Fall Fun: The First Fall Family Weekend

I wasn't posting, but, oh, were we having fun!

Gommie and Pop arrived here on Friday, just before the kids got home early from school.  They were all so excited to see each other, as I had been a bit earlier.

As usual, there was some show-and-tell when my parents arrived, this time in the form of watching the school musical on DVD, pointing out the kids in each scene, commenting on the whole experience.  Almost as good as being there in person!

Then we went out to dinner at a local place, with artichoke dip, fresh bread, steak, chicken, mussels, meatloaf, hamburgers, profiteroles, bread pudding, creme brulee.  A nice feast!

I think they even squeezed in a couple of games of checkers, with Sis roundly beating Gommie a few times--Pop managed to win against her, finally.

Saturday brought our usual round of kung fu, followed by a special performance at a local festival.  The festival was very small and local, but Gommie and Pop were so glad to get to see Bud perform.  He did his tong bei (first form), spear, and 9-chain routines as part of the larger team performance.  I just love watching him fly through the air!  We did a few of the activities--Gommie got a red flower painted on her cheek; I watched a calligrapher at work.  We all made "snow skin" Singapore mooncakes, which are bright white.  They are made of a pre-cooked dough of glutinous rice flower, coconut milk, with sweet bean paste in the middle--you make a ball and then stamp it with a symbolic decoration.  (See here for a similar recipe.)  It's a lot like mochi, though the woman in charge of the activity balked at the suggestion, saying, "The Chinese invented mochi, not the Japanese."  We walked the beach for a bit and then had a quick lunch of dumplings, shumai, scallion pancakes, and egg rolls.


Then we went out for ice cream!  Not your usual ice cream but the popular new nitrogen-frozen one that's all the rage around here.  Pop and I got the bourbon breakfast one, which is quite boozy.

For dinner, Mama made a delicious pork shoulder in her pressure cooker.  Yes, hers.  I am a bit wary of the steaming, squeaking thing.  But the dinner, with sides of roasted sweet potatoes and also broccoli, was delicious--and the first homecooked meal Gommie and Pop had eaten in 2+ weeks!

Sunday was church, a discussion and celebration of "accounting" of Rosh Hashanah.  I don't remember the exact context, but my favorite part was about those who yell loudly because they feel as if they aren't heard, literally and figuratively.  How true is that!  I see it here at home, in online discussions of local issues, on the national stage from both politicians and their supporters.  It seems like we have a rash of many people trying to communicate without many feeling heard.

And then it was time for Applepalooza!!  I was so excited that my folks could be here for our usually annual party for the first time.   And also for the first time, none of my usual playgroup friends could come; they were missed.  Still, we had our great neighbors and bus route friends, plus more from the community and church.  It was a great group, with lots of good conversation and delicious food, as usual:  apple rosettes, honey apple quiche, apple pie, caramel apples, old-fashioned apple cake with brown sugar frosting, cupcakes, doughnuts, mulled cider, and some fall beers.  Plus Pop's spicy homemade salsa!  The adults chatted around the fire pit, while the kids played--the younger ones in the dirt or on the swingset, the older ones running around playing zombie tag and climbing trees.  It was all going so well, until, simultaneously, a child was smacked in the head by the seesaw and the low dogwood branch the kids were sitting on it the tree cracked.  We confirmed the tree kids were fine while fetching an ice pack for the crying little one.  Soon, all was right again, though Pop later cut the branch off the tree.  The dogwood has some rot, so it's not surprising, but it was a lovely branch.  Still, I'm so glad no one was hurt.


Sis rushed off to speed skating after the party, with Gommie and Pop watching her race around the ice in her impressive "skin suit," made of kevlar for her protection.  She's still a beginner, of course, trying to learn the crossover and such, but she loves it and tried very hard.  We had Italian for dinner, with Sis inhaling a whole entree after her three-hour workout.



Monday was a school holiday and our rest time, though Mama had to go to work.  We sat at home, playing games like checkers and MarioKart.  Pop tried his had a few times at it, finally mastering the controls so that he didn't come in last.  Gommie and I tangled tiles. We watched "Speechless," which Gommie enjoyed.  Pop cut down the branch.   They all went swimming at the hotel. We even practiced flipping bottles, which apparently is the new craze; I didn't even know about it til I read a Boston Globe article, but the kids say it had already been banned at school.  Gommie got down on the floor and was flipping water bottles with the best of them.  Bud had piano and Sis had horseback riding; Pop and Gommie went to the horses, happy to see Sis riding Pooh, as well as grooming him and taking care of the tack.   We nibbled on Applepalooza leftovers until we made our own pizzas for dinner.  (And had some grumpiness with the kids, Mama, and me--if Gommie and Pop wanted a taste of our schedule--with all of our activities and such, they got it and a few of some of our breakdowns when we're tired.)  It was also Gommie and Pop's 54th wedding anniversary!  And as Gommie told the kids, without their marriage, the kids wouldn't be here.  True enough.  We cheered their long marriage.  

Today, Mama is at work, the kids are at school, Gommie and Pop are headed to the Adirondacks or somewhere, and I am at home still fighting this cold.  It wasn't goodbye--we'll see them in Vermont for another wonderful, long weekend.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

King Arthur's Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting--it was fantastic!

