Red and Purple?

   Back eons ago when I was a kid, I was often told not to wear red and purple clothing together.  Wearing a red skirt with a purple blouse was a huge no-no.  For a while, I assumed that Mom just did not like the pairing but then had several aunts and my grandmother tell me the same.  "Do not wear those two colors together!  Go change!" It saddened me as I thought the colors were magnificent together!  Others, however, were not as enthusiastic as I was so, I changed my attire and wore something bland...colorless.  I actually felt as if I blended with the surroundings and was not seen at all.  Then, again, perhaps that was the idea.  Maybe I was not to be seen. I am not sure.  In my middle years, I sort  of kept "blending in", not only with my attire but with my decorating of the Little Bayou House.  I tried to please everyone else...but me.  Now?  Now I have reached old age and I just do not care what others think.  I wear what I want and  decorate how I please.  I have finally come to the conclusion that it is really no one else's concern.

 

  That said, I sit on my red velvet, Victorian settee staring at the west facing window.  Son had installed shelves across both the east and west windows so I could display a collection of colored glass.  Usually, there is a virtual rainbow of colors in each window but...since Fall is coming...I decided to redecorate.  My choice of colors for fall in the living room?  Well, red and purple, of course!  One really cannot always go with oranges, yellows and browns, now can you?  Besides the colorful window, there is a huge urn of purple and black roses interspersed with the most lifelike spiders and a purple crescent moon complete with a golden spider web and two bejeweled spiders!  The room is also dotted with black pumpkins, purple candles in antique candelabras and a brass birdcage with a crow that actually talks to you!  This is a weird take on Fall decorating but it suits me fine!  Other parts of the house are bedecked with the typical fall colors that can easily move into Halloween with just a few added touches.

  So...do red and purple go well together?  Perhaps only if you are a bit eccentric and have been tied down for far too long by the naysayers of this world.  In other words, if you like it...go for it.  Whatever that "it" is, if it makes you happy, then do it!  Don't wait like I did.  Don't let others make you have second thoughts.  Just do it and enjoy it!  Life is far too short.  And...I smile as I watch the sunbeams glow through the glass pieces with a radiance like none other.  

  

Progressive Decorating!

   Back in September, I decorated an odd, little niche in our bathroom.  Since it was fall, the theme had to fit.  So...a split gourd, some dried flowers (plus a couple of silk ones) and a lantern filled the space perfectly.  Then came along October with Halloween and November with Thanksgiving.  Everything stayed the same except I added a couple of tiny pumpkins.  I was beginning to like this idea of progressive decorating!  Now, Christmas has sneaked in and caught my pumpkins by surprise!  It was time to change.

  It took a grand total of about two minutes to transition into a different holiday!  Out came the fall leaves and orange flowers.  Away went the pumpkins!  Those would never do for Christmas!  A nice bow in red and black plaid topped the lantern, pinecones replaced the pumpkins and a wooden cardinal came to visit.  Greenery was poked into the gourd and a crocheted doily made by my grandmother provided the perfect base.  It is nothing fancy but neither am I nor is the Little Bayou House. I am sure others would have much better ideas of how to deal with this weird spot but this suits me fine.  Progressive home decorating is the way to go!  

It is Autumn Enough!

   It seems that autumn can never come soon enough for my taste.  Let the calendar roll around to May and I am wanting to decorate for fall and Halloween.  Most of those decorations can easily spill over to Thanksgiving so why not get an early start?  If it would not be for Son reminding me that we have spring and summer, I would just as soon jump right into fall after winter.  Who needs the other seasons?  Well, I guess we all do but still....

  Not feeling the best today, I decided that a bit of orange would be the perfect remedy and I knew the ideal place to start sneaking  decorations into place!  There is this funny little wall niche in the bathroom.  It is actually a place where a tiny window was removed years ago.  Instead of trying to "cover over" the void, I decided to put it to good use.  It is pointless to view it as an eyesore.  It is better to simply draw attention to the spot!  I usually hang a wreath in the niche year round but change up during the holidays.  I had a "vision" for the niche for autumn.  

