The top two words for this week are animals and apples. I had made a promise to a granddaughter that I would find a weekend to teach her the process of making applesauce. She had eaten homemade applesauce but never had made any.
The fall was passing by, with all weekends busy, and when we slipped into November, I knew this was the time. So I called a local apple grower to see if apples were available. They were, so I went and bought a bushel of the huge Wolf River variety. I thought about getting two bushels, but knowing that I tend to overdo, I settled for one.
Sunday was the appointed day for applesauce making, and I started cutting them up, coring them and getting them into huge kettles. For some reason, one of the kettles cooked much faster than the other, but they were soft and mushy and ready for the next process of getting pressed through the food mill. Just in time the student arrived.
It was difficult to tell how much fun she was having in pushing them through the mill, but I know I was enjoying myself. Just give me a task and I will sit and work on it the whole day long. Of course, my daughter-in-law made sure the kettles were filled and stirred; all I had to do was cut apples.
When we had enough done for them to take home to preserve and enjoy through the coming winter months, I suggested switching to me pealing the apples, and leaving the sauce be chunky, as I like it best. I didn’t get any arguments, so that is what I did.
My son kept taking the castaway part of the process out back and dumping it in the wooded area. I am not sure who is enjoying those leftovers, but I imagine it is the birds and perhaps some deer.
A deer ran into the side of my van today. It was a buck, a six-pointer, my passenger said. It ran out of the ditch and right into the passenger door, then bounced off and turned to run back into the woods.
There wasn’t that much damage to the door, but it sounds a bit close to being unhinged, so I will have to call insurance. Meanwhile, I was thankful it was not a straight-on hit, as I had eight or nine pies in the back of my van being transported to Homme Home for the Aging for the November birthday party.
The ladies of my church had just spent most of the morning baking pies, so a worse accident would have sent lemon, banana, custard, cherry and apple flying in all directions throughout the van. Of course, an even worse one would have sent my passenger and I in all directions, but, thanks be to God, I believe even the buck got away with nothing more than a bruise.
At Homme Home, our thoughts of deer were put aside in our attempt to serve pie and entertain them with the rejuvenation of the Sweetly Addled Saints and Sinners Kitchen Band. That band has been retired for a few years now, but for this yearly birthday party we bring it out once again.
It always lifts my spirits when I participate in something that brightens another person, and this is a yearly event that I don’t want to miss. I guess most of our ladies feel the same, because we had ample pies and band members.
The other animal I mentioned above is a skunk. It was dead in the road and I know I straddled it, however, even now, a day later, the hint of skunk still lingers on the vehicle.
I will think more about the fun we had with apples on Sunday in converting them to applesauce, and doing it with family. I will think more about the smiles of the Homme Home residents and guests on Tuesday as we entertained them and served them pie, including apple pies.
The apples are the important parts of this week; the animals were just a small distraction.
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