Cake

• 2 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups peeled, cored, chopped apple, about 1 1/3 pounds whole apples 
• 1 cup diced toasted walnuts or pecans (we skipped these and added more apples)

Frosting

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" pan.
To make the cake: Mix all of the ingredients except the apples and nuts in a large bowl.
Beat until well combined; the mixture will be very stiff, and may even be crumbly.
Add the apples and nuts, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the stiff mixture becomes a thick batter, somewhere between cookie dough and brownie batter in consistency.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers.
Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few wet crumbs clinging to it.
Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack to cool completely; don't remove the cake from the pan.
To make the frosting: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts.
Add the milk, bring to a boil, and pour into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, stir in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat well; if the mixture appears too thin, add more confectioners' sugar. Spread on the cake while frosting is still warm.
Yield: about 2 dozen servings.

Tips from our bakers

• To toast nuts, place them in a single layer in a cake pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 6 to 9 minutes, until they're golden brown and smell "toasty."
• To guarantee lump-free frosting, sift confectioners' sugar before adding to the butter mixture. Usually all the lumps disappear as you beat the frosting; but to guarantee no lumps at all, sift the sugar first.

1. Apple Rosettes
2. • 1-2 sheets puff pastry
   • 1/4 cup cream cheese
   • 3 tbsp sugar
   • cinnamon
   • 1 apple
   • 1 tbsp lemon juice
   • 3 tbsp water
     
     
   • Take out the core and thinly slice the apple.
   • Combine the apple slices with lemon juice and water in a bowl and microwave 3 minutes. Cool the bowl in some ice water. Pat dry the apple slices of excess moisture and set aside.
   • Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 4 even strips. 
   • Spread cream cheese and sprinkle on sugar onto the puff pastry strips. 
   • Arrange the apple slices and sprinkle cinnamon on top.
   • Fold the pastry puff in half lengthwise and roll them up. Place in greased muffin tins.

Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Miss CA

Homemade Caramel Apples--made by a friend's daughter, via Land of Lakes

1 cup finely chopped peanuts, optional
1/2 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup corn syrup

dash salt

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

10 tart apples, washed and dried

Butter waxed paper; set aside. 
Place peanuts into bowl. Set aside.
Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan; add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10-12 minutes or until mixture comes to a full boil. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 20-25 minutes or until small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball or candy thermometer reaches 245°F.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
Dip apples into caramel mixture. Dip 1 end of each apple into peanuts. Place onto prepared waxed paper.

Pop's Spicy Salsa

can of diced tomatoes

onion

cilantro

jalapenos (without seeds)

black pepper

In blender, mix tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and jalapenos. Pour into dish and cover top with black pepper.  Stir.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Pop

Pizza Dough--this is Mark Bittman's recipe, essentially the same as the one the girls did at their overnight

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, or more as needed, plus more for kneading
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as necessary

• 
  

1. Put the 3 cups flour, yeast, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball, about 30 seconds. If the mixture is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If the mixture refuses to come together, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time and process until it does.
2. Rub a little olive oil or sprinkle a little flour onto your hands and shape the dough into a ball; wrap in plastic. Let rest at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. Or, if time is tight, let it rest at least 20 minutes before proceeding. Or refrigerate for several hours, deflating if necessary if it threatens to burst the plastic. (Or divide in half, wrap each ball in plastic, slip into a plastic bag and freeze.) Let it return to room temperature before proceeding.
3. Reshape the dough into a ball and cut in half, forming 2 balls. (From here on, use olive oil if you're cooking on baking sheets, flour if on a pizza stone.) Put them on a lightly floured surface (a pizza peel is ideal), sprinkle with flour and cover with plastic wrap; or brush then with a bit of oil and place on a lightly oiled sheet. Let rest for about 20 minutes, while you heat the oven to 500 degrees.
4. Press a dough ball into a 1/2-inch-thick flat round, adding flour or oil to the work surface as necessary. Press or roll the dough until it's as thin as you can make it; let it rest a bit if it becomes too elastic. (Patience is your friend here.) You can do two baking sheets at once, or one after another, as you'll have to if using a peel. If doing the latter, slide the dough from the peel onto the stone.
5. Sprinkle the pizzas with olive oil (just a little), salt and rosemary. Bake for at least 10 minutes, perhaps rotating once, until the crust is crisp. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

The Starfish

A glass starfish we found serendipitously at the fair after church on Sunday

There was a man--or it could have been a woman, in this case it doesn't matter-- walking on a long, empty, and beautiful beach one morning.  Before him, he saw a child dancing on the sand, swinging her arms (or "his" arms, if you like) back and forth.  As the man approached the girl, he saw that she was not dancing but bending down to pick up a starfish and throw it into the water.  There were thousands of starfish beached on the sand, as far as the man could see.  The man said to the girl, "What are you doing?" and she replied, "If they stay too long in the sun, they will die.  So I'm sending them back out to sea."  He said, "But there are so many.  You can't save them all.  You won't make any difference."  And the girl looked at the man and looked at the starfish in her hand, thought for a moment with her face all scrunched up.  Then she threw the starfish into the sea.

"Made a difference to that one!" she replied.

Soon, others heard of the girl's efforts and many people came to the beach to help.  And thousands of starfish were saved.

