Our First Thanksgiving in Mercer

This was our first Thanksgiving in Mercer. Last fall we left the Northwoods and enjoyed a warm Thanksgiving in LA with Pete's family. This year we happily spent the day at home and started the morning off with a walk in the woods. Since it is deer hunting season we are diligent about dressing the dogs up so they will not be mistaken for a doe.

The dogs all wear orange jackets. Gracie and Maddie wear hot pink headbands around their necks. The girls sort of look like the brightly colored turkeys kids create this time of year. Asher does not wear pink.

Back at home the dogs kept an eye on the goings-on in the kitchen.

Pete was in charge of preparing Thanksgiving dinner. He started working on three different kinds of stuffing: traditional, vegetarian and oyster, while the turkey was brining.



After awhile, Maddie took a break to check out the newspaper. The Journal Sentinel must have weighed twenty pounds; there were over fifty inserts for Black Friday and weekend sales.

Gracie and Asher preferred to stay in the kitchen.

"How can we help?"

Notice the trash can? Asher did.

Asher, like Julia Child, loves butter - sometimes even a butter wrapper, cleverly pilfered from the trash, will do.

The Packers and the Lions game started at 11:30. The dogs had to exchange their blaze orange for green and gold.

"Go Packers!"

For once, there weren't any very scary moments The game ended with a score of 27 - 15 Packers. It was a beautiful day outside. Mr. French decided to celebrate the snow melt by taking a little walk with Pete.

Back to the kitchen to finish dinner.

Mashed Potatoes

Turkey

TURKEY!

Carving the turkey

Removing the stuffing

Dinner was delicious.

"Are you going to eat that drumstick?"

The Snow is Here!

It started snowing around 1:00 p.m. this afternoon.  Our first sticking snow of the season. Asher and Maddie Jo were ready to romp.

This is the first day of deer hunting season, so I made sure all three dogs had their safety vests on. I say all three, as I started with three dogs, but Gracie made it as far as the stairs before she turned around and decided to enjoy the snow from the sofa.

Maddie and Asher had a nice run down the driveway and through the woods.

Asher sprinting
down the drive.

Maddie Jo

Into the Woods

"Where's that squirrel?"

After awhile it was time to make our way home.

"Come on let's go home."

So, back to the house we went. I got the pups out of their wet vests, gave them a towel down and then Asher retired to his spot in front of the fire.

We've heard a long, cold winter is in the forecast. I'll let you know if the dogs still enjoy the snow in a couple of months.

Hen Party

The three hens enjoyed an uncharacteristically warm afternoon yesterday. They are each laying an egg a day, but they took some time out to talk to me in the chicken yard.  Here they come. . .

Here's Pearl!

Henrietta Hen, come on
down!

Flora's in the yard!

The hens are very curious and love to talk - to each other and anyone who will listen.

Enough chit-chat,
back to the eggs

An egg a day

Henrietta produces brown eggs. Flora and Pearl are responsible for the light blue eggs.  They all look the same in the frying pan.

Sunny Side Up for a Sunny Day.

Happy Halloween

I know I said I wouldn't decorate the dogs, but I just couldn't resist.

Asher and Gracie

Maddie Jo

 I just put a little white paint on their faces and let them wear their Halloween neck gear.  It was so simple, and then the push back. . .

"Enough already!"
Gracie rubbing the paint off.

"Can't we just celebrate my birthday without dressing up?"

Halloween is Asher's birthday; this year he turned six.  After all the paint was washed off and the costumes were put away we got on with the celebration.

Jumping for cake.

Waiting to blow
out the candle.

Maddie Jo enjoys
her pupcake.

I baked pumpkin pupcakes for Asher's birthday. They were devoured - paper and all.

Asher's Pumpkin Pupcakes

1 16 oz can of pumpkin

2 cups cornbread mix

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 milk

1 egg

Mix the ingredients and fill 12 cupcake paper-lined tins.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Those were the treats for the dogs. Pete and I enjoyed the trick-o-treating candy. Sadly, there were no trick-or-treaters brave enough to come down Ashe Road.

Halloween Traditions

A ghostly dog.