From Point A to Fun

It is all about getting from point A to point fun, isn't it? 

some pictures new, some old but true

In this case,  getting from the plain pumpkin 

                         to the carved pumpkins done by punkin's!

                  Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeeen One and All! 

              The cutest stay the cutest, and the most handsome 

scare the pants offa me, scarey, isn't he!

more Cutey to Bat-taculous!

and there are gools encasing pumpkins in 

Mummy wraps with cork eyes,  or are those olives?

There are Pew-kers,

and Pumpkin Pies,  (special made for my BIL's)

Ninjas,

And Alien Seekers! 

 More carving, hair-dressing and wee Punkin' Peepers.

It's been such a sweet pleasure, 

being Grams to 11 GrandLoves throughout the year, 

but during Halloween,

there seems to be a few more faces that appear!

I hope you have been spooked, tricked and treated,

If not,

Go to Ms. Mel's from UpNorthWithMel,

Perhaps You can sneak Snickers and Butterfingers

She snatched from kids buckets.

Gooooooooooood Niiiiiight My Pretties!  :o(

Pumpkins=

As gorgeous as what fall is in Maple Tree country with the rainbow of colors and wet fallen leaves scenting the air,  

one of my favorite things will always be the  

PUMPKINS~

                                           

 and the treats within them.

The kids can have the Jack-O-Lantern carving all to themselves, and I will gladly head to the kitchen with the seeds.

For being small-time gardeners, we were pretty happy with our 56 pumpkins that came out of our garden this year.  All of the GrandLoves were tickled too.  But me?, I was happy to know of the good things to come.

I will be baking off plenty of the pulp for tables full of baked goods, but those seeds, those glorious seeds, they immediately were put to use as a snack. 

               PUMPKINS = PUMPKIN SEEDS

I've made them sweet, spicy, sweet and spiced, even cayenne-hot!
This first batch was sweet and spiced for the growing palates.
                           
                            Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds

spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray and spread with the  pumpkin seeds 
 melt half a stick of real butter and pour over seeds
sprinkle with Lawry's Season Salt 
sprinkle with garlic powder
stir around to cover the seeds with spices

Bake: 350 degree oven - center rack - 15-20 min., turning once, 
cool seeds, save in sealed jar., (IF they last that long)

This time I also sprinkled sugar on the seeds AFTER removing from the oven.  I have found that sugaring them before baking, increases the chance of burning them before they are crispy.  If you do choose to sugar them first, just be sure to turn them another time and watch them carefully.    ENJOY!

This is my own recipe, as I rarely use exact measurements when just ' throwing together a treat.'  I CAN tell you this,
                              ~THEY ARE LONG GONE~

Now, go carve a pumpkin for the kids, throw the seeds in a pan and bake up some fun.  Thanks for stopping by.
BlessYa

Frances Recall

It's been a while since we've been to the farm, 

but look who we met.  This is  ' Frances.'

He needed a new home, so he now resides at the farm

with my Mom.

Frances is a gentle rooster, gentle enough 

to be fed out of your hand with the chicks.

Fair warning tho, his peck is a bit more 

sharp than the youngsters.

 Just so long as you do not ruffle his feathers,

he will be kind to you and go about his business

of pecking and scratching the ground.

Down at the hen house, the hens are busy 

keeping the eggs coming.

 Boss, however, got a bit Too bossy and has been 
             ' separated ' from the rest of the 'fold.' sorry Boss, 
                                         Frances reigns!

 Has something like a song, a character, a bird, anything? has anything ever instantly recalled a childhood memory?

Well, on the home library shelf of children's books, is a book that all of the wee ones that ever ran across my floors,

goes for at ' story time.'

Daycare was at my home. When some of the nieces, nephews, our own babes, the neighborhood kids, all came here, at one time or another, as children.  They all wanted me to read this well worn favorite to them.  

 One of them, was my niece, Staci.  She called me a couple days ago, wanting the name of the book and it's author.  When I asked her if she was thinking of ' Christmas ' for her little girl, she said, " No, I'm thinking of Me."

Staci is the one who found a new home for Frances the Rooster you met in the very first photo of this entry.  It seems that Frances had touched a soft spot in her heart.  She said she couldn't get him off her mind because he reminded her of this book I read to her when ' she ' was just a little girl.

 All of the farm animals of Maple Hill Farm are there.

You really must meet them all, so see if you can find this child's book of 1974 by Alice and Martin Provensen. 

The hard cover is the best with large, bold illustrations and fun throughout.  I promise, you will treasure it forever.

Meet MAX!

Have another wonderful day!

and

Thanks so much for stopping.

Do come back often.  I treasure your visits!

Smile:-)

~Buttercup~

Meet Buttercup!  Buttercup is Bill's new heart-throb.  

She has been keeping him pretty busy.  Greg is her sidekick and says to Bill, " Treat her gentle, she starts hard.  Just pump the he** outa her and she'll run like a dream."

 The past couple of days, she has hauled a drag, 80 gallons of diesel, and a couple tons of organic fertilizer ( chicken poo ), a fertilizer spreader and her faithful driver, Bill.

