Potpourri

It's been pretty cold here all week. My cat sleeps all night instead of playing around since she's cold. I can always tell when we have a really cold night, because she comes up onto my bed and sleeps with me. I don't mind her company. But I think she's a little scared to sleep with me now, because last time she did, I forgot she was there and stretched out, squishing her against the wall. She was startled from a deep sleep, jumped onto the floor, and ran out of the room! She hasn't been back in bed with me since.

It's officially fall now. I guess it was officially fall about a month ago, but I didn't realize it until I checked Beka's calendar. I've been saying it feels like fall, and it has actually been fall all along. It's funny how much the weather fluctuates here during the fall months. I recently over-heard somebody say, "I really like the fall days we have here in Illinois. I get winter in the morning, fall and summer in the afternoon, and spring rainstorms at night." That just about sums it up for me, too.

Male turkeys parade around the barnyard, a beautiful sign that fall is here! Photo by me.

School is really in full swing now. I do my school-work in the afternoons after the lunch dishes are finished. My cat likes it when I do school, because I can be very easily convinced to stop working and spend a few minutes playing with her! I enjoy doing school, because it gives me a nice break from dishes and cooking. I'm finding 8th grade to be more difficult than I planned on, but it's alright. English is, of course, easy as usual, and History, in which I am learning about the Revolutionary War at present, isn't that bad either. But don't get me started on Math and Science! I take courage in what Albert Einstein said: "Do not worry about your problems with mathematics. I assure you mine are far greater."

Our vegetable stand is pretty much shut down for the year. The only things we are still selling are eggs and the few, rare tomatoes. But Mom is full of brilliant plans for a bread- and dessert-baking business for the weekends over the winter. On Friday Beka and I made bread, and Mom made pumpkin bread. I have to admit that that pumpkin bread was absolutely delicious...moist, sweet, and with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. (I'll share the recipe at the end of this article.) Our bread always sells well, and the pumpkin bread was a big hit with all of our bread customers. We'll definetly make that again!

One of Matthew's rabbits has finally had babies. On Saturday morning Timmy came inside after doing the chores to tell me that one of the female rabbits was looking very suspicious. That night he returned from the chores to announce that she had had her babies. Matthew was not home, but when he returned I went out with him and Beka and we checked it out. Her nest-box was full of hay and the fur the rabbit had taken from herself to line her nest. We watched the little nest anxiously, but we didn't see any movement. Matthew stuck his hand in, and after a little digging around discovered a heap of sleeping baby bunnies. They were very, very ugly, but I know from experience just how cute they get, so we're waiting! We are all glad, because Matthew was beginning to worry that he would have to get some new rabbits, since these were not reproducing.

And while we're on the topic, one of Matthew's pigeons just laid an egg. As of last night she had only one...but she hopefully has two by now. That's also pretty exciting. Timmy can't wait until we have a few baby pigeons.

Here's that recipe for pumpkin bread:
Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. [We used mini loaf pans. It shortens the baking time.]
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. [30 minutes or so for mini pans.] Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Weekly Bible Verse

Romans 12:15: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Bits and Pieces

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! We are finally done ALL of the house construction!!! We are all completely, absolutely thrilled! Things have actually been a little bit normal since Thursday. We finished the construction late Wednesday night, the last project being installing furnace chimney pipes, etc. We are very glad that everything has been completed with no injures, few accidents, and even a few mistakes! The only accidents we had were 3 cases of collapsing various sections of ceiling. The first two times Matthew and Beka each put a foot through, making about a foot-wide hole in the ceiling of the room below, which had to be repaired. The last time, Beka nearly fell through the ceiling, collapsing a good five or six feet of roof in our laundry-room.

Here Beka and Dad are working late to finish putting the metal on the roof. They had to trim nearly half of the pieces that went on the north side. Photo by me.

Beka started working on her school right away. She got a few weeks behind during the work on the house. She has several days of serious school-work still ahead of her. She is very diligent, however, and hopes to be caught up by Monday or Tuesday next week.

A Word About The Weather

It has warmed up a little bit this week, though it is still pretty chilly. It has been windy most of the week, and it rained as well. (Our garden really appreciated the good soaking.) But we're fine with any kind of weather now that we're done the roof. Indeed, let it snow!

A Word Of Wisdom

If your parents never had children, chances are you won't either. -Dick Cavett