This was the lesson told at church on Sunday, a popular tale in Unitarian Universalist services that I had heard before.  But the timing couldn't have been better.  There is unrest in our nation, and our wold, anger, sadness, despair even.  The murder of black men by police officers, terrorist bombings in Chelsea, and, since Sunday, yet another school shooting.  The water is not clean in many cities, particularly Flint; the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe attempts to protect its water supply from a pipeline but is opposed by Big Business.  There is war, murder, rape, torture.  65 million displaced persons in the world.  100,000 children being bombed in Aleppo.  And there is a man running for president of our country who prides himself on his racism, homophobia, isolationism, sexism, who quotes Mussolini and befriends Putin, all the while lying and obfuscating to drum up support for his walls and deportations and "law and order."

What can I do?  What in the world can I do?  I'm tired of the "thoughts and prayers" that are posted--that I post--after shootings and bombings.  I'm tired of the "we'll love better" mentality that says if we only love stronger and broader that we can overcome all; we can outlove the haters.  Better yet, we should love the haters.  Okay, yes, sure.  Thoughts, prayers, love.

But action, too. Except, what can I possibly do?  I've often heard that everyone can't do everything so pick a cause and work on it--pick up that starfish--the environment, gun control, education, Black Lives Matter, Habitat for Humanity.  All of those are good.  Which one is for me?  For my family?  How do we introduce children to social action without scaring or worrying them to much?  How do we avoid compassion fatigue?  No one likes to think too long of extinct panda bears; sixty-five million people are so many to save.  

Breathe.

One starfish at a time.

Hospice, Girl Scouts, lay ministry, money for Hillary, cans of food for the food drive, donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, lemonade stand for autism awareness.  Keep going, spread the word, pick up just one more starfish.

We can each make a difference.  Even if it really all seems impossible.  Sometimes, you're tired of bending over; sometimes the number of starfish is too overwhelming.  So don't look just at the entire beach of starfish despairingly; look at the one you send sailing back out to sea, rejoice that it will live, and enjoy the morning on the beach.  Sometimes, it helps if you dance a little.  

Stuck at Home

As it seems to happen, I have come down with a nasty cold during a busy week.  I've canceled a routine doctor's appointment, lunch with a hospice colleague, my hospice visit, two historic house tours, and my piano lesson.  It sucks.  The cold came on quite suddenly Sunday evening--typical sore throat, coughing, stuffy nose, painful ears, headache, blah.  I've not slept more than a couple of hours at a time.

I'm resting--"Tudors" and crochet, plus liquids, neti pot, etc etc etc.  I think I like to watch "Tudors" when I'm sick because I know it so well and can snooze--to those dulcet English accents!--without falling behind.  Plus, the costumes and settings are lovely.

Anyway, it's clearly not the end of the world, despite my complaining.  I only hope I'm better for this weekend, when Gommie and Pop arrive (they're wandering Maine right now) and we host Applepalooza!

Reviews

Here are some of our current favorites:


Timeline American History game:  It's not exactly fair of us to play this game of sorting historical dates in order with the kids, given that they haven't really had much American history and only lived 11 years.  Actually, they do quite well (especially having played once, they remember the dates better than we do) and we have fun playing.


Rock Me Archimedes game:  This game is like Jenga with marbles; steady hands are needed.  And strategy like checkers or chess to block your opponent.  Fun!


kazoo magazine:  A new magazine for girls that isn't "girly."  We all like it.


"Speechless":  The new ABC show starring Minnie Driver about a family getting along, including their son with cerebral palsy, played by an actor with CP!  It's witty, humorous, insightful.  Just don't call it inspirational.


"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell":  Mama and I are enjoying this BBC miniseries based on the award-winning novel about an alternate history of Regency England involving practical magicians.


"Crimson Fields":  A BBC WWI centenary show, following nurses in a Red Cross hospital in France; only 6 episodes but delightful.


"Home Fires":  This is a BBC WWII who, following women of the Women's Institute during the war, based on the book Jambusters.  More episodes than "Crimson Fields," but not quite as good, I think.


Roasted Carrots:  I made these the way I make sweet potatoes or butternut squash, meaning 1/4 cup brown sugar, some olive oil, and some salt, baked at 425F for 30+ minutes.


Chicken and Peas pasta:   A mozzarella cheese sauce (2 T butter, 2 T flour, 1 cup milk, 2 cups mozz) with cooked chicken and green peas over rotini or penne.


Meatballs:  I use my Wildtree meatloaf mix and roll it into small balls, baking at 375F for 15-30 minutes, depending on size.

Let the Fall Fun Begin

Yesterday, we attended one of our favorite events, fall or otherwise:  our old church's annual harvest festival.  And we had a wonderful time.  There were dozens of vendors--so many fabulous crocheters, some lovely crafters, and great food.  We got a large embroidered cat cushion for the couch, a lovely dried flower arrangement for the front door, a stained glass starfish for our upstairs window, and some cute screen-printed cat shirts.  For lunch, we had empanadas, chicken fingers, plantains, and chocolate cheesecake.

And we saw so many church friends!  The kids said several people they didn't know came up and said, "You've gotten so big!"  It was 11 years ago at this event that we debuted the twins, over-dressed for the fall day, and introduced them to the church that had supported us so.  How time flies!  Our friends, who just had a baby about 2 months ago, similarly brought their newborn to the fair--also overdressed in a fleece bunny suit for the 69F day.  I think it must just be new parenthood.  But she was very sweet looking, just like ours were.

