What a week. The kittens reaction is pretty much what we all feel about now. So much going on that all we want to do is curl up and take a nap. The blanket was a gift from Bishop’s College School when I retired from their board a number of years ago. It is very special to me as it represents the combining of the two schools King’s Hall Compton and Bishop’s College School in Lennoxville, Quebec. Compton no long exists but its history is retained within the Bishop’s community and for that I am very grateful. I put it out this week and both kittens immediately decided this was their new home spot. They have been there most of the week.

Update on Jenny Lane

The wood shed! We have wanted to build a wood shed for over a year now and finally, this week, it came together – sort of. What we didn’t really need was more building especially of something new but last week the two cords of wood we ordered arrived and we had no place to put it. With winter coming it was time to put the project together. The guys, in fact, said they could build it in a day and to give them their due they did just that. It is not finished, of course not, nothing around here ever is, but it is functional. I was a tad surprised to find out how really big it is. I think I was imagining something small and sort of hidden from view but that is not what we got. It is huge and capable of holding up to three cords of wood. It is also open on all sides which I don’t get because to me that just lets in the snow and rain but I am told it is to help the wood dry????? We started stacking the wood this weekend but got rained out. We did get a good bit of it done but there is much more to do. Now I am trying to figure out how to hide it so it is not so in your face. Am thinking of planting some vines or something to hide it.

A Welcoming Home

We are enjoying settling in to the new configuration of the house. The living space is so welcoming and comfy especially when we have a nice fire going. Now that fall has arrived that is almost a daily occurrence here. We have lots of wood and the fireplace has been cleaned so we are ready for the fall and winter. So far we haven’t had to turn on the heat and I hope we won’t have to for a little while longer. The house is so well insulated that we should be able to wait just a little bit longer. We actually were able to have a small gathering in the house this week and show it off to some of our neighbors who have watched the activity for so many months and were really wanting to see what it was like on the inside. What a treat to share it with them.

An Early Birthday Present

John’s birthday is this week. He and I have talked about getting pedal assisted bikes for some time now and I was able to pull off a major surprise by getting a matched set for us as an early birthday present. We have to go out and get some good bike helmets before we venture too far on them as they go about 20 miles per hour if you push the assist button. You can, however, use them pretty much like a regular bike but they are very heavy. These ones fold down small enough to be able to be put in the back of the car but I am not so sure I am strong enough to lift one. Nice big fat tires make them pretty stable. It’s a learning curve but I think we can master it. John says he won’t actually ride his until his birthday – excuses, excuses! I think it will be fun and the rail trail is the perfect place to go for a ride.

Walking This Week

Speaking of the Rail Trail, this past week a major piece of it was improved. This tunnel goes under one of the streets in Andover and it has always been a problem. The snowmobiles really wreck it in the winter digging up the dirt and ice and leaving huge ruts which make walking, let alone biking, problematic. The Rail Trail folks decided to pave it and are going to add lights to it. Normally I would not be in favor of something like this but frankly, this is the only way to make this safe for a long period of time. The dogs and I checked it out and decided it was fine. From the looks of the marks on the black top there have been a number of bikers going through too. The tunnel is not quite as scary anymore.

You Know It is October

It is that time of the year when the fall decorations start to come out. Some years ago I found these ceramic ghosts and decided they were exactly what I wanted to decorate the mantle. We have since last year, moved this mantle from the living room and made it into a shelf in the entry way. The ghosts came out and needed a little orange light to make them look even nicer. I love the expression on their faces. These are friendly ghosts as you can see. Just a wee touch of the season to brighten things up. A pumpkin and some mums decorate the outside, a wreath on the door and even a witch hiding behind the front door but I don’t go over the top with the decorations.

It’s Time for Soup

Fall comes and we all turn to comfort foods and one of those is soup. I actually made applesauce from our own apples and for the first time in eons I made a gingerbread cake. I used to make gingerbread a lot and then I sort of gave up on it. It is loaded with molasses and honey and of course ginger but it makes such a big cake that we never finished it before it got old. I needed something to take to a friend so I decided to go ahead and make the cake and divide it up. Then I made the applesauce to go with it. Just yummy. But that is not the recipe I want to share. The one I will share is a soup that Katie made for us and believe me it is absolutely delicious. I hope you will give it a try.

Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice from Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
3/4 cup dried red lentils
kosher salt
1 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups cooked basmati rice
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving
fresh Naan, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the ginger, garlic, and sweet potatoes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne and cook another minute.
2. Add the broth and lentils. Season generously with salt. Bring the mix to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the sweet potatoes tender.
3. Stir in the coconut milk and spinach, cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro.
4. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and ladle the soup overtop. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with Naan on the side. Enjoy!