For Friday....

 How are you doing, blog friends?  Are you staying well?  Has your state begun any new guidelines to help curb the spread of COVID?

Unfortunately, my county experienced record setting one-day totals for new cases, as well as deaths during this week.  I extend my sympathies to all those who have lost loved ones.

1)  The first thing that has brought pleasure this week is the announcement from Pfizer that a vaccine is near approval stage!  

2)  The second thing that has brought pleasure was the announcement by Moderna that they have an effective vaccine, also near approval stage!

3)  Although there have been some cool nights, we’ve had gorgeous weather!  These blue skies have brought me pleasure.

4)  Country Girl came for a short visit, and we enjoyed a walk in a nearby lakeside park.

 5)  Signs of the season are all around us.  Spied this sweet gum leaf, perfectly “doing its thing!”

The weekend is before us.  Do you have special plans?  How are you staying safe while still taking care of  usual routine?  

Take care, wear your mask, be safe, and stay well!

Better late than never....

 How was your weekend?  Were you able to include something enjoyable that contributed to your relaxation and restoration?

The weekend began on a familiar note....a UMW activity!  It was time for our District UMW Annual Meeting, and that meant I had to be up and ready earlier than a usual slow moving Saturday.  It also interfered with taking time to come up with something special for Saturday breakfast.  It was good to be able to connect via Zoom!

I was not interrupted, however, with plans for Sunday Lunch....just didn’t manage to have a blog post about it.  Here it is....only two days late.:-)

On the menu for Sunday....Country-style Ribs (a touch of bbq sauce), roasted butternut squash (from Country Girl’s garden), succotash (with green pepper from our very tiny garden), rolls (a recipe I’ve had for over 50 years).....and pumpkin cake!

Extra rolls are always appreciated....

The Pumpkin Cake recipe is one from a small town newspaper 48 years ago.  It has become a tradition; I’ve baked it at least 48 times!

I hope you are still taking appropriate precautions during these pandemic days.  Today’s totals for our local county for the virus have set a record.  We continue to wear masks and practice social distancing.  We avoid large crowds and wash hands frequently.  We continue to wipe down groceries.  It is encouraging to hear news about the development of vaccines, though it will be a number of months before they are available.  We need to continue to take precautions!  

Stay well!

  

Time for the Friday five....

 Hello, all!  Have you had a good week?  Are you staying safe and healthy?  What about the progression of the season where you are?

That leads into one of the things that I have enjoyed this week....

1)  We have a couple of dogwood trees that we ordered from the Arbor Day Foundation several years ago. They aren’t native, and have a different “schedule.”  This is one of them this week....

The season of fall has been especially lovely here this year.

2)  I’ve been reading several books, and this has become a favorite....

Reflections on patriotism, as viewed by Dan Rather, a well-respected journalist.

3)  Simple things, such as Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top....

Spaghetti and meatballs!  Always a favorite! 

4)  A surprise included in our curbside order from our favorite market this week....

5)  The Husband has a really strong liking of cornbread!  Planning to bake it lends to other ideas of things in the oven as well.  It was very enjoyable to have this cozy meal on a very rainy day this week....

As he had a favorite, I included one of mine....cauliflower with cheese sauce!  

Today is World Kindness Day.  There are a few hours remaining.  How could you show kindness to someone today?

As always, be sure you are taking appropriate precautions during this pandemic.  The local numbers are not going in a good direction.  Be safe, stay well, wear a mask, avoid large crowds, and wash your hands often!

.

Good and easy....

 The weekend here was beautiful, and today that great weather continues!  It’s almost like late spring/early summer.  Hopefully there will be nice weather two weeks from now when we’re hoping to be able to have Thanksgiving outdoors!

For Sunday lunch, this is how the meal appeared....

My favorite market came through with a good and easy choice this week!  The Chicken Cordon Bleu rollups were perfect, and it was great to have some roasted zucchini and yellow squash!  I continued that “good and easy” theme with the following dessert....

Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake, ready for the oven....

