End of October

I labored for three days over a post about last week’s shootings. Before, I could hit publish I then read about a shootout in a McDonalds restaurant. Living in today’s society is like traveling back in time to Dodge City on a Saturday night, but Matt Dillon is out-of-town.

Then, I read Another Slice’s post about last week’s events and decided that it was better than anything I could write on the subject. Take a look if you have a minute.

I’ve also been painting. We have a small four-season porch with brown resin wicker furniture. I’ve wanted to paint it white for several years but have resisted because of concerns about the paint chipping.

After a lot of googling, I chose Krylon Fusion paint. Sixteen spray paint cans later, all five pieces are white, and I like the change.

Will the paint last? Good question because when I bumped them getting them back in the house, the paint chipped off. So, I touched it up, and we’ll see how it goes.

Last Thursday, I went to a Master Gardener meeting where a landscape architect gave a presentation about how she works up a plan, types of plants she uses, and the climate changes she learned about at a national convention the previous week.

Photo credit: PBS

She was around 50 +/-, and said that in her ‘lifetime’ New Hampshire would go from growing zone 5 to 7 or 8.

Think about that for just a minute.

If we go to a 7 or 8 growing zone, the ski industry will be a thing of the past, the sugar maples will die from heat and pollution, and the maple syrup industry will be over in this country. If New England increases two growing zones, what does that mean for Florida and all of its fruit growers, as well as the rest of the country? It really is mind-boggling.

To help me digest this growing zone issue, I enjoyed some pumpkin dip with fresh apples and ginger snaps. It was brought by a friend who tries to eat healthy so she took the original recipe and dropped the two cups of powdered sugar and added the maple syrup – it’s very good. Kind of ironic, that she added maple syrup after the previous conversation.

Pumpkin Dip:

• 15 oz pumpkin purée
• 8 oz whipped Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spices
• 1/4 c maple syrup

Mix all together.  Add spices and maple syrup to taste.

So, as we move toward the first of November, take care of yourself, hug those you love, eat something delicious just because, and stay safe.