  A wall sconce vase was created from a split gourd.  To this a few dried and artificial leaves were added and a bit of Spanish moss was tucked beneath.  An old lantern was the finishing touch.  Voila!  My first autumn decorations were in place.  Since the bathroom has black trim, orange and black towels, pumpkin and black cat soap dispensers were an easy choice to round out the decorations.  One room down and the rest of the house to go...but I am inspired!  Let Autumn begin!  I feel better already.

"Not For Human Consumption"

  Have you ever wondered just what they do to items that should be edible but are labeled "Not for human consumption"?   I never thought much of it until the past week or so.  After Halloween, Mark and I were wandering around one of the local stores when I came across an aisle full of seasonal decorations.  Well, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays so I racked up on wreaths, garlands and such.  Mark...well, he bought some of that Indian corn thinking it may be something I could plant.  I shrugged my shoulders and agreed that it might be interesting.  Now, I am not so sure.

  Back on Christmas Eve, the sweet Grand Princess suddenly exclaimed that we had to feed Santa's reindeer.  "MawMaw, do you have any reindeer food?"  Umm, well, maybe?  I did a bit of quick thinking and had the brilliant idea!  The Indian corn!  We had exactly enough ears for the reindeer!  Eight for the regular crew and one for Rudolf!  How could we go wrong??  I figured corn being corn would quickly draw every raccoon in the county to our yard and what they did not devour, the local deer population would finish off before morning.  Out we went to hang the lovely ears of corn on the driftwood trees that line the board path.  The kiddos were elated and I felt assured that all was well.  My ease soon turned to anxiety when about 2am, the corn was still intact.  Nary a critter came to eat the corn.  On the other hand, a few feet away, the sunflower seeds in the bird feeder were gone!  Nothing wanted to eat that corn!  Son, being a fine uncle to these tots, climbed out of bed, went out barefooted in the cold to wrestle with that corn.  He twisted and turned the kernels enough to make it appear that the reindeer feasted.

  Now weeks later, the corn is still dangling from the post.  What was done to that corn to make it unappetizing to critters?  Coons eat anything!  Anything except things marked "Not for human consumption" obviously.  Smart critters?  Anyway, Mark will be happy to know that a healthy crop of corn has sprouted on the ground where the kernels were dropped.  Perhaps I should salvage the rest of the corn to put in the garden next spring.  Maybe the coons will leave it alone and I can have lovely Indian corn for Halloween decorations!  It is worth a try and maybe it will be a tad more appetizing for the critters come a later date.  Of course, with the grandlittles not coming to the Bayou next Christmas, there won't be a lot of need for reindeer food.

Golden Mornings

  Ok, so I admit that I am pushing things again.  It never fails that along about mid-July, I start missing fall and all of its beauty.  All thoughts turn to cooler days, early frosts and changing seasons. It is also the time that I start cajoling Son to haul down my fall decorations.  I am tired of not having the Little Bayou House festively decorated.  Thus, begins my "season" of holidays which lasts for about half the year.  This morning, Mother Nature encouraged the idea of a season change.  A slight northerly breeze brought with it a hint of things to come...golden mornings!  Come fall, the sunrises tend to be more magical.  A golden glow envelopes the entire Bayou which, in turn, sends the creative thoughts reeling.  

  While watching the sunrise turn the Bayou into even more of a mystical place, it occurred to me that these golden mornings should be an inspiration.  Each and every sunrise brings with it a new opportunity to start the day with a smile.  It is entirely up to us to keep that smile going throughout the day.  Frustrations can build but they cannot overcome us unless we let them. That said, it seems to me that my smile for the day is the thought of the arrival of fall...even though that is far from happening in reality.  Perhaps giving it a little shove will hasten its arrival! Wishful thinking....

  In the meantime, while we await the elusive season change, one can dream and enjoy these golden mornings.  The Bayou and all of its magic is at work again!

Mother Nature's Fall Decorations

  It is no secret that fall is my favorite time of year.  What is not to like about this season?  My goodness!  Things are nigh on perfect!  The temperatures are dropping, the gnats are fewer, the Little Bayou House can be decorated to the hilt and no one thinks it is crazy and Mother Nature puts on a show like no other!  While everyone else is oohing and ahhing over pumpkin spice everything, I am doing the same about the sights, smells and sounds around the Bayou.  

