Harvest Season

Yesterday really felt like Fall. It was Tuesday, and the last Farmer's Market of the summer. I stocked up on onions, carrots, potatoes and even splurged and bought the pumpkin. As soon as I got home I made several chicken pot pies (and remembered the chicken this time). We ate one for dinner, and froze the other. Luke was very helpful and sat in the pouch the entire time I roasted chicken and made pie crust. When I took him out of the pouch while the pies baked he sat in his rocking chair and stared at his fist for half an hour! I think maybe he was overstimulated from all the peeling, chopping and rolling out crusts.

Then in the evening Derek, Luke and I went to Helene's house. Helene and I peeled, cored, sliced and prepared apples for five pies and stuck those bags in the freezer. She had already made me some apple sauce for the freezer, and she had a bunch of tomatoes left over from making salsa the day before so we made a big pot of spaghetti sauce and canned it. I remembered I had a several tomatoes sitting on my counter still, so I ran home to get them and on my way home I passed kids going home from a football game in all their gear. As I drove back to Harv and Helene's I saw the Harvest moon low on the horizon, and bigger than my car. It was so big and orange!

The moon combined with the football players reminded me of helping the Shafter High Band get ready for half-time shows, and sitting under blankets in the football stadium with grampa as he explained the rules of the game. I remember one night when Dad was in charge of taking us kids to the game and had me put on several pairs of stockings under my jeans to keep warm...it didn't help. Yes, there I sat, shivering in the stands eating twix bars, watching the moon rise over the visitor's bleachers.

So in the picture are carrots, a pumpkin (which I hope to make soup in), canned salsa and spaghetti sauce, an apple and corn on the cob! Harvest time is my favorite time of year because you finally get to eat the fruits of your labor. These are not the fruits of MY labor, but I will enjoy them and hopefully by next year have a garden of my own. The other two pictures are pictures of Luke and Derek playing, and Luke with his lamby, which he has become quite fond of. When you press it's left foot it says, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Angels watch me through the night, until I wake at morning light. Amen". And if you press it's right foot it says the prayer in French. Luke prefers the French. When you play it in English he frowns. He's already pursuing a multi-cultural education.