Chestnuts roasting on an open fire?!

I wish I could say that roasting chestnuts was an old family tradition..but the truth is, we have only done it a couple of times. I am not sure why so rarely, because they are delicious!

We are packing for our Halloween "campout" at Perry Lake. Actually, we are "camping" in those cute little "trailer home/cabin/rustic shed" or whatever you would call them. I call them darling, warm, clean and comfortable!!! Complete with a queen size log bed with a very comfy mattress!!!

My husband did the grocery shopping today..and he is always adventurous and daring in the kitchen or over an open fire! He bought all sorts of delicious, fun things to eat. These chestnuts really caught my interest.

I googled a few websites to refresh my memory on a "chestnut roasting technique". The most important tip..you MUST cut a slit or X in each nut before you roast it, so the steam can escape and the whole nut won't explode! (and "put your eye out", but I digress..that is another Christmas movie! Comment, please, if you know which one!!! LOL)

Put the chestnuts in a pan that has holes in the bottom. Or if you use a skillet or flat pan be prepared to flip them over several times. Even in the open grid-type pan, you should flip them a little, for even roasting. No oil is necessary..they will steam in their own natural moisture.

Now, build your fire and when the flames have died down and you have that really hot bed of coals, place the pan over the embers, not directly on. Roast for about 25 minutes...then let sit for 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to burn your fingers, let them cool enough to peel the shell/skin back and remove the nut. Yummy!!! A glass of red wine or apple cider goes nicely.

It is a little early for Christmas music..but I had to throw in
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire......"click on the Grooveshark link
"And I really hope Jack Frost is not nipping at your nose" on Halloween night!!

The Past, The Present and The Future

I recently had a nice chat with a friend from the past....remember the song "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold" ??

An old friend is going through something I made it through, almost twenty years ago. I am not going to say the word, but most of you know or can guess...the big 'D" word. It is not something to be undertaken lightly. ( didn't they say the same thing about marriage?) The "D" makes a huge impact on your life, one from which you can never really recover...it impacts everyone around you and causes us to question even the simplest but yet the most complicated of emotions... love.

Those that have not experienced this awful tragedy can probably not understand and may even treat it with disdain. Those of us that have fought the fight, lost the battle and retreated to go on to build healthy and happy lives, truly understand the grief and sadness that accompany the "D".

But yet it is an exhilarating landmark too! A time to try new things, new ways of living, coping and surviving. Life gets on and contentment or at least acceptance becomes the norm.

When the dust settles and the final tears are shed....no, that is wrong, the final tears are never shed....they last a lifetime. And the tears appear when you least expect them...like when you listen to "The Way We Were". Sorry, don't click on the groove shark link unless you want to shed a thousand tears!!! if you haven't heard the Percy Faith arrangement from " A Summer Place", then you haven't heard it!

When Autumn leaves start to fall.....

Well fall is here and winter soon approaching. My favorite month of the year, October, is almost finished.

This autumn has been unusually wet..lots of rain and cloudy days. But apparently we have had enough sunshine to cause the leaves to change. The trees have been especially colorful this season.

The website "Environmental Education for Kids" had a lot of interesting information about leave color. Some facts we learned in grade school but have probably forgotten:

There are three pigments that color leaves. Chlorophyll is responsible for the green, carotenoid for the yellow, orange and brown and anthocyanins create the red.

Chlorophyll allows the trees to use sunshine to produce food. Chlorophyll and carotenoid are in the leaf cells during the entire growing season. The chlorophyll covers the carotenoid which is why the leaves are green in the summer.

Anthocyanins are produced in the autumn and only only under certain conditions. Not all trees can produce anthocyanins.

Trees respond to decreasing sunlight by producing less and less chlorophyll. The tree eventually stops production of the chlorophyll. At that point, the carotenoid can finally show through, causing the display of yellows, oranges and browns.