  One of my favorite things that Mother Nature grants to us is the gorgeous Goldenrod blooms.  These things spring up in the oddest places but I always leave them when I find them.  The golden spikes just ooze the beauty of fall!  Down near the pier, there is one section of the yard that I did not mow for some time now.  This area is filled with the bright yellow blooms.  It is relaxing to see their golden noggins swaying in the gentle Bay breeze.  

  Yep, the marsh never looks so pretty as it does in the fall!  Along with the goldenrod, there are marsh asters, groundsel bush and duck potatoes.  Each are supplying a lovely bit of interest to an otherwise bland bunch of reeds.  The blooms are like little jewels!  Beauty is where you find it.  I find it in the marsh.  Mother Nature has done well with her fall decorations!

Just Wondering...

  "Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" is line in what used to be a popular nursery rhyme back when nursery rhymes were popular.  The jingly little verses are now replaced by some most...umm...unusual tales and pictures but that is quite a different story.  I refer to this line merely because Grandmother used to sing it to me when we would sit in the big white rocking chairs on the screened porch.  Just before bedtime, she would let me sit and wait for the "people-watchers", better known as owls, to come.  Several small screech owls would often come to sit in her hanging ferns just to watch what was happening on the porch.  But...back to the blackbirds...I was pondering something all day. 

  My fall decorating is in full swing which does indeed include blackbirds.  While most folks wait until Halloween to place crows and ravens about the place, I include some in the fall decorations as early as August.  Crows raid the corn fields as the corn ripens in the fall so why not?  Anyway, I have strayed once again.  I placed a tiny crow/raven/blackbird...whatever...in the china cabinet with ceramic pumpkins and such.  This is a pie bird but for some reason always makes into the decorations.  This pie bird came from Great Aunt Thelma and it is one of the few items I have of hers.  I love it!

  My pondering involves this bird and nursery rhyme.  In culinary history, a funnel has been used as a vent when baking pies seemingly forever. The idea is to vent steam from building under the crust and causing spillage.  The original funnel was actually, well, funnel-shaped! (Imagine that!) Then some smart entrepreneur came up with the pie bird.  Cute!  The pie birds are usually in the style of a blackbird.  They are hollow with a hole in the bottom and a small vent hole in the open beak. The pie birds became all the rage.  For a while, no self-respecting baker was ever without a crow! Now they are more of a novelty culinary gift choice but are still quite useful. Question?  Did the pie bird come about because said smart person was singing the nursery rhyme while baking?  Or did the rhyme come about because of the pie bird?  And why don't folks use pie vents any more?  

  Great Aunt Thelma's pie bird sits proudly in the china cabinet.  It will occasionally be put to good use when baking but more oft than not, it just stays as a cherished knickknack.  My blackbird will sit amongst the fall decorations until October.  Then it suddenly changes from a crow to a raven! (Magical..yes?)  Anyway, hopefully this will be one of those tiny traditions that will pass down to one of my kids.  Hopefully, whoever inherits the pie bird will not be afraid to use it as intended and also as a decoration.  Hopefully, my kids will forever bake pies and other goodies! 

Please! I Want It To Be Fall!

  If I asked pretty please, could it be fall?  I yearn for cooler nights, bright hued leaves and pumpkins...pumpkin everything!  I miss all of this!  I miss the decorations hung up in the Little Bayou House, the smell of cinnamon/ginger wafting from the kitchen and Jack-o-lanterns peeping from frosty windows.  I miss fall.  I miss Halloween!

  Just today, I mentioned to Son that I would like to get the fall and Halloween decorations down from the upstairs' closet.  He said "NO!" No, in no uncertain terms. No, as in, well, no.  He informed me that July is too early to decorate for Halloween.  Well, boo on him!  Since tomorrow is supposed to be a stormy day, he did agree, however, that I could at least get the stuff from the closet.  He, also, agreed that maybe I could put out a few....a FEW...fall decorations.  Yep...when have I ever put out a few decorations of any kind?  What he does not know, cannot hurt him...right?  

