Hi, everyone!
Around here, the fall season means leaves turning pretty colors and then dropping off the trees. That doesn’t happen all at once! Different trees have their own schedules!
Right after I wrote last time, more of the trees in Fairport turned pretty colors. Grandma and Grandpa cleared leaves off the back yard and gave me my first leaf pile of the season! The rest of the material to make soffits for the boathouse was delivered in town. We watched the tree crew working at the bay by webcam.
On our way out to the bay that Friday, we stopped at Burnap’s Farm Market to get a pumpkin for James. Burnap’s was closing for the season, so we were able to get two on sale! When we got to our place, the tree work and bank work were both done! The view of the bay from the yard is very different with one of the trees gone. That tree turned out to be hollow, so it was probably a good idea for it to come down.
Saturday morning, Grandma and I took a walk down our road to see the fall colors. The orchard trees still had green leaves, and there were some apples that the harvesters had missed.
Before the pandemic, there were two fall traditions at church to get ready for the election day bake sale. Some of my church friends organized a pie event after church to make apple pies to freeze and sell at the bake sale. Then Grandma led two days of baking cinnamon rolls and other yummy breads on election day and the day before. I liked being there! Now, with changes in the ways people can vote and health issues for the bakers, there’s no election day bake sale. Uncle Steven and Aunt Kara started a new tradition of apple pie making just for fellowship. Grandma helps out by rolling pie crust for other people’s pies. She came home with leftover peeled apples and pie filling, so we made a pie at home. Then we made potato not-fries, because Uncle Steven’s family was coming for dinner. The pie was yummy! James wanted his piece with cherry panda paws ice cream and a gummy bear. Thomas asked for the same, but with a chocolate chunk on top, too!
Now that Grandma isn’t involved in a big baking project at church for election day, she bakes two of the same recipes at home on election day, instead. Grandma calls that “nostalgia baking.” Since she wants to be home on election day, she does early voting. I got to go with her to the polling place. There was a long line of people waiting to vote!
James and Thomas love Grandma’s pulled pork and homemade barbecue sauce. This time of year, there are special sale prices for the kind of pork that Grandma uses to make it. Grandpa got a great big package with two pork shoulders in it. The day we did early voting, I helped Grandma make the first one. While it was in the oven (it takes six hours!), we made a new batch of barbecue sauce, too! We cooked the second pork shoulder the next day, which was Halloween.
While the second pork shoulder was cooking, Grandma and Grandpa cleared the lawn of leaves again! I got an even bigger leaf pile. The next day, there were more leaves down on the lawn! This time of year, it only takes two or three days for the lawn to be completely covered with fallen leaves after it’s been cleared!
Last Friday, Uncle Steven and Thomas came out to the bay. Saturday was rainy, so it was a good time for indoor activities. I helped Grandma and Thomas make ice cream base. Thomas had made paper claws to wear on all his fingers, so he had to be very careful pouring cream! It did stop raining long enough for Uncle Steven and Grandpa to decide where the fireplace should go. It was moved out of the way of the retaining wall construction.
On Sunday afternoon, Thomas stayed with us while James was competing at a taekwando tournament. We froze the ice cream base, then I helped Grandma and Thomas make another batch of sticky cookies to go with the ice cream. Then we cleared leaves again! Thomas helped drag tarps full of leaves to the roadside for the town to pick up. After dinner, Grandma and Grandpa and I went back to the bay and we raked leaves there on Monday!
Yesterday was election day. Grandma made a batch of sweet roll dough, then I helped her make a batch of chocolate dough. After it rose, Grandma made cinnamon rolls and chocolate bread. We have church friends who miss the bake sale and still want those yummy treats. Everything went into the freezer, so it will be fresh! We had an election day visitor in the back yard, too!
Love,
Lion-san