For Every Season

October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in the aftermaths. Anne reveled in the world of color about her.... "I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it?..." ~Lucy Maud Montgomery

 I have to agree with Anne, October is a beautiful month! There are so many colors and shades and textures outside!

 I had to take a head shot of Stryker!

 This, however, was the most surprising thing. I watched a squirrel run to the poplar and was taking photos of the trunk (this poplar is a very odd kind of tree-it has never been trimmed and is several all stuck together). As I was shooting the trunk I saw something else. Can you see it???

 THIEF--although, I don't really mind. Besides, next year, we may have the only poplar in the world with sunflower blooming in it.

Hiking with Rifles--SUCCESS!

The boys started going out with Dad and Grandpa when they were small. Those weekends of deer season in Eastern Oregon still remain some of their fondest memories. Next year, we hope Tony will be home to hunt with Steve and Jon-

 The guys left near dark on Wed night to head to the ranch. There was a beautiful full moon, fresh from the eclipse that morning, welcoming them back.

 They woke to see the pale orb resting in a sea of morning blue and got themselves ready for another day of hiking with rifles.

 Which was pretty successful! The story (as I understand it) started with a discussion over hiking or driving. Jon wanted to hike, dad wanted to drive (there are a few years between them....). They drove, but  not for long. Jon saw some bucks, put together his home made shooting sticks (made from PVC pipe), and with one shot, took his deer out.

 Steve left the rig with Jon, who was working on his deer, and hiked a ways. A long ways. A very long ways. Jon watched him from where he was sitting with his scope. They called before 9 to say they had two deer and by noon they were getting ready to hang them in the shop. (it did take a while for Steve to get his deer out of the grassy canyon)

Because they have so much food (I made them a LOT of snacks!),

 they are going back up to camp for another night. And to look for the lost shooting sticks. (Steve borrowed Jon's creation to get his deer). Jon's pretty sure they are in the canyon they hiked in last weekend. Steve's not so sure. 

Hiking with Rifles-2014 Part 1, con!

More of Steve and Jon's first weekend of deer season in Eastern Or on the ranch. It was a stunning warm weekend with days full of sunshine and nights full of stars. 

 Jon took many sky photos. Clouds are always keepers~

 They did a great deal of hiking with their rifles this year. Jon said when he came home, the stairs to the craft room where Kila was hiding were hard to climb!

 He took several photos of this little owlet--thankfully one of them was a clear shot. Jon said the little guy kept moving!

 And in this photo, Jon caught an elusive mythical creature. He didn't realise it til he got home, but after I showed him, he was convinced. This is a white dragon sitting in the sky on his haunches like a cat. The dragon's head is on the right.

 After intense discussion, it was surmised this must be Mt. Adams in WA.

Hiking with Rifles-2014 (part 1)

Steve and Jon camped up on the ranch for this first weekend of deer season. They discovered the bus (the one they took up there as a 'camper') needs leveled, grouse is better when brined, and their was a distinct lack of bucks on the property. Jon did, however, shoot some great scenery. 

 This one with darks and lights I liked much better than Jon did. But, since I write the blog, he shared it with me.

 Jon took a few people photos this year. Most were of Steve in the grass, some were of other people hunting on the hill~

 They went to the Upper Place on Sunday and Jon got a grouse. Steve got one on Sat.

 They cooked the birds with these lovely snow apples and I was told they were VERY good.

 This was one of the few deer the guys saw this weekend. She had a fawn. They also found the dismembered and odd looking skeleton with intact head of a nice buck. Jon took a bunch of photos of it, but I didn't want to share those! They think it was a wolf kill. But, it is only speculation.

 Jon hiked into this canyon on Sunday. He looked it up on google earth and discovered it was a 745 feet vertical climb to get out. He was tired and thinking of hot showers the entire climb.

 View looking down into the river canyon-

cookies, tarts, and gooey bars!

October always reminds me of Breast Cancer Awareness. I thought it would be fun to make lingerie cookies to give away and help highlight the cause. They were a LOT of work. I'd not piped and flooded cookies before and royal icing is easy to use if you  have the right consistency of frosting AND the right tools! Which, I did not. However, I am not a professional nor was I paid to make them, so I think they turned out fairly well~~~

October 1 is also a friend's birthday and since her parents came to visit, I made banana tarts (well, some were just vanilla pudding, but still). I layered the bananas and the pudding til I got to the top and then glopped on the whipped topping. YUMMY! 

These were very easy and fun to make. Trying to place it on the blog was not fun. I cannot rotate the darn picture. However, these are Mud Hen Bars

They are delicious and messy and the link shows how to make them. There are a few recipes out there and the one I am sharing has GREAT pics and directions. Some differences,  I did NOT use the extra yolks in the crust since I used meringue powder (lots less work!) for the topping instead of egg whites. I also added more chocolate chips to the base and would have added vanilla if I had found this recipe before I used the one I did have. 

 The crusty brown sugar meringue topping does come off in the cutting..but you can just place it back on the bar. Unless of course, it isn't pretty enough and you have to eat it in order to find a better piece to use for your food porn photo op! I highly recommend making these as soon as you can! YUMMY gooey flavorful fun. (I reckon if you used butterscotch chips instead of chocolate, that may be pretty scrumptious as well!)