  Since the "Clue Hunt on the Bayou" does not involve every room of the house this year, I can decorate to my heart's content in the unused rooms.  I figure that since most of September will be spent preparing for the clue hunt, August should be used readying the house for fall and Halloween.  I am so eager to get started even though I do have a bit of trepidation lingering in the brain.  The last time that I decorated fully this early, we had a hurricane whip through and put a damper on any festivities.  Still, I cannot let that stand in the way!  Decorations....here I come!  Let the fun begin! (I promise...no Jack-o-lanterns.....yet!)

Hidden in the Dusty Depths of my Mind!

My memory is not just slipping but I rather think it is fully careening downhill at the speed of sound.  Michael did pull out all of my fall and Halloween decorations just as I asked him to do.  This is not an easy task as all seasonal decorations are stored upstairs and I always want them downstairs!  Box after box, crate after crate, bin after bin..the decorations were pulled from the closets and hauled down the stairs.  The whole ordeal took approximately two hours!  After we got them all downstairs, I started digging through the mountain!  Most of the decorations, I remember!  Most...some I have no clue as to where I acquired them!  But, then again, that does not bother me much.  Yearly, I am "donated" a good many decorations by folks who do not want to store them.  They know that I love to embellish the entire house!  I do not mind storing decorations, Folks!  So..yes!  I will always gladly take your leftover plastic Jack-O-Lanterns and  rubber bats!  Like I said, I remember most of the decorations.  It was something else that inexplicably was stowed away with the decorations that confuses me a tad.

Somehow, a crocheted tablecloth or..to my way of thinking..a crocheted bedspread was tucked in with the ceramic pumpkins.  Why?  I have no clue. Most likely it was used to buffer the pieces from breakage. That is fine.  It is not why it was there that really confuses me.  It is where I acquired said crocheted piece!  I am thinking it has to be a hand-me-down heirloom that someone bestowed upon me last October.  Why else was it in that box?  But, who gave the lovely thing to me?  Yep, that memory is hidden in the dark depths of my feeble brain..somewhere behind a few boxes of dusty ideas and under a mess of spiderweb cloaked notions.

The strongest feeling is that this is either from Great Aunt Thelma's belongings or Great Aunt Velma's.  These two were sisters-in-law.  They had married brothers who were the brothers of my maternal grandmother.  I believe this is not from my paternal grandmother as her work was much neater and tighter.  This, although lovely, has a few mistakes and is done with looser stitches.  So...that said, I am now proudly displaying the piece on my dining room table.  Since it is far too large for the table, it will be moved to the guest bedroom as soon as I wash all of the bed linens and decorate the room for fall.  It will be a delightful touch over the dark red comforter.  Oh, and if any of you fine folks reading this, recognize the piece and can enlighten me as to its origin..I sure would love knowing!  It is a treasure!

"Always be Prepared!"

Once again, I am rushing the seasons.  I am so ready for some fall-like weather that I am already thinking of Halloween and Thanksgiving!  Whoa...a bit too early according to the calendar!  I blame it all on that old "be prepared" rule that we were taught while kids.  "You should always prepare ahead of time.  You never know when something might come up during the last minute that could change your plans and make it difficult to do something."  This was usually directed to us as kids when we were supposed to be doing our homework for school! Well, I want fall to come so I think I will prepare!  I was telling Michael just today that I wanted to get my decorations out of the upstairs closet.  He looked at me a bit strangely so I had to make up an excuse of sorting the decorations.  "I might get rid of some of them", I told him.  Ha!  That is highly unlikely!  Me?  Toss decorations?  That is crazy talk!  So tomorrow, he has agreed to pull out the many boxes of fall and Halloween decorations for me!  Whee!!!

Speaking of fall, I am not the only one with the thought that summer should be over!  I went out to stroll about the gardens late this evening and could hear several squirrels barking.  For some reason, squirrels sound different during the fall.  Maybe it is just wishful thinking, but I think they are calling for a season change as well! I can remember "back in the day" picking up pecans and hearing the squirrels fuss at us to stay out of their orchard.  Even then, I thought their barks were of a different tone than earlier in the year.  I did notice that, although there is plenty of ready food, the squirrels are chewing the pine cones a bit earlier this year.  When I passed by a bench in the garden, I found a telltale pile of pine cone petals.  Perhaps the squirrel is "squirreling away" the pine nuts for later use but he sure is making a mess of my bench!

