Time for Plaid

Now that school has started and evening comes ever sooner to shorten our days, it's time to start thinking Autumn thoughts. Even though there are a few weeks left of Summer, a definite nip in the air tells me that Fall is getting ready to drag Winter to our doorsteps.

This nip in the air also signals a change in the wardrobe. Pretty soon the shorts and sandals will be replaced with sweat pants and snow boots. In the between time, I've started the clothing rotation by digging out my very best flannel items. When the temp shows signs of getting chilly but not yet sub-arctic, there is nothing more comfortable than flannel.

As you know, if you live in Minnesota, wearing flannel from Labor Day to Memorial Day is the law. But even if I lived anywhere else in the world, my flannel would follow me. Because besides the high fashion value, flannel is just plain comfortable. Nothing is more cozy feeling than flannel.

So you can see why my excitement level was so high while digging in my dresser. Here is an example of what I am talking about.

The one on the right is my all purpose pair of flannel pants. I wear these when relaxing in front of the TV or outside if I have any showing off to do for the neighbors. The pair on the left I reserve for more formal affairs. Those are worn on Sundays only during the Vikings football game. I need to wear them for good luck for the team. Whenever I don't wear them, the Vikings lose to Green Bay. They've also found ways to lose to other teams regardless of my pant choice, but once you pick a team, you have to follow them no matter how terrible. Plus, a team loss while wearing flannel pants doesn't sting as much.

I am troubled slightly by the fact that I know I had three pair of flannel pants last year and I can only find two of them this year. I'll have to remember to ask Lady Di about that. Or better yet, I'll have to make a shopping trip to Fleet Farm and update my collection with the latest plaid patterns. Lady Di doesn't always share or understand my fondness for flannel, but I know she will eventually learn to embrace plaid.

Flannel doesn't have to stop with pants either. I have a full array of coordinating, colorful flannel shirts to go with the pants. Sometimes I can get the plaid pattern in the shirt to line up perfectly with the pants, causing the ideal camouflage for Lutheran potlucks.

Here's a picture of one of my flannel ensembles from a couple of Februaries ago. Notice, it must have been snowing on a Sunday.

So after a hard day at work, or when the kids run me ragged, I know I can unwind and let my flannel absorb all of the tension from the day. So make sure you always have at least one article of flannel, preferable plaid, in your closet at all times. A roaring fire in the fireplace just isn't entirely cozy without flannel.

Once the weather starts to go polar with talk of wind chill and frostbite, then it will be time start digging for another Minnesota necessity, thermal underwear.

Are You Scared?

Now that October is here, I'm feeling that creepy feeling again. And I mean creepy in a Halloweenie sense. For some reason, every year, when the air gets cooler and trees start to look barer, I'm more interested in spooky things. Our satellite television also starts to show more horror movies. It seems a dozen or more channels are running Hitchcock marathons. That's fine with me since I do not usually watch horror films, but I love Hitchcock movies. Along with Hitchcock films, I can choose from one of the Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, or Friday the 13th sequels. If you add up all of the movies in those three series I think you come up with seventy-three or so. Or maybe it just seems like that many.

Anyway, it's a great time to catch up on horror classics as well. Nosferatu is a great silent vampire film. Plus, any movie with Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff is worth trying out. I also like the cheesy vampire movies from the seventies. The Captain Kronos, vampire hunter, series is campy enough for all. As you can see, I don't require actual fright when choosing my horror films. I like suspense and old castles. And I can even live without the suspense, as long a film has a crumbling, ancient, dusty, castle on a cliff with constant lightning in the background. Some creepy 'Phantom of the Opera' organ music is a must too. I am not a big fan of slasher movies. I don't care much for the gore, torture or rape. I'm pretty sure that I will never watch Saw. That is why I watch more of the older films. The first Halloween movie now seems tame enough for me after twenty plus years.

I am also drawn to reading more horror stories in October. There is nothing better than reading the Tell-Tale Heart by Poe on a chilly, drizzly day. Again, I like the classics better than more modern tales. Among my favorites are Frankenstein by Shelly, because it has a castle in it, and The Halloween Tree by Bradbury. Ray Bradbury has a whole list of good October stories. I usually lean more toward stories with bleak, depressing settings to match the weather. I just seem to get more out of them. This fall I decided to re-read Bram Stoker's Dracula. (Wow! Another rocking castle) I'm reading it slowly this time to really get into it.