....and here it is, ready to serve!  Topped ours with ice cream this time as it’s definitely the season to celebrate with ice cream!

As always, I send wishes for safety for each of you!  Be smart, and make wise decisions!  Stay healthy!

On the menu......

 We have had a busy day here.  It was good to begin it with this breakfast....

In my mission to focus on pumpkin, these Pumpkin Pancakes were a great choice!  Bacon!  Always great, too!

I’m relying on a lot of help from my favorite market for Sunday Lunch.  On the menu....chicken roll-ups, macaroni and cheese, roasted vegetables, and as always....dessert!  I’ll be back on Monday with details.

It continues to be vital that we follow those guidelines for protection from COVID-19.  Wear a mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands!  Are you still wiping down your groceries?  Do you wipe down your counters daily?  Have you been out to eat, or do you opt for carry out?  Making wise choices about your activities will protect not only yourself, but also others.  Numbers are not going in a good direction in our country, and we need to be consistent in our efforts to ensure we stay healthy! 

Take care!  Be safe!  Stay well!

Five on Friday....

 Has this week passed quickly for you, or have you felt like it has been extra long?  I feel like it hasn’t been a week since I posted last week’s list, and here it is....time to post for another Friday!

These are a few things that have brought me joy this week....

1). It’s true that Halloween 2020 is now behind us, though this barrel of happy pumpkins has made me smile for many weeks when out walking!  This is the happiest gathering of jack-o-lanterns I have ever seen!  In fact, their smiles really give a non-frightening response to that “BOO!!”  Message.

2)  Have you ever heard of Election Day Cake?  In my daily email is a message from Farmer’s Almanac, and a recipe for this cake was included earlier in the week.  I thought I would give it a try.  It’s a yeasty cake, with dried fruits and nuts, not like a usual cake.  This series of pictures will illustrate progress....

In the pan, ready for the second rise....

After the rise, and ready for the oven....

Out of the oven, and ready for a little sneaky glaze....

3)  We are fortunate to be able to witness some wonderful evening skies.  This one was a source of pleasure....

4)  It was a special pleasure when Country Girl was able to come to town for awhile!  We enjoyed a walk in an area with this backdrop....

What a great opportunity for some walking in a lovely area, masks and social distancing at work!

5)  Because we could all probably use a little Christmas about now, seeing this in the new issue of Yankee Magazine brought joy!

Susan Branch has been busy again!  This is a wonderful little book!

Just as I have been closing my posts during this pandemic, I once again leave you with the caution to observe wearing a mask, watching your distance from others, and washing your hands frequently!  Avoid large gatherings!  We’re in a very serious time!  Take care of yourself, and stay well!

The weekend....

 Another weekend passed quickly for us here!  How about you?  Did the weekend seem to crawl along or zoom along at top speed?

The “spook parade” only gave us around ten spooks.  We were ready with individual bags with candy.

This was one way to use the Turquoise Table.  We’ve not been able to gather neighbors here at all this year due to the pandemic.

We were eager to see that full Blue Moon on Halloween night.

It did not disappoint, once it cleared the trees, and we were able to see it clearly.

Sunday was the first day of a new month....November!  Dessert, however, was a nod to Halloween weekend.

Spiderweb Crunch has been a favorite for a number of years!  With ingredients such as milk chocolate chips and peanut butter, how can one go wrong?

What fun it was to have this for the final course following this meal!

Gold Medal chicken breast, candied sweet potatoes, green peas, and these rolls....

                                                         Pumpkin Rolls!

Munchkin #1 is 17 years old today!  I remember being in that hospital waiting room with family for most of the night as he chose to arrive at 2:30 a.m.!  He is now in the 11th grade and running cross country!  No trip to help him celebrate, unfortunately.  When we are able to safely travel again, we’ll have a huge celebration.

Such serious times are with us!  It is important that you remember to be safe....those three w’s....wear a mask, watch your distance, wash your hands!  

Tomorrow is Election Day.  Have you voted?  Be sure to go to the polls to vote, if you haven’t already voted by absentee or taken advantage of early voting.  

Stay well!