The young squirrel eyed me with a bit of frustration as I cleared the bench and tossed his supply of cones down the hill.  Tomorrow, I am quite sure he will have toted them all back to "his" workbench but I won't see them..I will be playing in the decorations!  Come on, Fall!  Mr. Squirrel and I are so ready for you!  We are getting prepared!

Harvest Time on the Bayou!

Decorating for Halloween rates right up there as one of my favorite things to do!  There is just so many options of what to chose and how to go about adorning the house.  I have said before that I do not like the gore that some folks think is scary.  That trend is not so much scary as it is just plain sickening.  This indeed says something about the way of society.  Things have gone beyond decency and have now stepped far into the mode of pure ick.  Not at the Little Bayou House!  My Halloween decorations shall never be considered sickening nor vulgar!  That, again, does not mean that the place cannot be scary..just implied creep.  I put up just enough cute things to make it an even mix!

The entryway to the Little Bayou House is decorated with scarecrows and harvest items. It is one of the "cute" areas in the house! This is probably more just fall-like than Halloween other than a few lanterns and some Halloween Jack-o-lantern lights.  I kept this simple so that I would not have to "redo" this area on November 1st!  The entryway can stay decorated in this manner until I rip it all out and start with the Christmas theme!  The harvest theme is very appropriate through Thanksgiving if I can wait that long before changing!

Speaking of harvest...the grapefruit and satsumas are about to ripen!  Mark and I went out to pick enough to send the kids since they live far enough north of us that citrus fruit are not grown.  We picked the fruit slightly "unripe" so that it would not get mushy in transit!  These were shipped by overnight transit and they should receive their boxes tomorrow!  While we were out picking, he and I were both impressed and a little bit in awe of how many the trees produced!  The poor satsuma trees are weighted down with their limbs literally on the ground!  The weight of the fruit dragged the limbs down to a near-breaking point.  I am going to have to do some major trimming this winter if we are going to expect the trees to survive much more of this!  The grapefruit trees are in the same predicament!  Their limbs are sagging terribly!  The fruit on these trees are massive and plentiful!  How the pencil-sized stems hold the clusters of ten to fifteen huge grapefruit is beyond comprehension!  Those poor trees!

So....fall really is "Harvest Time" here on the Bayou!  And we have truly been blessed with a good crop!  

Happy October!

Happy October!  I do believe as of today, fall may be at least trying to make an appearance.  This burst of fall-like weather may be short lived but I aim to enjoy every minute of it! The bit of coolness is invigorating!  AND...with October comes decorating!! Fall decorations are up and now that the calendar sheet has turned over, I do not feel so bad about adding in the Halloween decorations! Let the fun begin!!!  A couple of weeks ago, Mark and I went shopping for a few decorations.  If you remember, he bought the cutest owl! I pondered just where to put my owl and finally decided to redo the entire china cabinet!  The whole thing was emptied out and carefully filled with fall and Halloween items!  While doing this, I came up with the idea of decorating the Little Bayou House as very old place.  With all of the antiques that normally fill the house, it was easy!  A few touches here and there would be all it takes to turn this place into a creepy old house! Keep in mind, I said creepy..not gory!  Personally, I do not like all of the "gore-type" decorations on the market today.  Those are not scary..just sickening.  I would rather go for the implied creep factor than get carried away with some nastiness. So..I am slowly turning the place into something that may give chills just because the imagination allows it.

Still, the china cabinet is more of a pretty collection.  There are scarecrows, crows and pumpkins along with old lace, feathers and some wood carvings.  Thrown all together this does make for a quite pleasing effect.  One of the funkier things in the cabinet is merely a chalice that has a bit of dried Spanish moss in it, is draped with a few beads and is topped off with a small ceramic pumpkin and some fall leaves.  Why?  I don't know...I just thought it was appealing...so a pumpkin is sitting on a chalice!  Fun!