Together, they have been getting the fields ready for next years potato crops.  Greg, the organic potato entrepreneur, and our boss man, has leased another 100 some acres to work.  The little fields, thankfully, are close to home.  Bill's happy for something to do with his retired time.

 He's unloaded plenty of ton loads with a fork lift but not off a tractor, so he says it was a little tricky at first.  I guess Greg thought his few pounds would counter-balance the weight, but that's what 4-wheel drive is for.....it was Bill's joke of the day.  

Even the boss man was surprised as to how heavy chicken poo is, all compressed into 40, 50lb. bags, tightly wrapped.  Greg and his daughter quickly added a few more bags to the flatbed of ol' Buttercup, before hauling the fertilizer to the next field.  I hope the cover-crop seed arrives before the snow flies or it won't be planted.  It will grow under snow but likes warmth to germinate.

Needless to say, a few days with Bill at the cabin,?..............
never happened.  It must have been a God-send, tho., as my head is 'still' not right.  GeeeezGollyAnyway!  I guess it's true- it does take quite awhile for the brain to settle inside this thick skull~

Until next time~~~~~~~
From Me to You, Thanks for Stopping

Maybe Next Week

Maybe ' next ' week!

Maybe then, we will finally have some ' us ' time.

Maybe then, a chance to stay at our cabin in the woods~

 Life has been so busy, so tired, it's time.  Time for a deserved challenge.  Bill and I love to play cribbage, and we do, usually each morning and evening, sometimes noon after lunch, we sneak in a game, but only one. 
 My folks used to keep score on the back of the board each game for a year at a time.  Whoever won per game, got their picture with their big buck, facing forward on the spiral picture frame, for the day.  They also got a check-mark on the back of the board.  They played every morning after breakfast, and before the dishes were done.  Sweet memory!  

 While at the cabin, I do hope to see more  ' doe eyes.'
There are not as many deer around as there used to be.
We have the wolves and the cougar to thank for that.  I won't go any further with ' that ' touchy subject., but I'd rather see the deer than the ' stalkers/ annihilators.' 

 There is something soothing and just plain 'peaceful' about sitting near a campfire late into the evening.  Once the embers burn down and the chill is in the air,  it's time to retire.

 It will get chilly, so the fire in the potbelly stove will have warmed the cabin by then.  It will feel good to go inside for.....

 a bowl full of stew that's been on the stove all afternoon.
Fresh baked bread and hot steamy stew, what a great smell as we first open the cabin door.  Maybe some Gingerbread, too.

Before long, we will be strapping on the old snowshoes and making our own tracks in the snow.  But for now, off with the generator, light the candle and~~~

off to bed before the white stuff comes.

I'm thinking, I am ready.  Is it Monday yet?
Will Bill leave early and start that potbelly and the generator and warm the logs for Us?  I sure do hope ' this ' will be the week.

For now, I'm crawling into bed at home, and ' dreaming.'

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.
Blessing'

Shooting Wild Things

Not as in ' shooting,' but shooting with the lens.  Look what caught my eye.  The curious deer ran full-tilt across the field to get to their evening snacks.  They have been munching and  mashing potatoes like crazy since the field has been harvested.

 My apology for unclear distant shots, as I dropped my camera....
                                         again!

 They watch me as I watch them.

 Behind the lens of the trail cameras have been other visitors of the night, like this family of coyote, and a family of obnoxious raccoon.

Turkeys, so many turkeys, as many as 40 come to scarf up every scrap of pumpkin guts, very few kernels of corn, cabbage leaves and apple peelings, whatever looks like a meal.  

 Her fawn wanders, what is mom so jumpy about this time...

 Oh, of course, here come the agitators once again...see the deer standing on the left of the turkeys........who,

 finally has had enough of them, kicks up his heels, and is off to more quiet surroundings.

                    So, 'this' is what they call the 'turkey trot!'

 Undisturbed silence in the woods for little buck fawn and his mom,....at last.  Click to enlarge to see the little guys newly developing antlers and his red-top and gray face.  What a handsome boy!

 To spar or not to spar, that is the question.  It's that time of year again, when the bucks, large and small, even these  teens, begin to compete for the 'scent of a doe.'

Snow does not stop the search for food.  The does are going to need all the strength and body fat as possible, for the growth of their unborn fawns and the long, cold winter ahead.  Not to mention, the strength to outrun the wolves and cougar.

 I hope that clicking on this small image will show you what the coyote has in his mouth.  This picture was taken near a farm and that 'is' a cow's collar in his mouth.  It appears old, rotted, missing the bell, but still has the buckle and leather.  What a great 'chew-toy.'

The sun is setting, the deer are grazing on pumpkins and corn, as they occasionally look up to watch the turkeys roost in the safety of the tall timbers, this case, the Hemlocks, as I capture what I can before the light of day is completely gone.

What's in 'your' back woods and near your home.  I hope you enjoyed the trek through my back acres.  Please stop any time.

BlessYaTodayAndAlways