Good memories, good times.

There will be a whole bunch of fall fun in the coming weeks--and Gommie and Pop arrive this weekend!

Fall Fun Possibilities

1. Applepalooza (our family fall open house, with apple desserts)
2. Apple picking
3. Decorate a pumpkin
4. Make apple or pumpkin butter
5. Church in-gathering celebration--this was last weekend
6. Florence Griswold Museum Wee Faerie Village (the month of October)
7. Make faerie houses
8. School Open House
9. Gommie and Pop visit
10. Vermont vacation
11. Make a leaf pile
12. Make leaf roses
13. historic house fall tours
14. Go to Fantastic Beasts movie (November)
15. Trick or treat
16. Backyard fire with foil dinners and s'mores
17. Tent in the backyard
18. Prepare Halloween costumes
19. Boo gifts for friends
20. Amish Friendship bread
21. Brandied fruit--it's fermenting on the counter
22. Nature walk or bike ride
23. Kiddos go to Nature's Classroom
24. Mama goes to Celestial Navigation course
25. Girl Scout "mountain" hike and tree study
26. Kellogg's Olympic Gymnasts' tour
27. Installation of the new minister
28. Paint pinecones
29. Yarn!
30. Explore sourdough bread recipes
31. Vote
32. Make pies
33. Church Harvest festival--lovely time yesterday!
34. Get out mittens, hats, scarves, sweaters, etc.
35. Pull out quilts and blankets
36. Change fire alarm batteries

Where is Fall?

It's late September--and 85F outside.  Sure, that was okay when I lived in Texas, but it is unusual here in CT.  I don't think we've ever run the AC this late.

Even more unexpectedly, the trees are already clearing changing color--I think this is because they are distressed in the drought and heat, not because nights are much cooler.  So, it looks like the beginning of fall outside but the temperatures are at least 10-15F higher than usual.

But meterological rumor has it that cooler air is on the way tomorrow.    This is good because I've started work on a huge crocheted, rainbow Granny Square afghan for our king-sized bed and it's getting too warm to keep on my lap!  And I'm out of iced coffee and ready to switch to hot tea.  And use the oven and light a fire in the firepit.  And write my Fall Fun list.

Come on, fall!

Parents on the Move

My folks left home yesterday to wind their way to us.  They'll go from Houston to visit a childhood friend of my father's who is dying of cancer.  Then they'll take a lazy, circuitous route to arrive in Connecticut by October 1.  We'll spend that weekend together, with a kung fu performance and Applepalooza!  They'll wander New England and meet us in Vermont later for a few days there.  Then they'll mosey around in Canada, Acadia, who knows where, until they return to Texas in time for my sister's birthday and the election.

We're looking forward to seeing them and hearing all about their escapades.  Safe travels!

Super Sunday

After a lovely morning at church--more on that later--we headed to a great hawk migration fest, though the weather was threatening.  I had been excited all week about the bird festival.  And it really was wonderful, with many of our favorite things.

 

Butterflies:  First, we saw the butterflies in a lovely flowering garden, with butterfly bushes and echinacea.  In fact, the volunteers were catching and tagging butterflies!  I must admit, I wasn't sure how they would tag butterflies, but Bud and Sis knew because their butterfly-loving teacher had done it before, with little stickers.  And indeed, they put on a little sticker.  Note:  do NOT try to remove the sticker if you come across one.  Just report the number.  Bud and Sis know so much about butterflies because of the three-year study they've done with their teacher--the black dots which indicate the butterfly was male, the difference between various cocoons, the three generations it takes to make the full migration.

Arts and Crafts:  While waiting for a tour of the lighthouse, we did some arts and crafts.  Sis made a pine cone squirrel that she wants to give to Pop for the cabin (don't tell!)  We also all made buttons with animal pictures from magazines.  I made a grumpy Snowy Owl, Bud a penguin.  Sis made a Gyr Falcon for Mama and a Bald Eagle for herself.  It was sweet.

Carousel:  The magnificent carousel in the park is 105 years old, with original horses complete with real horse-hair manes, a working organ, and apparently all the original mechanics and floor.  So pretty.  I loved the lights and the music and especially the little name plates over each horses.  We rode it twice.  Sis and Bud sat together, while Mama and I sat behind them on the sleigh.  You could see the Sound as the carousel went around and around, with that great twinkly music.  I could almost imagine it was another era.  I love carousels.

Lighthouse:  Dating to 1847, the lighthouse was replaced just thirty years later, because it was essentially invisible, being in the wrong place!  It has a stone stairwell, with 72 steps, about a foot high, ending with a three-step ladder.  I stayed downstairs while Mama and the kids ventured up.  They liked the view.


Sea Glass:  Meanwhile, I looked for sea glass.  I found a nice little green piece right off, but it was my only piece of the day.   To paraphrase my dad, "A bad day looking for sea glass is better than a good day doing chores."  I also found a ton of fishing line caught in seaweed; that's bad for birds so I threw it away.