Another interesting piece is a clear glass pumpkin that I bought at the Goodwill Thrift Store.  I paid a grand total of seventy-five cents for this and really had no idea how I was going to use it.  Should I leave it empty or perhaps fill it with candy?  Should I try painting it to give it a bit of color?  What to do..what to do?  I got creative!  I filled it with moss and added a few fall colored Mardi Gras beads (yep...Mardi Gras beads in October!).  Filled like this, it seemed to be the perfect touch! A bit of creep added to something pretty!

Mixed in with the fall and Halloween items, I left a few of the glass platters and added quite a bit of  Mom's, Grandmom's and Great-grandmother's pewter pieces.  The dull grey color goes well with the bright oranges of fall.   In one corner, I propped up an antique children's book that is opened to pages depicting a children's Halloween party.  The kids are all dressed in the cutest costumes and are bobbing for apples!

Then there is that owl!  That most comical, black-glittered owl that fits so perfectly in with this whole scheme of things!  He stands proudly on the center shelf as if in full reign over this Halloween domain!  His glittery elegance speaks for itself!  This is something that I would have never bought for myself but since Mark stuck it in the shopping cart, it has become one of my favorites!

A few more items such as glass Jack-o-lanterns, old clocks, bits of antique lace and an antique vase filled with assorted feathers finished out the cabinet.  Now, this is ready for fall..for Halloween.  October is such a fun month!  Each day as I complete decorating another corner or do some fun, creative Halloween project, I will post descriptions or instructions!  Let the fun begin!  Let the fun begin!

Upside-down Gourd Pumpkin!

I play with crafts a lot. This is sort of my playtime..a time that I can let the imagination run free. Sometimes I see something and think.."I can make that!" To these items I will add my own little quirky touches which can improve the item or..turn it to an absolute mess. I also work a lot with gourds so it was a natural turn when I saw a Fall "lamp" that had an artificial pumpkin, lots of colored leaves, a nice ribbon and lights. I had to make my own using a gourd as the pumpkin. The decoration turned out quite well so not only did I make mine, I made one for my Sweet Daughter-in-law, Joanna. This was several years ago. Think of how thrilled I was to learn that she still had this "lamp" and already had it out to decorate her house! I am so honored that she considers using anything that I make!

Kiki playing "Hide and Seek" in the Fall decorations!

The cute part about her Pumpkin Lamp is that her kitty-cat, Kiki obviously loves the thing! According to Sweet Daughter-in-law, Kiki has been sitting by the gourds for quite some time. She looks right at home in the picture..almost as if she is part of the decoration! Ms. Put, my cat, has nothing to do with the lamp in the Little Bayou House. She does not mind that I decorate as long as I do not put anything on her favorite chair. So my Pumpkin Lamp sits in the corner with no cat admiring it.

The Pumpkin Lamp lit at the Little Bayou House!

For any who would like to make their own Pumpkin Lamp, you will need to have a nice, large, round gourd..it does not matter if it has a neck or not. You will also need a few small gourds for the base. These can be any shape or size..pick your favorites. Paint the large gourd to resemble a pumpkin. I turned mine upside-down. The neck of the gourd became the bottom of the pumpkin. The neck will be hidden a bit later so don't worry if it looks a bit strange. Paint the small gourds to look like..well..gourds! For a base, I used a found piece of 2 x 6 board. I drilled a 1 inch diameter hole in the center of the board and inserted a 1 inch dowel that was about 3 feet long. Make sure the dowel fits snugly as this will hold the entire lamp together. After securing the dowel, make a hole in the top (neck) of the gourd (pumpkin) that will slip over the dowel. Turn the gourd upside-down and poke the dowel into the hole in the neck of the gourd. Secure this with a bit of glue. It will sort of look like a big, orange lollipop at this point! To cover the board, I used some Spanish Moss but you can use whatever appeals to you. The moss just seemed to be a natural choice. Sort of plop and glue that around the board and then glue the smaller gourds on top of the moss. You will need a stem for your pumpkin. I went out and trimmed a piece of my Azalea bush! I just whacked off a piece of a dead limb about two inches long. This was glued on the top of the pumpkin..which actually is the bottom of the large gourd! (Remember..we turned it upside-down!) As the Fall leaves cascading down the dowel, I used a small artificial garland. To make it hold its shape, I added a piece of wire. To this, I also added the lights. This is just a short string of white Christmas lights. So..wire, garland and lights are tacked to the board base and spiraled up the dowel to the pumpkin. To hide the neck of the upside-down pumpkin gourd, a huge bow made from Fall ribbon is attached. Tie the ribbon around the neck of the gourd..wrapping it twice if necessary to hide the neck. Now you are all finished except for adding a few random silk leaves to the moss! Plug in your lamp and enjoy! This looks especially festive on a porch next to the doorway. It is a bright and happy greeting for any guests who may come calling! Now it is up to you to serve them a cup of mulled apple cider and a slice of pumpkin pie! Happy Fall!

