Crunch Crunch in the Leaves & Where Else?

We definitely are surrounded by lots of crunchy leaves. I can't tell you how glad  I am to not have to rake! (a definite advantage to  living in the middle of nowhere.)

Another item we have plenty of this year is squash. I have been scouring recipes looking for different ways to use all that squash...

Fortunately I belong to the Mutual Admiration Society with my friend and fellow blogger Cheryl who shared this recipe not long ago from Pinterest. It combines CRUNCH and a SQUASH, pumpkin.

 It would be really selfish to not share because it is 'that' good and perfect for this season.

This is as easy as pie but it's not a pie. It's called 'Pumpkin Crunch.' It was such a big hit at the Jazzercise gathering, I had to make a second batch and freeze them for Thanksgivukkah.

Here's what you'll need for PUMPKIN CRUNCH:


 1 15oz. can pumpkin

 1 12oz. can evaporated milk

 1 1/2 C. sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

* Combine above ingredients and pour into greased 9×13 pan.

 1 Yellow Cake Mix

1 C. melted butter ( 2 sticks not pictured OOPS)

 Sprinkle cake mix on top of pumpkin mixture and pour melted butter over top.

 Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Well, it's to die for with /out whipped cream and as Cheryl says " Don't say you haven't been warned!"
She wasn't kidding. Thumbs up from the End of the Rainbow Valley....

Apples to Apples

After eating that tasty crisp apple off the wild apple tree we were in the mood for some more apples.

We had made our End of the Rainbow Valley apples into juice and applesauce with just a couple bags of sliced apples for the freezer... so we stopped off at Southwind Orchards in La Crescent, Minn.

FYI it will close this Saturday, the 9th. Their supply is quickly being depleted.

BTW one of the new varieties at Southwind is Sweet Sonya. If you'd like to take advantage of the orchard's close out sale you had better hurry on over.  They have a 2 for 1 sale to clear out their supply.  These apples although picked a month ago are still crisp. We purchased 2 - 10 lb bags of Sweetango, a cross between Honeycrisp and Zestar,  a tasty cultivar from the U of Minnesota for only $5.00. 

Off to Kickapoo Valley

Southwind's remaining loose apples were being loaded on a truck and heading over to the Kickapoo Valley to be made into juice.

I  bet you can guess what we will be doing this weekend. Oh no I'll have to find freezer space here in the End of the Rainbow Valley...

Signing off with this ditty from your childhood. Click : Johnny Appleseed

Are You Bluffing?

Do you know the best time to visit Scenic Bluffs State Park and be the only people there?

That would be midweek when the temps are in the 40's.

It's been a while since we walked the trail to King's Hill with the spectacular view of the Mississippi and Queen's Hill from the Minnnesota side of the river.

A new bench has been placed to enjoy the impressive view. We had to laugh because it was chained down. It took us a good while to hike in and I have a feeling too much effort to carry it out.  LOL.

Queen's Hill

Opposite us was Queen's Hill, a steep bluff without trees called a bluff prairie. (In fact KIng's Hill is also a bluff prairie) Either lightening/Indians used to set these prairies ablaze in bygone years.  Then farmers stopped the fires to let their cattle graze these slopes.  Now that there are no more cattle here, burns are being set again to encourage new grasses and wild flowers.  

It's a hike to reach this vista by first crossing a small prairie followed by a walk through the woods before finally reaching the bluff prairie. Our route was that blue one starting at the red dot where we parked and going north until we reached King's Bluff.

blackberry

Along the way especially with all the fallen leaves the variety of vegetation is obvious. The winner of the most color goes to the blackberry brambles with a deep red.

Although nothing is still blooming there is still striking color even though Fall has passed it peak.

This is a pretty color, don't you think? The sunlight really did a number as it slipped through the boughs above us in the thickest part of the woods.

Can you distinguish red oak from white oak? 

One on left pointed lobes's red oak and one on right, white oak

The allee of pine that shelter the woods's path are white pine. Most people aren't sure how to distinguish white pine from red pine. I'll let you in a secret.  A white pine' s needles are in groups of 5. (Red only has 2)

There is also a nature hike path which we used to return on and discovered a wonderful wild apple tree still laden with some huge apples. I don't know why Natureman didn't want to climb it . ???  And as I encouraged him to jump for the lowest laden branch some 7 ft up, he did go through the brambles a bit to pull down a lower branch and get us a couple samples. It was so crisp and sweet. Where's a ladder when you need one? The apple treat was a perfect ending to our brisk fall adventure.

It was an invirogating Fall day to be outside. Natureman was right again sometimes you just have to change the scenery and leave the End of the Rainbow Valley ...

Sumac bidding us farewell...

Do this, Don't Do That, Can't You Read the Signs?

Do you remember the lyrics of the Signs, Signs, Everywhere a sign?

The signs that bring a smile to your face are truly special. I get a kick every time I see this sign on a bar establishment not far from where we live. Well of course where else should you buy a license to shoot a gun? And now with all the mishigas (craziness) about voter registration I wonder how many deer and turkey frequent this place?  I didn't know that animals also had to register... what kind of proof of citizenship do they need to bring with them? If I were them, I wouldn't stand for it.

