Fall-ing

Lots of activity and variety at the bird feeders now with the change of seasons. In particular, we have seen a lot of red breasted nuthatches. Plain vanilla nuthatches are around all the time, but these lend a bit of color. At first I thought it was a faded bluebird, but the head shape was wrong. The white stripes are distinctive.

Last night on my way into town I saw three deer cross Birchwood where it intersects with Berry Road. They were heading out of the woods on our side into the Spring Brook Golf Resort across the road.

The cats were chasing a mouse around the living room last night. Today I found it caught in one of the traps over behind the bookcase in the library. The cats had managed to get behind the books and knock some of them out onto the floor, but they never got the mouse.

Today was a very autumnal day -- some patchy fog on the road for the morning commute, wind blowing leaves all around on the return home, then showers and a little thunder in the evening. By Thursday it is supposed to warm back up into the lower 80s.

Also autumnal, Rich and Peggy came by to give us some apple butter made from their own apples. Rich likes it but Peggy doesn't, so she wanted to share the wealth. In return I gave them some key lime fudge I had made. Rich liked that, too, but Peggy not so much. I was not all that satisfied with it, either. It tastes very rich, but it doesn't have much in the way of flavor. Last Christmas I made some candy for them that was a sort of marbled fudge, using white and dark chocolate, with peppermint candies broken up in it. Peggy liked that a lot, but I haven't been able to find the recipe. I still have a few months, though.

Tom meanwhile found a Great Taste, Low Fat Cookbook at Half Price Books over the weekend and has picked out some things to experiment with. Tonight he made a very tasty "Chicken Breasts with Hearty Mushroom Sauce" that was only 166 calories per serving. Company good!