Hello Fall and Hello All!

It's been awhile since I've made much of an appearance here and a few things have transpired in those weeks:

Loot from Gideon's school fall festival

Fall has come.  Crisp morning air.  Warm afternoon sun.  Plentiful rain.  Falling leaves.  Geese returning for winter.  Pumpkin patches.  Apples.  Rich soups and hearty casseroles.  Keep an eye on the Recipes of the Season in the sidebar.  Already a couple of delicious ones over there.

And here's one more, a sweet potato soup I threw together from several recipes over the weekend.  (Would love to try this one, once I get my hands on some coconut milk.  Mmmm - love coconut milk!)

Sweet Potato Soup

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 turnip, peeled and cubed (extra one left over from cider beef recipe earlier in the week)
1/2 large yellow onion
1 celery rib, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2-3/4 tsp sage
Chicken or vegetable stock, or water
1/2 c half-n-half
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Olive oil and butter
Add equal parts olive oil and butter (1-2 Tbsp each) to soup pot and heat over medium heat until rippling.  Add chopped onion and celery and saute for 3-4 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for just a minute.  Add cubed sweet potatoes and turnip.  Salt with 1/2 tsp salt.  Add nutmeg and sage and cook just for a minute to let flavors bloom.  Add broth or water to cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and puree.  (I use an immersion blender so I can blend it right in the pot; if you use a blender, allow it to cool a few minutes so it doesn't explode on you in the blender.)  After pureed, add half-n-half and maple syrup.  Serve with warm, crusty bread.

An autumn picnic

From the very first day, in his 3-day school

Rarin' and ready to go just this morning

School started and took an unexpected turn when, three weeks in, we followed his 3-morning-a-week teacher's suggestion to move him to the 5-morning-a-week program.  It went against our previously-held belief in taking school as slowly as possible, but it just seemed like - much to our surprise - a natural fit.  First day was unexpectedly rocky (probably due more to Jeremy's extended absence - more below - than anything directly related to the school), but by the end of the first week, it was as if "he'd always been there".  Just this (Sunday) morning, as he piled into bed with us, he noted excitedly, "Tomorrow's a school day!"

Jeremy spent five weeks (four consecutively) in Lakehurst, New Jersey, at an aircraft carrier simulation facility, helping oversee (or at least attempting to help - it was a rocky few weeks) the Navy version of the JSF's first catapult launchings and trap landings.

Gideon and I spent a week in Texas, catching up with friends and former neighbors in Fort Worth before spending time at Memaw and Papa B's house, "helping" Memaw as she recovered from her double knee-replacement surgery.  We're so thankful for the generosity, hospitality, and accommodation shown us by our hosts in FW - we loved every minute of catching up with that fantastic community we left behind. And we're so proud of Memaw B. for bravely undertaking the double procedure and trooping right on through her recovery and therapy with a positive and diligent outlook.

Just as it seemed, a couple of weeks ago, that things might finally be settling into a "new" normal for the fall - Gideon was into his new 5-day class and Jeremy was (finally) home to stay - we were beset by another unexpected twist:  Jeremy wrecked his motorcycle when a pickup pulled out in front of him on the base where he works, causing Jeremy to have to brake hard, which sent him and the bike sliding across the pavement.  CAT scans, x-rays, and doctor's exams have all come back normal, leaving Jeremy to nurse a couple of scraped up and badly bruised knees and calves and making the 7-month pregnant woman the most mobile, physically-adept adult in the household.  The (brand new) bike, on the other hand, is going to need quite a bit more special attention and repair.

Over the past week, that bruise has slowly
seeped down the leg and now includes his
ankle.

Those silver bars on either side of the front
tire should be straight up and down.

And, yes, last but not least, I entered the third trimester, still as bewildered by this development as I was the day I took the first pregnancy test.  Time to get serious about this now - a baby is coming!  Birth plan, name lists, meals to be made and frozen.  Just yesterday, the current-weight-room-to-be-baby's room received a fresh coat of paint - Hidden Hills green from California Paints.  And nesting is in high gear - cleaning ceiling fans, hanging up the last few wall-hangings that have been languishing in corners of the house for a year now, cleaning the vent above the stove.  Just two more months to go!