A story - "Special Talents" - and Cabbage Salad and Freezing Celery

 A story:

Special Talents

It was a casual invitation but Lisa felt like making a special effort.  She put on her outfit:  grey dress pants, lavender cashmere sweater, pearl earrings.

"Not too shabby," she complimented herself.  Her children were impressed.

Six other moms came with their children for the gab fest with finger foods.  Lisa smugly surveyed the other moms: yoga pants, baggy tops, hair roots showing.

Suddenly a friend's son tugged on Lisa's arm.  "Come."  Intrigued, she followed him.

Soon she had worked her magic.  The boy grinned enthusiastically at her and exclaimed, "I knew you could unblock the toilet."

We had an inch of snow on the ground this morning. I thought a colourful salad would be nice to brighten up the day.  Here's more or less what I put in it.

               1 cup chopped red cabbage

               3/4 cup chopped celery

               1 chopped apple -  I used a MacIntosh

               1/4 cup pecan halves

                2 very small carrots - 1 yellow, 1 orange

                Mayonnaise to desired taste - about 2 tbsp.

                You could also add some yellow and red peppers, some onion, sunflower seeds.

                I should have garnished it with some parsley but I forgot.

Even though we had snow, we did not get frost.  Sometimes when the temperature is right around 0C, that happens.  Anyway, I pulled  the last of the celery out of the garden.  That really is the end of the garden.  I kept some fresh in the fridge but blanched (about 3 min) and froze the rest.  When I have chunks of vegetables like this celery or diced peppers, I put them in a large freezer bag and spread them out flat.  Then I carefully place the bag flat in the freezer so the vegetables freeze in a single layer.  When I want to use some, I can easily break off what I need.  You can, of course, freeze vegetables on a cookie sheet and then put them in a bag.  

The snow is pretty well gone. It was just a warning :)

Story - "Homemade Socks" and quiet fall colours

A story:

Homemade Socks

The knitting needles followed their well-worn path, row after row.  Donna knew the pattern by heart.  Ribbing at the top, cables down the leg and over the top of the foot.  She used the same grey yarn for every pair.  She spent countless hours knitting the socks and donated them to various homeless shelters.

One cold winter night at a shelter, a worker gave a troubled man a pair of Donna's socks.

As soon as he saw the pattern, tears filled his eyes.  His mother always knit him socks in that particular pattern in that special shade of grey. 

The fall foliage of the maple trees is flashy and bright and always welcome, but some other plants are beautiful in more subtle ways.  The dogwood in this photo has lovely peachy leaves that bounce gently in the breeze.

The evening primrose goes a deep red.  It reminds me of a Scottish tartan with the green, yellow, and brown.

The Solomon's seal changes to a buttery yellow.  It keeps its arching form to give a nice structural focal point in the landscape.

Wood asters have delicate mauve flowers on their stiff stems.  Every flower has slightly different colouring in the center and the petals come out at irregular angles giving the plant a quaint quirkiness.

A few of the pansies are still flowering after limping through the heat of the summer. They are always brightly coloured but their soft rounded petals give them a quiet feeling.

Story - "The Protector". and Fall Sedum

A Story:

The Protector

Ranger was a rescue dog.  Too energetic, noisy, and aggressive for his first owners, he had found his forever home with a lively family.  Off-leash walks were Ranger's delight.

Sadly, one autumn the father became ill.  The ambiguous diagnosis didn't look promising.  Friends and family encouraged, "He just needs to rest."

The mother knew better.

One fresh fall day, the family prepared for a walk.  Ranger pranced, twirled excitedly.

"I think I'll stay home," the mother said quietly.  She needed to find some strength.  Ranger paused, gazing at her.  Soon he was sitting close beside her, the walk forgotten. 

 

Sedum is a great plant for late season blooms.  It is tough as nails and will handle any kind of weather.

It does best in full sun as a shadier location can make it leggy and prone to flopping.  It is super easy to propagate.  Simply break off a stem, even when it is blooming, and stick it in the ground.  It will quickly root.  I like it because it makes a well-behaved clump and  even though it is very easy to grow, it is not at all invasive.  The bumblebees like it, too,  so that's another plus. The flower heads can be easily dried or used fresh in flower arrangements.

Story: : "Entwined" and Butternut Squash

 Another story.

Entwined

The French fry bounced on the cold pavement.  On springy yellow feet, the seagull jabbed, drew back, swallowed.  He caught my eye but I turned away.  My heart was still thumping.  No more job.  Who was I?

He squawked as a heavy raindrop plopped on his grey back. I threw another fry.

Soon a rival came, then another.  Fries, more fries.  Scattered left, strewn right.  Finally, no more.  The challengers flew away.  He stayed.  We stared at each other; our needs entwined together.

"Thank you," he seemed to  say.

It felt good to feel needed.

This year is the first year I have grown butternut squash.  I didn't think I had enough sun to successfully grow them but I had some very healthy seedlings pop up in the compost and I couldn't resist transplanting a couple of them and see if they would produce fruit. I planted them in large pots by a trellis. I think the trellis was key to getting them enough sun.  They have looked ripe for several weeks but I read online that you need to wait until the stem goes brown for them to be mature.  I think they are finally ready.

Butternut squash is probably my favourite squash.  It has great flavour and the skin isn't too hard.  I can easily cut them into chunks and bake them in the oven, or if I am in a hurry, I microwave them. At this time of year, I like to make squash soup.  I saute some onion, add my cooked squash, enough water to make the consistency I want and simmer for half and hour or so. I flavour it with chopped parsley, marjoram, salt and pepper.  Just before serving, I add some milk and keep it on the stove until it is well heated but not boiling.

The beauty of soup is that recipes are flexible.  For squash soup, I might also add some carrot, or ginger, or even some red or yellow peppers. It's all about tasting as you cook and using the taste to determine how you will adjust your seasonings.