October Birthday

Note: WordPress has totally changed their format and I’m struggling with how to understand and use their new way of writing posts. It might take me some time to learn. I really wish sites would leave well enough alone. Ugh.. End of rant.

Today is my birthday. Usually we celebrate my birthday on the weekends when EJ doesn’t have to work. Actually, my birthday occurs at such a beautiful season that we end up celebrating for several weeks–enjoying the sights, scents, and flavors of autumn. My gifts are always the memories we create. Last year we drove to an area of the state where elk roam wild. We didn’t see any elk, but we enjoyed driving through the beautiful remote wooded areas. We were going to go looking for elk again this year, but with all the craziness, I told EJ that I would prefer to stick closer to home. We are surrounded by such beauty that home is a nice place to be.

Usually in late September/early October, our little local store has a canned goods sale. We stock up on cases of canned goods for the year at this time. I didn’t see any advertisements for the sale so I contacted them on Friday to ask. They said they aren’t really doing it this year because they weren’t sure if they would be able to get the canned goods in. BUMMER! Oh, well. We will manage. The only thing certain about this year is the uncertainty.

I ended up reorganizing the kitchen cabinets over the weekend. They tend to get in disarray over time. This time I didn’t just straighten items on the shelves. I moved the baking dishes–rolling pins, bread pans, cutting boards–to a cupboard that was higher up so EJ wouldn’t have to bend so much to get the items he needs when he makes bread. He has chronic back pain and bending is a problem for him.

We made homemade pizza together on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and I told EJ that it was part of my birthday gift. I made the dough and the pizza sauce while EJ cut up the meat and then we both put the toppings on. On top of the sauce we put a layer of a mix of different types of cheeses, then we layered it with four different types of meat, onions, green peppers, olives, mushrooms, and ended with another layer of the cheese. The pizza was so full and filling that I struggled to finished one piece. It was the best birthday pizza ever.

This morning I glanced out the window and saw two deer grazing on the other side of the garden fence. I love seeing the wildlife on our property. The weather was beautiful with a cloudless sky and vivid autumn colors. Later I walked down the driveway with Hannah Joy and we enjoyed the autumn beauty. I made meatloaf for our mid-day meal with potatoes and squash from our garden. Another yummy birthday meal.

Yesterday I started washing the outside of the jars that my herbs and spices are in and I finished this evening. I removed the old labels and replaced them with bright new ones that I made on the computer and printed off. I have a lot of herbs and spices. Some are ones that I grew myself and others we bought.

I told EJ that this next weekend I’d like to celebrate my birthday by driving to the farm store for a winter’s supply of wild bird seed. There are many different farm stores in our area, and we like each one for different reasons. We always buy our bird seed at one particular store which puts together it’s own seed mixtures–and at a cheaper price than other stores. We will meander there and back home again. We live in such a beautiful area that it will be a wonderful autumn drive.