Garden Gifts

Yesterday, I asked TJ to "pick every last apple off of the tree." Most were imperfect, many had holes and spoiled spots, and some were beyond usage for us.

However....we filled up two large crockpots with the salvageable apples and they made for us 7 quarts of perfectly good, unsweetened applesauce!

I also had a few willing helpers to pile the spoiled windfalls in a wheelbarrow and whisk them away to the compost.

Finally, we uncovered at least 6 zucchini that were playing hide-and-seek under the frost-covered plants. Also harvested were many butternut squash, now resting peacefully in our basement :)

Spurgeon's Morning and Evening

Reading from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotional today.

"While prayer is an application to divine wealth, it is also a confession of human emptiness."

I felt that as I prayed this morning.

Cozy Things

I am all stocked up, with lots for sale in my Etsy shop ~ merchantships.

Mittens, scarves and other treasures

for Women, Men and Kids.

Visit it here and use this coupon for 15% off your entire order.  Shop early and stay warm.

Coupon code: RANDOM15

Monday, Monday, Homeschool Monday

We had a nice school day, with TJ reporting on last week's PSEO government class to us. 

He talked about media bias, "framing", and how the media sometimes twists appearances and influences public opinion.  

I am better at sudden ideas than future planning.  

I guess it's because when I plan ahead, things often change, so it's less stressful to think on my feet.

So my sudden idea was to assign everyone to re-write an Aesop's fable in such a way that it twists the reader's idea of the characters-- making the hero seem like the villain, and the villain seem less wicked.

They came up with some good ideas and I am attaching one here.  Lisa

The Grasshopper and the Ant

An adaptation of the fable by Aesop

By MP -- October 2016

Through most of the summer, the grasshopper had been prancing happily along the paths,

singing of his joy to be alive. Part of the summer, however, was spent in readying for the cold

winter months: gathering vegetables, grasses and leaves. Then one day arose (an extremely

windy day I might add) and everything the grasshopper had stored up blew away ad the

grasshopper could not gather anything.

Moreover, a crabby ant took anything gatherable for herself. Alas,when the cold months arose

the grasshopper had nothing to eat. Finally, when he could take it no longer,he visited the ant

and asked the grinchlike ant for some food and lodging.

However, as soon as his plea was uttered, it was immediately rejected.

*I would never ever give YOU anything!* said the ant and she slammed the door in the face of

the formerly jolly grasshopper.

The sad creature (half-dead) trudged pitifully down the cobblestone path that led to his sorry,

humble home.

An easy Monday lunch of leftovers

Moral: Never turn away someone in need.