A Halloween Frog

Here is my granddaughter Kaila as a cute green frog for Halloween! Her costume reminds me of our 'resident frog' that lives in Maltby three seasons of the year. In early spring, when the sounds of 10,000 frogs fill the air, we can hear one basso profundo frog voice raised above all others to greet us. He continues his libretto through the summer and late into fall. I heard him the other night, his voice clear and true, letting us know that we humans have company in the animal world.

That's one nice thing about living the Slow Life--it's quiet enough in Maltby to hear the voice of a single frog above the din of the outside world.

Plant Watch

Many-handed, like a home crowd welcomes a congressman

visiting his district with their petitions,

the rhododendron supplicates the sun

with shiny hard-coated dark green leaves,

each a pair of closed lips narrow at the corners,

swollen in the middle,

each with the same hard-to-read expression--

not quite a smirk--lips can’t be expressionless

even when asleep, but can be between expressions

as these are but to their intimates

even these waitings can be read.

The sun can be counted on most of the year,

unlike politicians if you want something

and aren’t paying“Ahhhhh”,

they think and almost say like the lips of sunbathers

on a beach in their paired and oiled hundreds,

all the same who wouldn’t have come today

if the sun hadn’t.

My Cabin Getaway

As summer ended and fall is here, I've watched my lovely 'getaway' change with the seasons. This is its first Autumn, and the little house is well-constructed and dry and cozy inside, even with the cold, damp weather. The lawn furniture waits patiently inside, propped up against the walls, waiting for Spring.

I'm looking for a small greenhouse now so I can start my seeds in February so they will be 'hardened' and ready to plant in my raised beds by March and April. Gardening is a discipline that requires you to take note of the season, make your lists, and have tasks to perform all year long. As winter approaches, the physical labor of a garden ceases, but the planning and dreaming remain, urging us to the hope of spring and another summer to come.

Fun with Kaila at Bob's Corn Maze

Sunday was the day for the corn maze, and Kaila arrived at my house early in the morning. We had some snacks at Starbucks, and then headed on down to Bob's. This year, they had an adult maze and a kid's maze--Kaila chose the kid's maze because it had games to play. After my long marathon trip through Bob's Corn the weekend before with Alex, I was ready for a simpler challenge!

In the kid's maze, there were five stations with colored chalk. Once you arrived at the station, you'd take the chalk and color one of your five fingers of your right hand. We kept getting lost, but eventually found our way to all five stations, colored all five fingers, and popped out of the maze at the finish line.

Once out of the maze, there was a large board with various combinations of colored fingers to compare your hand to. Once you found your color scheme, there was a large board with the number of your colored hand on it. Kaila's number told her to "croak like a frog", and mine asked me to jump up and down. We had soooo much fun, and we were covered with mud. After the maze, we got a wheel barrow and went out to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. We came back to my place and carved them.

Last Strawberry Rhubarb Pies of the Year

Tonight we picked the last of the rhubarb and found some late season strawberries, and put them all together for two wonderful pies. The smell of cooking fruit and pie crust filled the house all evening, and these aromas were added to the fragrance of the frittata I made for dinner that was filled with organic vegetables, cheese and eggs. Homemade bran muffins completed the cooking frenzy tonight, and it was a great evening filled with laughter, stories, and slow food. We love the Slow Life in Maltby.

Kelly's Cinderella Pumpkins

Each year, a friend of my neighbor Kelly brings over three very large Cinderella pumpkins to decorate their property. I love this pumpkin that greets us out on the Paradise Lake Road entrance to our Maltby neighborhood.

Mini Pumpkins on the Fence

Each year, I buy 30 or so miniature pumpkins and mount them on my picket fence posts for a wonderful, orange welcome to the neighborhood! They look so festive on the 90 foot expanse of white pickets, and my granddaughter loves to pick one up every time she comes over to visit.

Fall Colors

Fall has finally arrived in Maltby. The maple leaves from the trees in the neighborhood are in various stages of color, from green to yellow to crimson. Here's a sample of the front yard this weekend.

Fields of Gladiolus

At the pumpkin patch last weekend, there were literally entire fields planted with nothing but gladioulus--yellow, white, orange and red. They were a lovely contrast to the pumpkin patches, and all of the bright colors added to the lovely ambience of a perfect Fall day.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Everywhere!

Look at all the pumpkins at Bob's Corn! Alex and I picked out two large pumpkins for her family, and I chose one large, round one to carve this week. I can't wait to get started on it!

A New Twist on Pumpkin Carving

Look at this great example of a carved pumpkin!! This was one of many at Bob's Corn last weekend.

Bob's Corn Maze--Alex and Me

Here's Alex at the corn maze last weekend! The maze this year was 20 acres of really complex mazes, and we struggled with our maps to find our way through the mud-packed paths to the exit. Last year's time was 45 minutes, and this year, it took us 90 minutes. :( But it was fun!

Alex has a great sense of direction, and she safely got us to our destination.

Egg Waffles, Hong Kong Style

I bought a new type of waffle iron last weekend at Williams Sonoma, and it's intended to make soft, knobby waffles to fill with strawberries and cream. The batter contains egg whites beaten to soft peaks, and they made the waffle batter light and airy.

Once the waffles were removed from the iron and cooled on paper towels, we rolled them up and filled them with fruit and cream for a wonderful Sunday breakfast treat!

New Cedar Shingles on our Front Gable

We had shingles added to our front gable today for an architectural detail on our tri-level home. Our neighbors John and Kelly had this contractor add shinges to the south side of their house, and shared the name of the team with us so we could complete this project.


They will come back tomorrow and finish the job, and then we'll look for a contractor to paint the shingles Country White to match the house trim and gazebo. It really adds a nice touch to our custom home.

Fresh Maltby Eggs

Our neighbor Keith stopped by today to congratulate my husband on his retirement September 30, and in the typical Maltby "slow life" tradition, brought us a dozen white, brown and green eggs. I had never seen green eggs before, and they are a very light sage color, and are quite beautiful.

I can't wait to use them in an omelette or quiche.

Ghost Pumpkins, Maltby-Grown

I found these lovely white pumpkins yesterday at the Maltby Market, and loaded up the truck with them. Juno kept watch on them in the back seat as we drove home. They adorn the front steps, and let everyone know that we love the fall season and all it brings, such as trips to Bob's Corn Maze, pumpkin carving, Halloween, apple pies, and Thanksgiving.

A Turkey Tableau

When I was shopping at Country Village last weekend, I found this little turkey dressed up in farmer's garb. He has a little pitchfork, and I thought he'D look good on my front porch surrounded by a little pumpkin and an ornamental squash I grew this year (the white one).

Summer and Fall Intertwined

My lovely fuschia basket is still blooming, and is flanked by pumpkins in old metal motel chairs. My Fall flag decorates a cedar fence, bringing the autumn theme to the forefront.

October--Fall Is In the Air!

My little metal pumpkin adorns an arbor vitae in front of the garage and welcomes Fall!