Gyr falcon, with jesses visible

Raptors:  We ended the day with a fantastic raptor show.  He showed off a Barn Owl, a Spectacle Owl, and a four-month-old Sakr Falcon.  Then he flew a Eurasian Eagle Owl (coming to the glove), a Harris Hawk (chasing a "rabbit" on the ground), and a Gyr Falcon (chasing a "bird" in flight.)  It really was amazing.  I don't get tired watching falconry, especially having read H is for Hawk.

What a wonderful day!  It had so many of the things we love.

Eurasian Eagle Owl going by

Though, ice cream or the Ixtapa taco truck would have been perfect.

Harris Hawk

The Great Camp Out

I survived 13 girls and some siblings (including Bud) in the woods on Friday night.  And they survived the woods!  I know it was the first outside sleepover in the woods for my two and some of the others as well.  It was great.

We arrived around 5 pm and hauled our sleeping bags and stuff up the hill to the campsite; there was a single, big platform tent for the troop downhill from the campfire and several lean-tos for the boys above the campfire.  I actually slept in a lean-to myself, since the big tent was pretty full and the lean-to was easier to sleep in.

But sleep was a long way off.

We made pizza first, with the girls mixing and kneading their dough by hand.  They even wandered the lovely herb garden to find toppings for their pizzas.  "I can't believe we can just pick leaves and eat them!" one said, as they sampled sorrel, onion chives, garlic chives, lemon balm, sage, basil, cherry tomatoes, kale, and other things.  The pizzas were pretty good.  Well, Bud thought it was dough-y but loved all the herbs; Sis got to make hers with no sauce, just cheese.

Next we lit the campfire, which I tended while they went on an extended night hike (the whole event was for their Night Owl badges.)  They had a very exciting time--climbing rocks, watching for wildlife, gazing out at the city below--maybe too exciting, since they were near a tall cliff!   The hike was Sis and Bud's favorite part.  I sat meditating by the fire, listening to the symphony of the forest, and making and eating by myself the best s'more ever.  I only missed hearing any owls.



The kids returned all full of stories and inhaled their s'mores.   We then all shared our experiences with wildlife--turkeys in the yard, hawks on the wing, a bear on the road.  The woman in charge of our group, an outdoorsy woman with shorn hair and an impish smile, told of a deer jumping over her one night as she slept by the fire.  She loves kids, you could tell, and talked straight to them.  (And all the leaders giggled when she made one of our precious snowflakes pick food out of the garbage can for the compost bin and another return a wheelbarrow she had tried to avoid putting back!!!)  And most of them liked her (except a few snowflakes.)

And we sang around the fire--"Baby Shark," "Bear Hunt," my favorite "Barges," "Linger," "On the Loose," and "Taps."  Such a lovely time.

And then there was no sleep.  I could hear the girls all the way up the hill until around 3.  I think Bud fell asleep despite it all.

Then the coyotes started around 4 a.m.  Bud heard them, too.

But I missed the owls hooting at 5 a.m., apparently.

And we were up at 6 a.m. by the fire to warm up.  I had actually been relatively comfortable in my bag, even with the chilly mist--I thought it was great sleeping weather; everyone else was cold.  I loved watching the full harvest moon through the trees and the flicker of the waning fire.  The sound of the girls and the insects and even traffic in the distance were comforting.

For breakfast, the girls gathered eggs in the chicken coop and picked some more herbs.  They also admired the sheep and ducks.  And their parents soon arrived to take them home.

It had been a great camping trip.

And I napped three hours that afternoon.

-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Linger"

Hmmm, I want to linger.
Hmmm, A little longer.
Hmmm, A little longer,
Here with you.

Hmmm, It's such a perfect night.
Hmmm, It doesn't seem quite right.
Hmmm, That this should be,
My last with you.

Hmmm, And come September,
Hmmm, I will remember,
Hmmm, Our Scouting days,
Of friendships true.

Hmmm, And as the years go by,
Hmmm, I'll think of you and sigh.
Hmmm, This is good night
And not good bye.

Hmmm I want to linger.
Hmmm A little longer.
Hmmm A little longer,
Here with you.

"On the Loose"

Have you ever seen the sunrise turn the sky completely red?
Have you slept beneath the moon and stars with a pine bough for your head?
Have you sat and talked with friends, though a word was never said?
Then you're like me and you've been on the loose.

Chorus:
On the loose to climb a mountain,
On the loose where I am free.
On the loose to live my life,
The way I think my life should be.
For I've only got a moment,
And a whole world yet to see,
And I'll be searching for tomorrow, on the loose.

There's a trail that I'll be hiking
Just to see where it might go.
Many places yet to visit,
Many people yet to know.
And in following my dreams,
I will live and I will grow,
On a trail that's out there waiting, on the loose.

Chorus

So in search of love and laughter,
I'll be travelling through this land.
Never sure of where I'm going,
For I haven't any plans.
But in time when you are ready,
Come and join me, take my hand.
And together we'll find life,
Out on the loose!

Chorus

Highlights

Notes for my next posts:

Friday Girl Scout Overnight

• making pizza
• herb garden
• campfire and s'mores
• skipping the night hike
• lean-to
• no sleep
• cold and damp night
• harvest moon
• coyotes
• breakfast egg scramble
• farm animals

Church

• commissioning of Lay Ministers and blessing of hands
• crochet lesson

Hawk Fest

• butterflies
• historic carousel
• historic lighthouse
• sea glass
• raptors

Jury Duty

Whew . . . .

