Sunday Night and Why Am I Not in Bed?

I am showered and have my jammies on.  I just finished my second half glass of wine and my eyesight has gone a little blurry.  Why am I not in bed?

I finished up my quota of Stuffed Green Peppers for the freezer (and "convenience" meals this winter) today.  I made a mistake this year.  It was such a slow growing season because of the cold, late spring and pretty much sunless summer that I didn't pick any peppers until early this month.  Big surprise!  How did they grow SO BIG?  The result is that I had these over-sized peppers with which to make my Stuffed Green Peppers.  I should have kept a better eye on them and harvested them when they were of a more manageable size.  Live and learn, as they say.  (And, yes, I did make a note in my garden journal to be wiser about this next year.)

Our weather has turned quite cool and blowsy.  Still no killing frost, or frost of any kind for that matter.  Up over the ridge north of us they have had a light snow covering already.  Is this the forerunner of another heavy snow winter like last year?  I wouldn't mind that at all if it didn't entail snow plowing and shoveling nearly every day.  Papa Pea and I have made a pact to get back into our cross-country skiing groove this winter (great exercise for my hips that seem to spread when I'm not looking) and good snowfall is a must for that.

It is said bad news comes in threes.  Within the last week our community has lost three members.  One a twenty-five year old who swerved to avoid a moose on the road and smashed into a tree.  She was dead upon impact.  Another fellow quilter lost her six year battle with cancer.  Today we said good-bye to a lovely lady who had been a delight to all who knew her to . . . well, old age.  I so admired her for her many talents.  So musically gifted, her creative artistry, her beautiful, kind and caring nature.  She was a fantastic horticulturalist and darn good cook along with being a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother.

It's a thrill to notice that the remaining salad greens in the garden have suddenly been rejuvenated by this crisp, fall weather.  They look revitalized and taste crunchier so once again we're enjoying big salads.  I feel kind of like a big old bear storing up vitamins for the winter!

I have a list of foods that seem to taste especially good in this autumnal time of year.  One of them is Alsatian Sauerkraut Soup which I plan on making tomorrow.  And, yes, it has sauerkraut as one of the main ingredients.  When we had the restaurant even professed sauerkraut haters liked it.  I haven't made it in a coon's age so doing so tomorrow seems like a good idea.

Our plans for tomorrow have changed and it looks like it will be a "home" day.  We had thought of spending one last day in the canoe on one of the inland lakes, but the forecast is for 40% chance of rain during the day (with a high temp of 49° -- brrr!) and a 50% chance of a rain/snow mix for tomorrow night.  We may have just missed the last of the canoeing weather for this year.  Oh, well.  Staying home, making soup and doing the laundry tomorrow sounds like a better idea anyway, don't cha think?  Ya sure, you betcha.