This is the only time of year that I feel this way. I don't seem to enjoy spookiness (or castles) as much during the rest of the year. Once October is over, I have to start looking forward to Thanksgiving and then on to Christmas. By then, all of the macabre has left me. So now is the time get your Halloween fix, before the 'Happy' holidays start. Put out your pumpkins and 'bring out yer dead'.

Autumn Apples

Who would have thought that shopping for fruit would be so exhausting? Last weekend we took our annual family pilgrimage to Apple Jacks apple orchard. We spent about 4 hours of applicious fun. I know that we could have gotten a bag of the same apples at the grocery store for one-third of the price, but we go every year for the experience.
It was a beautiful day with the temperature close to eighty. It was a little too warm for apple picking, but it was better than the forty degrees we braved last year.
We started at the Apple Cannon. It is a hydraulic tube that shoots apples a few hundred feet into a field at a spray painted target. I came nowhere near the target. You see, the wind was blowing and the site on the cannon must have been off and I wasn't used to the trigger and the apples weren't balanced properly and.......etc. Number One Son came the closest, getting his apple within twenty feet or so. I was surprised that he wanted to shoot the cannon. Each time it fired, a loud sudden burst of air would sound. This sound did bother his ears, but he overcame his sensitivity when it was his turn

Apple target practice sparked our appetite for apples, so we got our plastic bags and went on an orchard safari. We followed the map to the 'Sweet Sixteen' section of the orchard. This is N1S's favorite apple variety. The kids loved running through the trees picking apples. I made sure to tell them to only pick apples on the tree, not from the ground. They enjoyed eating a few while gathering too.
After paying for the privilege to pick apples, the kids went on the kiddie train ride. This was ten small barrels made into train cars. They were painted like Holstein cows, each with a name, and pulled by a four-wheeler around the strawberry field.

Then we took a quick wagon ride to the haystack, the live Irish band, and the pony rides. Sweet Pea got to ride the smallest pony and was thrilled. She really likes ponies. N1S waved his baseball cap to the crowd as he rode off into the sunset.
By then, we were a little tired so we bought a bag of popcorn and sat down to listen to the band while Mom visited the gift shop. Did you know that they sell apples in the gift shop too? They also sell apple pie, apple crisp, apple butter, apple jelly, apple cookies, apple donuts, apple dip, apple candy, apple cider and sloppy joes. If we would have had more time, I'm sure we would've found apple beef jerky too.

About the only thing we didn't get to do was walk through the corn field maze. We just ran out of time. We also missed the $3 face painting. We just ran out of money.
The ride home was pretty low key. A sure sign of fatigue. We may have to go back in a month to check out their pumpkins. We may do the maze then, when it is a little cooler.

I don't know why we get so excited for overpriced apples, but we do. It must be the change of season and the colors and smells that go with it. We've gone to orchards for the last four years as a family and I can remember each one. That is probably why we keep going. Apples are only the means to bring the family together. It's much healthier than McDonald's play land and more fun. I believe family traditions are important to the strength of the family. It constantly gives us something to look forward to. And I would like our kids to look forward to family outings as long as possible. It won't be long before Lady Di and myself are no longer cool. Although, I find that hard to believe. I know we will try to find the time to pick apples next year.

Maybe they will have a pumpkin cannon by then.

Muy Caliente!

Lady Di has started her autumn canning. We don't have a garden, so we're stuck with what we can sneak out of our neighbor's garden. This year our neighbor generously 'gave' us a grocery bag full of nice tomatoes. I am kidding about stealing their produce. Anyone who knows the Midwest, knows that no one can eat as many tomatoes as they grow. People here, work endlessly developing special fertilizers. They design watering systems and tomato canopies to shelter their delicate fruit. Only to give them away by the crate on the free table at church.

After I had eaten my fill of the bag, (I love tomatoes on sandwiches.) Lady Di started cooking them for salsa. She is using her brother-in-law's recipe. Knowing him, I'm sure the salsa will be hot enough to ignite some chips. We will probably have to keep the bowl moving on the table so the fumes won't darken a spot on the ceiling.

My brother-in-law and Lady Di like things hot. I, on the other hand, prefer feeling in my mouth. It didn't take her long to fill about a dozen jars. When they were done, I had a taste. My tongue didn't burn to a cinder. My ears remained smoke-free. The salsa was very tasty. Rachel Ray couldn't have done better.



Lady Di did add a few of her own secrets to the recipe. Now I am trying to convince her to come up with a name for her creation. She voted down 'Hot Mama's Salsa'.