Another wonderful week of walking in the beautiful woods of New Hampshire. The dogs and I got out every day and they got out on Sunday with Katie and friends so lots of fun and exercise. We had a number of appointments during the week which always makes it go faster. Eye doctor and dentist plus Garden Club and Postcard writing kept me busy in addition to all the walking. The trees are pretty much at peak this week but with the rain and wind this weekend we may be done now. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. The view outside our windows is still pretty though.
I went on a hunt for the Northern Lights but all I saw was a little bit of mauve color behind a pretty heavy cloud cover. Many of our friends and neighbors in different locations had the most spectacular show. We don’t have a great view to the north so it is hard to really see anything in that direction. Over in Andover where Proctor is and where I walk, they had clear skies and had a terrific show.
Update on Asheville Family
They are still in Beaufort, SC and have settled in to a good routine. They have good friends with them which helps with the children and managing chores. Margot went back up to Asheville this weekend to get an idea of what they are going to be dealing with when they return home. The water situation is a challenge at best. There is no water but there are water dispensing locations with big pumper trucks. She learned the ropes on how to get water and put it in buckets and containers to use for flushing toilets and other safe things for non-potable water. The repairs are on-going but from what I have heard and read it will take some time to have all the pipes working again and even then they aren’t sure about the quality of the water. She did find out that the YMCA is open for people to go and take showers and there are places you can take your laundry to be done but this new normal is really not all that convenient. Finding friends who need help is top of the list. As she said to me “Mum, there are cars in trees” and devastation everywhere. Oh my Asheville. The family will stay in Beaufort for another week and then will try and go home and see if they can figure out the new normal as a family.
A Saturday Activity
John planted the most wonderful tomato plants way back in the spring. We enjoyed tomatoes from them every chance we had. Finally we decided it was time to do our last harvest and to make green tomato relish. We cleaned the trees of everything we could and then composted the leftovers. Meanwhile Katie started making the relish. A long process due to the time needed to drain the mixture for at least an hour each time. Looks like guacamole in the picture but it is chopped up green tomatoes. We had exactly the right amount – I weighed them three times in pounds, kilograms and ounces and all were as recommended.
We had just the right number of glass jars in the cabinet with just a little bit leftover that we ate with our dinner Saturday night. It is yummy. We think way better than our attempt at Mustard Pickle last year. Katie is a genius in the kitchen and she knows how to follow a recipe. I am pretty good at washing out the many pots and pans that were used and boiled the jars. They all sealed so we are good for awhile. The recipe is too long for me to write out but here is the link to the one that we used. Easy Green Tomato Relish from Lovely Greens.
Canadian Thanksgiving
We are celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving with a roast chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green peas and creamed onions plus a store bought pumpkin pie and ice cream. So many reminders this week of Thanksgivings past – 20 years ago we celebrated my mother’s 80th birthday in North Hatley, 10 years ago we celebrated her 90th birthday in Montreal with a wonderful extended family party. This year she would have been 100 on October 10th and we all miss her. What a party we would have had. This picture is from the 90th in 2014.
