Hi, everyone!
Now the leaves are really starting to fall! I’ve been helping Grandma with her “to do” list of autumn tasks. The next thing on the list was getting all the carpets cleaned in Fairport! I helped Grandma and Grandpa move all the small furniture off the carpets in the living room, dining room, family room and master bedroom. We had a lot of chairs, lamps and end tables stored in all the other rooms! The carpet cleaners used a big vacuum hose that ran all the way back to their truck in the driveway. I liked the fact that it was purple, just like lilacs! Grandma asked the cleaners to work on the basement stairway carpet. That hadn’t been cleaned in 40 years and now it looks brand new!
The day after the carpets were cleaned, Grandma took me to Powers Farm Market to see the pumpkin patch on the way to taking care of another “to do” list item. The farm market is a very popular place during pumpkin and hay ride season, so we went early to beat the crowds. I made lots of pumpkin friends, and not all of them were orange! Then I stopped to see the black alpaca that Bill-kun and Karin-chan fed last summer. In fall, the tepee frames are covered with corn stalks. There are spooky Halloween things inside, so I stayed out!
After our visit to the pumpkin patch, we went to the FedEx store to make my newest book. I helped Grandma laminate all the pages, then we cut them apart and trimmed them to size. Next, I used the edge clipper to round the edges of the pages. Sometimes, we have to leave the books to be bound later in the day, so I helped Grandma put temporary page numbers on the pages to keep them in order. This time, Alex-san was able to bind the books while we waited!
Next on Grandma’s “to do” list was buying some new daffodil bulbs to plant in Fairport. I helped dig the holes and plant the bulbs! I wanted to plant crocus and tulips, too, but Grandma said that would just make a deer salad bar! It will be fun to see the new daffodils bloom next spring!
Grandpa’s “to do” list included finishing the new marine railway at Sodus. The first day he worked on it, he assembled one of the two new rail sections and got the old rails out from under the boat carriage. The old ones were twisted in places. No wonder the boat didn’t want to go into and out of the boathouse easily!
The next day, while Grandpa was assembling the second section of rail, Grandma and I used the leaf blower to clear some of the fallen leaves off the lawn. I even made myself the first leaf pile of the season!
Then I helped Grandma and Grandpa attach the two rail sections together and move them under the boat carriage. The wheels fit right on the new rails! I was happy we got that job done before we had three days of heavy rain. We hadn’t had that much rain all summer!
Today was pie making at Grandma and Grandpa’s church! I always like to go see my friends and help out. My travel buddy Mike-san was making pie crust twenty crusts at a time! Grandma and I specialize in rolling out crusts, but some of my friends peel apples and cut them up. Then the pies get assembled. Grandma Sue-san showed me how to crimp the edges of the top crusts so the juices don’t run out when the pies get baked.
Once the pies are assembled they go out of the kitchen to be wrapped. Sara-san helped me wrap a pie in foil, then I put the baking instructions sticker on the package. All the pies are frozen to be baked later. Look at how many pies went into the freezer at church! We made 176 apple pies today!
Grandma’s “to do” list isn’t done yet! In two weeks, it will be time for the Election Day bake sale. Grandma has made most of the soup for the bakers already, but there’s still a lot of ingredient buying to do. We need to make and freeze the gluten-free scones, too!
Love,
Lion-san
It is a good thing you got all the boat tracks in before all the rain. We had 3.6 inches of rain in our rain gauge this AM. Moose-san was up to his fetlocks in water! It is good you got the leaves blown up into a nice and pretty pile. It is fun making pies and we did get home in time for our dinner group gathering. It looks like a big job making a book, Joe-san said it is not easy being an author. Hope the daffodils have a good sleep this winter. Grandma was right about the tulips and crocus.