Wish Me Luck

Tonight.

Me.

Thirteen 11-year-old Girl Scouts.

4 other adults.

Camping.

Outdoors.

S'mores.

A night hike.

Flashlights.

Sleeping on the ground.

Wish me luck.

My Bird List--UPDATED

My Selected Checklist of Raptors et al I've Seen in the Wild (does not, therefore, include falconry shows, raptor rescue organizations, etc.) 

2018
1/11/18, point: Short-eared owl; marsh: 2 Snowy Owls (one attacking clapper rail), Iceland Gull
1/8/18, hospice: Bald eagle (eating lunch on ice)

2017
12/22/17, point:  Northern Harrier
12/6/17, airport: Snowy Owl
12/3/17, beach:  SNOWY OWL!!!!
11/28/17, highway: 1 bald eagle overhead
week of 8/13:  Hog Island, Muscungus Bay, Maine:  bald eagle, loon, cormorant, eider, surf scoter, white-winged scoter black guillemot, common tern, ruby-crested kinglet, American goldfinch, chickadee, puffin, sand piper, laughing gull, herring gull, ruby-throated hummingbird, blue jay.

2016
12/14/16, marsh:  SNOWY OWL!!!!!
12/4/16:  river:  Bald Eagle diving in river and rising out again
9/16/16, park:  5 turkey vultures, osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Monk Parakeets
9/15/16, park:  juvenile Bald Eagle, osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Monk Parakeets, European starlings
9/12/16, park:  ospreys (one with a fish!), accipiters, Red-tailed Hawk, Monk Parakeets
9/10/16, park:  5 turkey vultures, ospreys, accipiters, Monk Parakeets
8/28/16, Greenwich hawk watch:  turkey vultures, accipiters playing with vultures,
4/21/16, historic house:  Northern Harrier
4/16/16, Canton CT "owl prowl":  Barred Owl in a tree; heard lots of calls later
2/29/16, point:  Snow Buntings, 2 American Tree Sparrows
2/29/16, marsh:  Mute Swan
2/22/16, marsh:  Snowy Owl on a log about 300 yards out


2015
10/2/15, backyard:  accipiter going after squirrel
2/16/15, river:  Bald Eagle
2/3/15, tree near sidewalk: Red-Tail Hawk


Before 2015
11/15/14, BI:  3 Saw Whet Owls (Nature Conservancy tagging); Northern Harrier along the beach
10/14/09, side of the road in Texas at night:  Barn Owl

MNEMONICS

Northern Cardinal--birdie-birdie-birdie or cheer-cheer-cheer

White throated sparrow--Old Sam Peabody Peabody Peabody

Nashville Warbler--see-bit-see-bit-see-bit-see-see-see-see

Common Loon--who-who-ha-ha-ha

Blue Jay--jeer

RWBB--kon-ka-ree

Song sparrow--note, note, trillllllll, note  (field sparrow also has trillllll--bouncing ball coming to a stop)

American Robin--cheerily, cheerily, cheer up

Chipping Sparrow--trill

Mountain chickadee--chick-a-dee dee dee

Common Yellowthroat--whichety-whichety-whichety

Blue-winged warbler--bee buzz

Indigo Bunting--what? what? where? where? see it? see it?

NORTHEAST:

American goldfinch--potato chip, tee-yee

American robin--cheerily, cheer up, cheer up

Blue Jay--jeer!

Eastern Phoebe--fee-be

Gray Catbird--chek chek (but doesn't usually repeat)

Indigo Bunting--what? what? where? where? see it? see it?

Mourning Dove--coo-OO-oo

Red-bellied Woodpecker--kwirr, kwirr or cha cha

White-throated sparrow--Old Sam Peabody or Oh sweet Canada

Yellow Warbler--sweet sweet sweet I'm so sweet


-=-=-=-=-=-
FIELD MARKS--Common Easter birds:

• American Crow: all black
• American Goldfinch:  black and yellow bird; short bill and black cap
• American Robin: grey-brown with orange underparts and dark head
• American Tree Sparrow:  rusty cap and eyeline; overall, rusty brown
• Baltimore Oriole: dark head, orange underparts, white stripe on wing
• Black-capped Chickadee: white cheeks with black cap and nape, grey wings
• Blue Jay: strikingly blue, black and white with crest
• Brewer's blackbird: yellow eye but all black otherwise
• Brown-headed cowbird: females are all brown; males have black bodies
• Carolina chickadee: black cap and nib with white cheek
• Carolina Wren:  tail cocks upwards
• Chipping Sparrow: black line through the eye with rusty crown
• Common Grackle: iridescent head and long beak
• Common Ground Dove: sandy brown doves with round wings
• Common Raven:  massive and entirely black
• Common Redpoll:  streaky brown feathers, black feathers around yellow bill, red forehead patch
• Cooper's Hawk: 
• Dark-eyed junco: pink bill, black body and white underbelly
• Downy woodpecker: only small red patch on males, small beaks comparatively
• Eurasian Collared Dove
• European starling: splotches, yellow beaks, black or iridescent
• Evening Grosbeak: yellow and black with white wing patch, dark head with yellow eyebrow
• Field Sparrow: white eyering, reddish cap and reddish line from eye
• Fox Sparrow: overall rust with splotchy chest, some grey on head
• Hairy Woodpecker: checkerboard wings, two white stripes on head, male red patch on head
• House Finch: streaky brown and black body and tail, red face and breast for male
• House Sparrow: chunky shape
• Mourning Dove: small head, pointed tail, black mark on cheek
• Northern Cardinal
• Northern Flicker:  brownish with white rump patch
• Pileated Woodpecker: big red crest, large birds, black and white striped face
• Pine Siskin: streaky birds with subtle yellow tails (notched)
• Pine Warblers: yellowish birds with olive backs, two white wingbars
• Purple Finch: male has pink-red head and breast; streaky breasts, dark throat line
• Red-bellied Woodpecker: red cap, pale-ish overall
• Red-breasted nuthatch: black cap and stripe with strong white eyebrow; rusty bellies
• Red-headed Woodpecker: red head, white breast and wing patch
• Red-winged blackbird: red patch on males; females are strikingly striped
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak: males have red chevron; females are brown streaked with white eyebrow
• Sharp-shinned Hawk:  rounded wings
• Song sparrow: streaky brown and white, some grey on heads
• Tufted Titmouse: grey crest and stout bill, peach on flanks, black forehead
• White-breasted nuthatch: black cap and frosty face and underparts
• White-crowned sparrow:  very bold black and white head stripes, otherwise pale grey
• White-throated sparrow: striking head pattern with yellow patch
• White-winged dove--black "comma" on cheek and white wing patch
• Yellow-bellied sapsucker:  red crest and throat, white stripe on wings

Hawk Watch

I've been continuing my own hawk watch and bird identification process.  There's a nearby park on a hill with a good view of the landscape so that I can more easily scan the skies.  Both Saturday and yesterday, I went looking for raptors and had a great time.

Yesterday was especially nice because I met a fellow birdwatcher, a veteran with 30+ years of experience.  He had lots of information and experience he was willing to share.  He was looking for broadwing hawks, who migrate through the area about one week every year.  Sometimes, he says you can see a whole kettle of hundreds of hawks streaming out of the clouds.  But there was not enough wind and no clouds for contrast, so he only saw a couple in the distance.  I had already seen an osprey carrying a fish in the telltale parallel formation that makes the fish more aerodynamic.  He helped me with more signs of ospreys--the M-silhouette of the wings, the black "wrists", the "fingers" at the tips of the wings.  In contrast, red tails have a black belly band and no "M." To differentiate ospreys from similarly M-shaped gulls at a distance, you look for a sheen of white when the bird turns--white is a gull; dark is an osprey.  I called out a few osprey on my own (probably the same one coming back and forth a few times)--I'm getting really good at those.  He also heard a red tail hawk screech, though we never saw it, and so I think I can now recognize that sound.  He was very kind and complementary, praising my "young eyes" (he was probably in his 80s.)  So, I would spot the flash of a bird in the distance and he'd site them with his binoculars and ID them quickly.  He even saw an eagle and a broadwing that I never could find.  I asked him about the accipiter I'd seen attacking turkey vultures.  He said it was probably a juvie sharp-shinned or Cooper's hawk just playing; he says they practice that way.  I also told him my monk parakeet story.

See, when I'd sat on my bench, I knew I was between two of the tall spruces in which the resident monk parakeets nest.  There were no droppings on the bench, though, so I figured I was safe; I also had my hat on.  Soon, those bright, little, green birds started their abrasive squawking . . . . and started dropping twigs on me!  The twigs never actually hit me, but five or six fell nearby and the noise grew louder.  My birdwatcher friend said that those parakeets were jerks!  I'll remember never to walk under their trees!

A few other things I've picked up in the last few outings:

• Binoculars take practice!  I can't always see well out of them, especially if my arms or hands are moving even a bit.  But I'm getting better with focusing them and seeing the one circle through them, bracing my arms against my sides.
• Lingo and technique:  the sighting of birds is identified by landforms (though I tend to use the clock, with "12" dead ahead) and by how many glasses (i.e. binocular circles) above the landform it is.  So, you might say, "Red tail at 12, two glasses above the maple." You might also try to indicate how far out it is.  To search for birds, you scan back and forth, raising up a glass each pass.  I tend to spot them with my bare eyes and then pull my binoculars up to where I'm looking; sometimes I lose them in the process.
• Birdwatchers tend to be friendly and generous with information.  I've talked to a few now, beginning with those searching for the Snowy Owl last winter.  They are dedicated and kind.
• As my interest in raptors grows (from Ren Faire falconry shows to historic falconry and our own lesson to Harry Potter's Hedwig to real Snowy Owls to raptors in general and now the Hawk Watch), so does my interest in nature in general--identifying plants, trees, noticing butterflies, watching the weather, worrying about the environment.  It can all start with birds.
• I like talking birds with Pop.  It's less stressful than our usual discussion of politics!  And he knows so much.  I'm not into ducks as much as he is.  Yet!
• I haven't started a life list or bird log yet.  But I've taken some notes below.  And I have checklists on eBird.

I'll be going back as often as I can, especially when the wind and clouds are right.

And soon it will be Snowy Owl season.