And you realize there is an entire new industry in Home Decor signs as a visit to a friend's remodeled childhood farm house yesterday attests.  Everywhere you looked there was a message.   Some sweet...

On a landing...

in the master  bedroom...

And others that just make you laugh...

"Remember as far as everyone knows ? We're a Nice Normal Family"

 Just a daily reminder, don't forget to read the signs...


And here's the link to the original song... Just click on it and be taken back to the Bush era Signs, Signs

My how 'thyme' flies when you are having fun!

Not Amos 'n Andy, Just AMOS...

I know I have spoken about AMOS before but Sunday evening AMOS marked its 6th Anniversary,  Celebrating a Harvest of Justice Advocacy.

AMOS is an "interfaith, congregation-based coalition working for a more just and com-passionate community."

AMOS started in '07 with 7 congregations and has grown to 11. After an initial year of identifying community concerns, focus has been task forces for reducing the stigma of mental health, food insecurity, health care, Hmong advocacy, immigration, restorative justice and circles of support.

About a 100 people gathered to listen to latin music by Banda El Buen Samaritano and Steve Laxton, a local lawyer who specializes in immigrant issues.

'Lots of latkes, lots of latkes. Let's all eat 'em up.'

Many of the congregations cooked for the fundraising dinner. Here's Carla coming back for seconds of those latkes we slaved over. (10 dozen, 4 worker bees= 3+ hours)

Besides potato pancakes there were fruit salads, casseroles of green beans, squashes and sweet potatoes, veggie spring rolls, chicken, bread and of course desserts.

We look happy to be here, right?

 For me the highlight of the evening was the presentation of the AMOS 2013 Seeds of Justice Award. A mechanical engineer turned farmer, Tom Ferguson left the corporate world of 3M to pursue his life's dream of being a farmer. While college shopping in the area for his daughter, he spied an apple orchard for sale. The rest is history and besides farming apples, he now educates the community regarding the importance of immigration reform, providing housing for his workers with ethical practices and teaches 3500 school age children yearly about where their food comes from.

What can be more important as we all work to become good stewards of both the land and community treating each with respect?

May the need for AMOS be lessened as the years go by.
          Meanwhile  Happy Anniversary AMOS!

Dead , Really Dead...

As I headed out Hwy 27 in Monroe County on the El Día de los Muertos ( Day of the Dead) November 2nd I thought to myself I'll just have to stop at the Halloween town, Melvina, population 104, 5 miles north of Cashton,  south of Leon home of the "Witch of Melvina."

I had wanted to post this last Halloween but forgot...
and thought I posted it later but couldn't find it almost like my efforts. I'll explain...

What I discovered was not the sights I had experienced on previous stops.  Let me backtrack. You see one resident, a self professed Druid, Israel Shvhi V. Magdalene Rose, born Laurie Jean, must 'really' like Halloween since she purchased almost an entire block to create her own personal Halloween year round.

Perhaps a bit eccentric and you had to wonder how the neighbors felt, maybe they had something to do with what now remains.... ( hey I lived across the street from the Witch of Fox Point in Milwaukee)

You might say Israel had transformed anything that didn't move into her Halloween palette... but then again even vehicles with wheels were also adorned.  An article written back in' 08 spoke of her desire to have open a mystical store with its profits would going to help needy children in the area. ??? If this came to fruition I have no clue but Israel had lived with 2 wolves as pets who now at home in a wildlife sanctuary and her Russian doberman attacked her and had to be put down. Not that's scary.

Anyhow, this entry will have to be a dedication to the Witch of Melvina since the scenery has changed as I discovered this past weekend. Gone are the vehicles, gone are most of the garish buildings. GONE are the brightly painted trailers. Demolition had begun. Concrete pieces and garbage littered the lots around the remaining buildings and whether strong winds helped topple some of the make shift construction/a wrecking ball/, Holy Ghost Town USA is a mere shadow of what it once was.

My pics from past visits are all that remain of one person's vision of her own personal Días de los Muertos. Long live the memories of one person's dreams albeit a bit out there...

Yep her Mom's estate allowed her to purchase 5 pieces of property on the same block. There must have been money left in the bank safe originally later replaced by a mailbox where donations were accepted.

Whether donations were minimal, the store didn't make it or the townspeople won out/ a combination of all the above, all that remains are some very tired buildings and a mess.

Yep, there's a reason we live in the middle of nowhere right here in the End of the Rainbow Valley...

Mad? You Betcha...

I would have been cute if I looked like these calves...

Just when I thought I had made a comeback from the head cold from Hell and  life was back to normal  I returned to the End of the Rainbow Valley to a phone message saying "Where are you? I am waiting for you..." Oh no, I had forgotten I was going to stop by a friend's after Jazzercise for a design consultation. OOPS.

Well it was a really FOGGY day. In fact it was like pea soup both going to town and coming back but I thought I was out of the fog.

Do you think it had anything to do with my costume?

Well I do live in Wisconsin and I was wearing this get-up with udders, a black long sleeve shirt and black pants. It 's not exactly what you think...

 In fact the outfit came with a very angry look on my face and I was sick...

Can you guess what I was?   I was.... are you ready?



Mad Cow Disease. It's no wonder I forgot where I was supposed to go after the Jazzercise girls...