Hi, Everyone!
Grandma just wrote a book about me and seasons in New York for Bill-kun’s birthday, so I’ve been thinking about fall a lot. Grandma and I went to the Saturday farmer’s market in Fairport to get fall vegetables. Look at how many kinds of squash we bought! When we went to the post office to mail Bill-kun’s book, we stopped at Powers’ Farm Market on our way home. This time of year, they have a pumpkin patch and a petting zoo. It can get pretty busy there! I got to see lots of pumpkins and made friends with a sheep and a llama. I think my new friend is a llama, but I forgot to ask. Maybe he is a furry goat, instead!
When we went out to Sodus for the weekend, my best buddies Joe-san and Nancy-san came, too. And they brought Moose-san! Joe-san had been making sweet and spicy plum sauce at home. He brought plums so Grandma could make some, too. It’s really yummy! Grandma and Nancy-san and I went for a walk and explored the road south of ours. Look at the wild grapes we found! Grandma says all the rain we’ve had has made them really plump and juicy. After our walk, I spent time with Joe-san and Grandpa reading on the porch.
On Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa and I went back out to Sodus after church to start getting the waterfront ready for the winter. I helped Grandpa position the cradle for the sailboat, so we could haul the sailboat out without hurting the hull. The sailboat is as old as Bill-kun and Karin-chan’s daddy, and that’s pretty old for a small fiberglass boat! Then I helped pull the boat out of the water onto the cradle. It was a hard job, but we got it done! After that, I helped wash the boat off and cover it for the winter. There was a tear in the cover, so I repaired it with duct tape. Grandma said I was a good helper!
Since then, the leaves have been falling and Grandma and Grandpa have been raking them on dry days at both Sodus and in Fairport. I got to play in my first leaf pile of the year in Fairport, but the town came and vacuumed them all up the very next day!
This past Sunday, I did more good helping at church when we made apple pies. I was so excited about going that I got into my traveling bag on Saturday night! I helped Grandma roll out pie crust. Then I helped my friends Joe-san and Mike-san make the pie crust. They do a great job! Of course, I had to help peel and cut apples, too, and then make sure the filling was mixed with just the right amount of sugar and cinnamon. After the pies were put together, I helped wrap them up to go in the freezer. We made 147 pies!
Now I’m looking forward to helping bake cinnamon rolls at church for Election Day. Grandma is already getting the flour and sugar ready. Look at the big stack she has — and that’s only about half of what we’ll use!
Love,
Lion-san