I just finished my mini-sized Kit Kat and decided that it was time to log on and tell all Happy Halloween. Ross is in the kitchen making us chicken paprikash for dinner. This is one of those cold night meals that will really hit the spot tonight.
Last week we had our Indian Summer. Temps got into the 70s and it was rainy-it felt like a balmy Spring day. I was OK with it but felt it was almost too warm. Once I get used to it being cold I don't want to get warm and then have to get used to cold again which is exactly what happened. By Friday the warm weather was gone and was replaced by clear, cold weather (tonight it should get down to 25 degrees). With the cold weather is a chilly arctic wind that can cut right through you. It makes me a bit happy, I must say, because it makes the candle light in the jack'o'lanterns dance. More on that later.
We started the weekend by doing another Halloween cemetery tour (we did one last weekend when my sister came to visit). This time the tour was in Washington and was really well done. Ross and I had decided to only wear our puffy vests; I wish I had worn my winter coat. The weather was biting but the tour was still fun. It was nice to get into the car afterwards and turn on the heater.
On Saturday Ross and I ran some errands and then came home to give the chickens some free range time. Most of the underbrush has died away so we can get a clear view of the woods. There are still some beautiful colors hanging on out there so it was a nice time to walk and look. Ross took a nap for an hour or so (he got a head cold late in the week so Dr. Shannon prescribed rest). After he got up and did some chores (Saturday is clean the coop day), we went on a hike of our property. It is nice to look at the different parts of our land at different times of the year to see how dramatically different they can look. After the hike came pumpkin carving. Earlier in the day we bought some pumpkins (Ross got one and I got two to go with the one I already had). I love to carve pumpkins, and this year it seems Cloe was in on it too. I think she thought we had some good food since we were at the table, but she stayed for quite a while. It made my day to set our jack'o'lanterns out on the stone wall. I think I went out about ten times to look at them. I asked Ross if he thought it made people smile to see them. He said yes. That makes me feel good.
Today is Halloween-the most frightful day of the year! And, Ross and I did the most frightful things today; we winterized. That's right we winterized. Who'd of thought that getting everything ready for winter could be so frightening. We got rid of the last of the annuals, washed the pots and put them into storage. We took down the deer fence around Ross' vegetable garden. Ross sanitized all his tomato cages, and we put them up in the garage attic. We drained and stored the hoses. Ross put fertilizer spikes around all the fruit trees in the orchard. And the worse of all, we got out the snow shovels. I bet you just shivered from fright! It was a nice feeling to get everything done just in time to dip below freezing tonight. After we finished our tasks I took the chickens on a Halloween parade (yes I am somewhat insane). They came with me to light the pumpkins as it was getting to be dusk. We then put the girls to bed and came in to warm up. I have been out twice already to check on the pumpkins. Ross told me that someone earlier stopped their car after passing our house and backed up to look at them. I just love that something so simple can give so much enjoyment, but isn't that usually how life works! I wish you all a Happy Halloween. And now, I'm off to look at my jack'o'lanterns once again.
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