 3 miles and sometimes closer to 5.
I am actually really loving the rhythm of walking right now. And sometimes Craig joins me.
It’s fun to check out all the houses in the neighborhoods decorated and ready to go for Halloween. Strings of orange lights, decorative ghosts swaying in the breeze hanging from the trees, pumpkins piles on front stoops. Fall is everywhere. I can smell wood stove fires, the scent of cinnamon, and the distinctive taste of the crisp autumn air. The trees rustle in the wind and leaves swirl about my head as they lazily fall from the sky.
Soon it will be raking time; I give it another week or two. But for now, this time is still mine for exploring. And the weekend is finally here, so I can get out of the house and enjoy this breezy, 60°F day in the sunlight. The leaves are putting on a dazzling display.
So Craig and I are off for another long walk, ready for more Fall exploration.
Tags: autumn, exercise, gratitude, mindfulness, running, walking
Posted in Let's Get Physical, The Daily Balance | No Comments »
picking tomatillos
Friday, September 30th, 2011
I cannot believe that today is the last day of September. Wow. I also can’t believe that the garden is still going. I am just now starting to pick tomatillos!
Here is what the tomatillo plant looked like in mid-summer.
And now there are little hanging tomatillo lanterns with a tart green fruit inside.
I have been combing through cookbooks and websites to try to find fun tomatillo recipes. And I think tomorrow I am going to try for a tomatillo chicken stew.
I just think tomatillos are so elegant looking.
So fall is definitely here, but we are still having some fantastic warm temps in the 70s. I have been outside running or walking almost every night for the past 3 weeks. And we’ve also gotten our fair share of rain over the past weeks as well, which has greatly helped with growing grass. And now the tomatillos are ripe and ready to be picked. My own little fall harvest.
The garden is still doing its thing, and I take great comfort in that. It greatly helps with my denial that fall is here and that it is pitch black out by 7 p.m.
For reals.
Tags: autumn, exercise, gardening, gratitude, organic, running, tomatillo
Posted in The Daily Balance, The Growing Season | No Comments »