FEELING FALLISH

Last night was the Harvest Moon. And it was a beauty...really bright and extra full! We got to enjoy it on our way to and from dancing. The night time temps are cooling off into the mid 40's by this week, so it does feel like fall, at least in the morning. Afternoon temps remain in the 80's with clear skys.

 It's time for the fall change-over from sunflowers to rosehips, cones and ferns. Makes for a nice change at the front door, don't you think?

These colors make me think of spiced cider and pumpkin bread. Yummm.

LUCERO ADDICTION

 Pimento peppers ripen slowly so I only get a few at a time. Here I'm roasting them along with a few of my Golden Summer bells. The roasting chars the skin so I can peel it off after "sweating" them in a plastic bag.

After I peel and seed them, they get a good dose of regular Lucero  and a finish of my crushed Meyer lemon Lucero, I pack them up in a glass bowl if I'm planning to use them up fresh or I vacumn pack and freeze them for use later. Fabulous addition to almost anything!

HARVEST TIME

Luckily we don't have to call in a crew to help us harvest the garden like these folks! And I don't have to spend hours in the kitchen over a wood-fired stove frying chicken and making lots of biscuits & gravy for the threshing crew! GOOD TIMES!

We're probably a good six weeks or so away from a real frost...the full moon at the end of October will probably be the time that does in the tomato plants. Meanwhile I'm picking lots of peppers, eggplant, butternut squash and of course tomatoes.

HEAVY HEART

Today is a very sad day for us. And for all of us as Americans. We learned that Chris Stevens, our US Ambassador to Libya was killed along with 4 career State Department officials in that country. We think of our friends Jeanine and Mark Jackson who have worked for the State Department for several decades, often putting themselves in harm's way. Jeanine is now the US Ambassador to Malawi where recent events put her in the center of keeping a government on the right track when their president died. Before that she was running the US Embassy in Bagdhad, where she couldn't go outside without wearing a helmet and flack jacket. She was also the Us Ambassador to Berkina Fasso, the poorest country in Africa. Before that she and Mark were kidnapped in Nigeria...and those are only the things that we know about! They've also been in Russia and Hong Kong and most of the Middle East at times of unrest. 
It's hard for those of us who don't have their calling to understand why they would continually put themselves in harm's way, but their service to our country truly shows a lifetime's devotion to the principles of Democracy and the USA! So think of them today and all those out there in foreign posts. And voice your opposition to ANY type of radical opinions you hear or read...it's those hate mongerers on all sides that cause terrible consequences for all of us.   

I HEAR BELLS (PEPPERS) THAT IS

Did I mention it's been a good year for tomatoes? It's also a good year for peppers....TOO GOOD! Even the local food banks can't take any more PEPPERS from gardeners this year! Here at Angel Crest Manor, we've had some help from the raccoons who have managed to get to about 25% of the crop...they only like the ripe ones, of course. Me too! Red, yellow or purple, they are nice and sweet. Where I've usually have two or three peppers per plant, I have up to 10 this year!
So time to get real and chop 'em up, along with summer squash, onions, green tomatoes, eggplant ( I have 16 on one bush!)  Saute them up with some nice Lucero (that's California olive oil from Corning) and you get a mirepoix, melange (pardon my hideous French spelling) or sludge of goodness. I'll freeze it in small amounts (1 cup per vac pack) to add to soups, stews or roasts in the crock pot for added flavour dimension this winter.

DEER ME!

We were motoring back home from a night of great dancing...going up our usual hillside route at about 10:30 pm when Jack spotted a doe crossing the road ahead. He slowed down and we figured there would be at least one more deer to watch for...there is never just a single deer...
Sure enough a fawn jumped out of the bushes from the center median right in front of us. We were going about 25-30 mph at the time and Jack stood on the brakes. Thank goodness for great Honda anti-locks! We probably stopped in one car length but we saw the deer's head looking up at us and then disappearing in front of our hood. I thought for sure we had hit him because the car seemed to shudder but it was the brakes doing their job. Luckily for the fawn, Jack's 75 year old reflexes were damned good and the fawn bounded away across the road. He was not touched by the car but it must have been just an inch or two from disaster!
That will get the adrenalin going and make you heart feel like it is going to jump out of your chest!