Some identifying tree leaf colors:
Oaks: red, brown, russet
Hickories: golden, bronze
Dogwood: purple, red
Birch: bright yellow
Poplar: golden yellow
Maple: a whole range of colors, orange, glowing yellow, bright scarlet

Soon the leaves will be gone and we will be contemplating snow and ice! Until then...
HAPPY AUTUMM!!!
click on grooveshark for "Autumn Leaves"

Goodwill..Good Stuff!!!

Another great Friday after work shopping trip to the Goodwill. I scored this nice tea pot for MK for her vintage camper...MinnieHaHa. The tea pot is in just perfect condition and "Made in America", which is now rare. and the price was right...$3.00!

MK loves her cup of tea at camp. While most of us are drinking beer or wine, she is pristinely sipping on a cup of herbal tea. I couldn't drink that stuff unless it had a shot of Vodka or Rum, but then it wouldn't be healthy, would it?!

I had been looking for a while, thinking she should have a tea pot dedicated to her camper..she has been hauling hers from home and the more stuff we can leave permanently in our campers, the easiest it is to leave on a minute's notice! If I could figure out how to keep my clothes in the camper and stock the non perishables, it would be great.

I kept trying to plan this afternoon so I could still make it away for the weekend..but just couldn't get it done. Plenty to look forward to in the next few weeks, so I am not going to complain .....Halloween weekend at Lake Perry, a trip to Key West in November, a short cruise in December, "Saddle Up" in Feb in the Smokey Mountains and Hawaii in May.. and, of course, there is that trip to Alaska this spring to see my new little grand baby!!!

Listen to "Tea for Two" click on my link!!!

George Orwell's "Nineteen Eight-Four"

I have my bandanna packed and I am ready to run away! Thanks goodness tomorrow is Friday and we have the weekend to look forward to!! However, I want to "run away", yes, I do, I want to hook up my trailer and camp for the weekend.

The problem? I have a lot to do here at home and hubby has a full social calender planned for us for the weekend. He didn't know but I reserved this weekend a long time ago, so I am in a dilemma..what to do? Go or stay?! Tough decision, but with the weather changing so rapidly there are fewer and fishing and camping days left.
So I am "semi-packed" as you can tell from my bandanna on the stick!!! I have a few clothes thrown together and my reservation was made months ago.....I have a mental meal plan and the cooler is still by the front door from our last overnight to the Lake. Just in case!

Do you remember this song "Runaway" by Real McCoy? Wikipedia was my info source on this, so I can't be sure of the accuracy. The lyrics to this song were based on George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eight-Five". I never knew that and was fascinated..now I have to read the novel again. ( which we all read in 8th grade, right?) This song was released in 1995 by the German eurodance group, Real McCoy. It achieved #3 on the Billboard charts after becoming immensely popular in the USA.

Who Knew??? The lyrics to this song have always puzzled me, but I really love them and think they give a message. Well, now we know....."Nineteen Eight-Four" and Big Brother is still watching us!

Grooveshark link to the right so you can "groove" on Runaway

Bad Hair vs Good Hair

Every day is a new day for me in many ways! Especially in the hair category. Since the day the song,"Take the Ribbon from Your Hair" became permanently embedded in my brain, I have made the commitment to let my hair grow long! Don't laugh!! I can imagine pulling a beautiful Satin ribbon through my graying, split-end locks and just decided that was my next goal this year and into 2010.

So now I am fighting the battle of in- between...not long, not short, what's a girl to do??? I will keep you posted on this important life changing event!!! LOL

I posted the pic, MaryK took it when we were camping a few weeks ago, I thought it was a nice tousled effect!!! I had been concentrating on tying a fishing lure and drinking a Woodchuck Hard Cider. MaryK reminded me that I had been working on that same knot for about an hour......this fishing stuff is not easy, ya know!

Bet you haven't heard this in a while!!!
Click on the Grooveshark link "Almost Cut my Hair Today"

Here are the stars!!!

At least here are a few of the stars from my slide show! Some of the pics got lost in cyber space or somewhere on my computer! If you would like to see the slide show set to music, leave me a comment with your e mail and I will send you the link. We sure do love our pets!!!!