-=-=-=-=-=-=

My Selected Checklist of Raptors et al I've Seen in the Wild
9/12/16, park:  ospreys (one with a fish!), accipiters, Red-tailed Hawk, Monk Parakeets
9/10/16, park:  5 turkey vultures, ospreys, accipiters, Monk Parakeets
8/28/16, Greenwich hawk watch:  turkey vultures, accipiters playing with vultures,
4/21/16, historic house:  Northern Harrier
4/16/16, Canton CT "owl prowl":  Barred Owl in a tree; heard lots of calls later
2/29/16, point:  Snow Buntings, 2 American Tree Sparrows
2/29/16, marsh:  Mute Swan
2/22/16, marsh:  Snowy Owl on a log about 300 yards out
10/2/15, backyard:  accipiter going after squirrel
2/16/15, river:  Bald Eagle
2/3/15, tree near sidewalk: Red-Tail Hawk
11/15/14, BI:  3 Saw Whet Owls (Nature Conservancy tagging); Northern Harrier along the beach
10/14/09, side of the road in Texas at night:  Barn Owl

Settling In

I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since I posted last; that might be a record.

All is well.

Just busy.

School started and the kids are back in their routines.  Same teachers, same classmates.  That makes the transition into a new school year easier, if a little boring.  Next year, in middle school, will be exciting enough, though.

A few things have changed--the day of Girl Scouts, the timing of kung fu.  And Sis has radically changed her extracurriculars.  She has dropped piano, added horseback riding, and switched from figure skating to speedskating.  I'm so proud that she's trying something new, stretching herself, taking a risk.   I'm trying not to think of the real risks, as she suits up in helmet and kevlar neck protector!  But they take all the precautions, even have huge mats on the walls of the rink.  She was exhausted after the first session, which included more than an hour of conditioning--including hopping up the stairs and also doing crossovers up the stairs!!  But she hung in there and did it.  Then she spent about an hour learning the positions of speedskating and trying it out, all on special skates!  She really was pretty amazing!  A mom of a nationally-ranked skater said Sis would do well, that she was already taking to it quickly and she had strong legs.  She does like to go fast.

After she hobbled off the ice, we soaked her in Epsom salts and gave her some ibuprofen.  The next morning, she woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to go again.  She had horseback riding that evening, which also involves strong legs--with all the posting (essentially standing in the stirrups to keep weight off the horse).

For myself, I'm getting organized for our first GS meeting tomorrow and for historic house tours starting at the end of the month.  Hospice is ongoing; I'm with the same woman I visited in the spring and summer.

In addition to school and activities, the church year has also started.  It was nice to be back, after a bit of an absence in the spring when they canceled our early service.  Good to see friendly faces, important to reflect on September 11th.  I'm a lay minister, mostly in charge of meal coordination for people in need.  One of our summer recipients was up and about after extensive back surgery; she looked great! And I'm helping to teach a young member how to crochet.  I also signed up to be on the religious education steering committee. Meetings are before church, which is easier than weeknights.  There was also a book (re-)sale, at which we always find great items.  Mama got a book on the daughters of Genghis Khan.  I picked up The Hare with the Amber Eyes.  Sis picked up a few YA books.  And they chose for me a book on New England's stone walls.  I made an appreciative "ooooh" sound when they handed it to me, as Mama apparently predicted I would.  They all say I make that sound when I see an old stone wall (I love old stone walls.)  They say I make the same sound for raptors, butterflies, old houses--and a much gruntier sound for snakes!

Then we went for a delicious pancake and omelet breakfast, one of our favorite parts of going to church.

That's how the last two weeks have gone.  The temperatures have started to drop at night but are still warm for me during the day.  Our dogwood tree is already changing, though, most likely because of the moderate drought and stress of the extra heat.  I think we set a record on Saturday and will again tomorrow.  Ugh.  Bring me fall!

Beginnings

School began last week and suddenly it feels like we never left.  The kiddos are in sixth grade, the last year of elementary school in our town.  They have the same teachers and classmates, being in the gifted and talented class, so it really was like a continuation of last year.  Next year will be a whole new world, though.  But let's not rush into that.  There are several fun sixth-grade activities like Nature's Classroom and a trip to a Broadway show, and then there will be school concerts (orchestra and chorus) and the spring play, of course.

Also beginning:  fall storm season.  Hurricane Hermine hit Florida and will bring some high winds and seas even in its diminished state.  We're not worried, but we did make sure we had batteries.  Mama's parents, whose house was damaged in Sandy, are watching very closely because the tide is already up to the back dunes of the beach eight houses away.

Another beginning:  fever season.  Both kids have temps at 100F and are grumpy.  Not sure if they picked up a virus at school or at the slumber/pool party they attended Friday night; it doesn't really matter, except it's a crappy way to spend a three-day weekend, lolling in bed uncomfortable.

Finally, it's been cool the last two nights, like shut-off-the-AC and open-the-windows and I-can-see-fall-around-the-corner cool.  The tropical storm brings hot temps next week (close to 90F), but it will cool back down soon enough.

Otherwise, everything pretty much starts now.  I'll go back to my volunteer triad--Girl Scouts, hospice, and historic house tours--and the kids continue all of their activities.  We have some small activities planned but no trips (I think, with our cat needing fluids every other day, we won't be planning any trips until later.)

Enjoy your weekend!