Well folks, we are getting into fall. Fall is a beautiful time of year on the Miramichi. The leaves are turning. The apples are rosy and ready for picking. The pumpkins are big, round and orange.

The doors are closed now and the house smells delicious with the aroma of pumpkin pies and dressed turkey, as we get ready for Thanksgiving, and hopefully some company.

We in Canada have so much to be thankful for. Just being able to visit the camp, sit in the porch and rock away with a soft breeze touching my cheek, while writing in my journal and watching Grampie tear down and build a new outhouse and garden tool shed. :-) And best of all . . . no mosquitoes.

The old rocking chair will get more usage now as the cooler breeze pushes me in from the garden bench. Now that the garden is cleaned out and summer savoury bagged and hung to dry out to be sifted through on cold winter evenings, and the cold room filled with pickles, beets chow, and jams the old rocking chair will get more use, as I can now sit back and relax with a good book or write some poetry or write in my journal.

With a nice fire in the wood stove, what more could an old Grammie ask for? It’s a cozy comfy time of year!

October always makes me think of apple and pumpkins. With Halloween at the end of the month how about some apple men for the children, or maybe candy apples or fudge!

Apple Men (my own version)

Clean and shine as many apples as you want to make into apple men.

Pull stems.

Use large marshmallows to draw face, also a large coloured gumdrop for a hat. Place on a toothpick and put into top part of apple. I use toothpicks dipped in food coloring, and just dot for eyes, nose and a line for a smiling mouth.

Use tooth picks with small coloured marshmallows, 3 to a toothpick, with the end pushed into the apples for arms and legs. You could also add a little belly button with a small marshmallow on half a toothpick.

Arrange on a tray for your little “Trick or Treaters.” Just give them to your own children, grandchildren and neighbour children who know you, and always warn about the toothpicks.

Does anyone remember SCRAMBLES?

We would gather at the store on the farthest end of the Town yelling, “SCRAMBLES” and after the storekeeper threw out a barrel of apples or other treats we would run on to the next store all the time yelling, “SCRAMBLES” until we covered the town.

There would be lots of being knocked down in the shuffle, bruised knees, crying, bigger boys taking your treats etc., but we still looked forward to this part of Halloween.

On our street lots of adults would come in dressed for the occasion, and God help you if you made bread that day and it was on the counter . . . or they were treated with a bit of cheer at every house they went to — they would be scrambling when they got home :-)

Outhouses and woodpiles were all in danger of a prankster. Also the fire alarm would make a few unnecessary calls. Tomatoes that didn't make the preserving pot were used as ammo for targeting windows, cars etc.

Ahh, those were the days! Eh, folks?

Now, lets see . . . How about Taffy Apples?

Taffy Apples

1 can Eagle brand milk

1-cup sugar

½ C white corn syrup

1-teaspoon vanilla

Cook over medium heat in saucepan until caramel color appears. Insert sticks in about 6 apples and dip in caramel mixture. Put on small squares of waxed paper and let cool before eating.

Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine
Beat eggs until thick and lemon color. Add sugar, pumpkin and vanilla. Add flour, soda and cinnamon. Line pan with wax paper. Pour in pan and sprinkle nuts on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

FILLING:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
After roll has cooled, take it out of the pan and let it fall on a cloth or towel. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Add filling on top and roll. Leave in towel until set. The pecan side of roll should be to the inside with the filling.

Molasses Taffy (For a Taffy Pull)

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups molasses

2/3 cups white sugar

In a well-greased saucepan placed over hot element melt butter. Add other ingredients.  Stir until mixture boils. Continue to cook without stirring until HARDball stage. (Test on cold water) Pour taffy in greased dish to cool until able to handle. Butter hands well.  With a partner (or by yourself) pull taffy back and forth until it turns milky. Cut into bite size pieces. 

Blueberry Krutchen        

Topping:

¼ c. B. sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp margarine

2 tbsp almonds

1 ¼ cup sugar

½ cup margarine

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp soda

½ tsp salt

1 ¼ cup sour cream

2 cups berries

Combine margarine, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating between additions (save ¼ cup sugar for berries). Add flour, drying. Alternate with sour cream, ending with flour. This is a thick batter. Spread half the batter in greased pan. Spread with two cups blueberries mixed with ¼ cup sugar. Cover with rest of batter. Spread the topping over the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 min.

My special tip for this month:

One year while the pumpkins were small I told each child to pick out a pumpkin. I carved each grandchild’s name on his or her chosen pumpkin. When the pumpkins were fully grown so was their name. Before Halloween when they came to pick up their pumpkins, they knew just which one was theirs. This was always fun and exciting for the children.

ADVICE FOR THE DAY:

Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home.

If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you?

Something for all of us to think about: