Beautiful: October 2011

Last Day of October

These are the chore wheels. They go to and from the chicken house, feeding and watering, taking scraps, collecting eggs, throwing scratch...to and fro, taking out the household trash and recyclables, emptying the compost, retrieving the mail. Happy Mom, happy kids.

Cowgirl Birthday

Lydia had a Saturday party with a few friends.

Thank you Grammy for the cream and sugar. Already planning English tea party for next year's birthday.

They are such posers!

Enjoying some ginger brew.

Gabe has fizz up the nose.

Eight-year-old

She got wheels!

Gabe has taken over all fire lighting duties.

Happy Birthday punctuated with staccato bangs. He explained, his contribution in lieu of accompanying with the guitar which reappeared last week with a resurgence of playing - at least for a day.

There she blows!


A few desired trick candles and lots of smoke.

So we come to the end of "Birthday month" with contented, growing up way too fast, kiddos and good memories. Grandma and Grandpa traveled the distance and surprised Lydia for her special day. She agreed with Gabe that it was the best surprise ever.

Signs of October

New large dehydrator and jar of dried plums behind. Marshal is enjoying them for his lunch each day.

Dried pears, pear butter, a couple jars of plum jam, and a few jars of canned pears in honey syrup. I was just dabbling in the preserves.

Leftover Birthday Cupcakes - (Dr Oetker box mixes and enjoy life sprinkles)

Quite the caterpillar on his lip. Enjoying mustaches and cowboy themes.

A brilliant full-arching rainbow at the end of the day.

The end of the rainbow ran to the neighbors'. They are a pot of gold.

Last minute creative culinary concoction for dinner again. Kale chips and sprouted bean, canned salmon, and garden salad. There are many kale chip recipes online. I tear the leaves in large sections, drizzle with melted coconut oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 325ºF convection for about 15 minutes.

Costco has these sprouted beans, tru roots, over by the organic quinoa. They cook up fast. I rinsed them with cold water and tossed them with salmon, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, and parsley from the garden, squeeze of lemon and olive oil, seal salt, and pepper.


Eleven sugar pie pumpkins from our own garden, kabocha from the farm, and some special large unnamed ones from Grandma curing by the stove for our winter supply. This month was a first large endeavor in food storage with the fall produce.