Peter Piper Picked a Peck!

Peter Piper picking that peck of pickled peppers has nothing on me..I actually pickled those peppers! Somehow I seemed to have planted a whole lot more hot peppers than Bell Peppers this year. In all, there are some thirty pepper plants but the bigger lot of these are a strange assortment of the hot variety. In the garden, all of these are doing quite well and I have dried a number of the fruit. The dried peppers will be strung and hung or stored in jars for later use. I grew tired of impaling the peppers on the metal skewers. The smell of the air-drying peppers did keep the sinuses clear but I was forever having to tell visitors to "don't touch". Even though it was quite apparent that these were of the hot sort..they were like a magnet to curious onlookers. Everyone wanted to "feel" the drying peppers! Not too smart as even dried peppers can burn the skin and eyes. This said, I needed a different approach to preserving my peppers which led to today's task. Actually, the procedure started yesterday with the washing, piercing and soaking the peppers. Before pickling, they required soaking in a salt-water brine for about eighteen hours. The piercing (cutting slits in the sides) allows for the salt brine and later vinegar to seep inside the pepper. Uh huh...yep, I just want to hold multiple of hot peppers and cut slits in them. Perhaps one of the curious folks that were adamant about handling the drying peppers would volunteer for the job. Not one could be found that would take the task. I looked for a pair of latex gloves..none of those could be found either. Oh well, I am not very adept while wearing gloves anyway and would have probably pierced the hand and not the pepper. Ingenuity came into play! I used tongs! Grasping the pepper with the tongs, I was able to stab it with the knife blade straight through the slot in the the tongs! Ahhh..that worked! The stabbing went quickly once I discovered the new method! After soaking overnight, I was ready to pickle! Now where were all of the folks that wanted to handle the peppers? Not one could be found to take the task. I had to pack the peppers into the jars. I tried the tongs again! Trying to maneuver the peppers into the jar with tongs proved impossible. Just imagine trying to play that Claw Machine in the front of the store. You know, the one where there is a cute stuffed panda that your kid "just has to have" and the object is to pick it up with the mechanical claw and drop it in the chute. Yeah..that was me with tongs and hot peppers..it wasn't working. With no gloves, I was in a quandary! Then a thought! Improvise! I searched the cabinet for a plastic baggie! After slipping my hand into the baggie, I was able to pack the jars quite nicely! Aha! I am smarter than the average Habanero Pepper! Into the jars went the Habaneros, Jalapenos, Chilis and Hot Banana Peppers! Such a pretty assortment..greens, yellows, oranges and reds..all made for a beautiful jar! The rest of the canning was easy! Now there are jars of hot peppers ready to go on the shelf. Later, during Winter, the peppers will be used in pots of chili as a cold weather warmer!

Speaking of greens, yellows, oranges and reds...the Fall decorations are going up nicely! I decorated the stair rails with garlands of Fall leaves. These are crepe paper leaves that I picked up at the local dollar store. They are single leaves which seem to work better than the artificial garlands merely because of the storage problem. I can flatten and store these all in a small shoebox size box versus the large containers of garland. Being as the Bayou House is sort of rustic, the entryway has acquired decorations with real gourds, dried grasses and more Fall leaves. Now..I still have to find a place for my Scarecrow Family!