Pumpkins and Flu Shots--It Must Be Fall!

Katherine and I got our flu shots without incident at Bi-County Health and did not even have to wait in line.

We had jack-o-lanterns on our front porch for the first time in years. The Cedar family attended their second annual weekend family camp at Little Grassy a few weeks back and brought home two. One of the camp activities is to let parent/child carve pumpkins together. Besides the traditional face, one of ours had a wolf on the back, and Sam's had a pair of bats. The camp has a Saturday night ceremony and lines up all the lighted jack-o-lanterns. After a final lighting here on the 3lst, I threw the rottening remains out into the field along with one of Gerald's garden pumpkins that slowly slumped into a decaying pile before I got around to cooking any.

Today I will start cooking a couple of the pumpkins and pulverizing the flesh for fall pies. Erin is bringing a softball friend home for Thanksgiving vacation since the friend cannot go to her California home until Christmas break. I will have to have plenty of pumpkin pie for the holiday.

Gerald carries in turnips from his patch, and we have had them on our table several times. And it would not be fall unless one of the Glasco men produced winter radishes. Gerald's dad always grew them in great quantity along with turnips and huge fields of fall spinach. He'd gather all the largesse into the back of his pickup and visit his elderly friends at housing units. The women would come out running with aprons or dishpans to fill with the autumn vegetables that brought back memories of their own country gardens in previous years when they were in better health. Gerald's brother Garry produces the winter radishes now, and Gerald brought them up from Garry's place. I will be certain to save one back for the Thanksgiving meal.

After he had saved seed from our very productive okra this year, Gerald plowed up the garden. I've finally got the last of eggplants cooked and in the freezer for a casserole, and I've wrapped the last of the green tomatoes cousin Doug and I picked the evening before the first frost. He asked why I wrapped them in newspaper, and I could only say that someone told me to do so once upon a time and I've done so ever since. I know it helps if one spoils to have it wrapped. I always intend to still have tomatoes for salads yet on Thanksgiving.