December’s Short Days

I can’t believe another month has come and gone.  The entire year is drawing to a close.  For me, December is a tough month.  It’s the shorter days that kill me.  It’s dark when I get up and get to work.  When I leave work, the drive home is light.  Then I race to get chores finished before sunset.  I crave light, so this time of year is hard for me.

I did really rush to get chores done last night so I could go out to pasture and take pictures of the ditch and hickory tree for my 1st of the Month post.  I was racing the Ranger through the back forty.  When I came around the corner, I saw a great sight.

Can you see them?  It’s too dang dark!  There were seven or eight deer on the back hill.  You can just see one silhouetted among the trees in the picture below.

These short days make it hard to get anything other than silhouettes~the deer, the trees, the stump.

The moon is already well on its path across the sky, and it’s only early evening.  The shagbark hickory has only a few dead leaves clinging to its branches.

I do like the dramatic effect of the few clouds as the sun is going down.  There was no flashy sunset this evening~just quietly darkening into night.

I’ve been thinking about what I’ll use for my first of the month subject for next year.  I know I don’t want to trek back into the pasture come January and February, and I’m a little nervous about what I choose, since my cottonwood tree died half way through this meme.

I’ll have to think about it.  I have plenty of time to think during these long dark days.

Linking to The First of the Month.

Linking to Farmgirl Friday.

Linking to Farm Friend Friday.

Baking a Pumpkin

Today was one of those days that really didn’t go quite as planned.  As I was getting ready to leave the house for my doctor’s appointment to get a cortisone shot in my shoulder, I thought the furnace had been trying to turn on for a bit too long.  I went to the basement and turned the switch off.  Sometimes, if the electric ignitor is wearing out, that will let it start and it’s not an emergency to get someone out to fix it.  Well, I’m glad I was in a hurry and waiting by the door of the room because there was a loud boom and the side panel on the side of the furnace was almost blown off.  I could see a flash of light inside the furnace.  I called the furnace repair man.

He couldn’t get there until afternoon, so I called to take the rest of the day off work.  When I got back home from my appointment, the house was getting a bit chilly, so I decided to bake a pumpkin.

It’s seemed like a go way to go psycho and not really hurt anyone (yeah, it’s been that kind of week or so).

Cue crazy “Psycho” music and maniacal laughter! Muwahawahahaha….

Oops.  I forget myself for a moment.  Cut the pumpkin in half so you can clean it out.

I thought about using the seeds and baking them.  It might be useful if the furnace wasn’t fixed very soon, and I needed to do more baking.

I decided instead to let half of the slimy little things slide through my fingers landing on the floor.

I know some helpers that would like to clean them up for me, and they are anti-parasitic when eaten raw.  It also makes my job easier.

I finished chopping up the body pumpkin.

This one was big enough to require two baking pans.  Add a little water, cover with foil, and pop them into the 350*F oven for quite a while.

During this baking time, the furnace repair man managed to fix the furnace, so the gas should not pool and try to blow up the whole place when it ignites.  That’s a good thing.

While the pumpkin is baking, it’s the perfect time to get rid of the evidence innards.  That’s where your volunteers come in.

Back inside and wait a while for the pumpkin to bake.  Finally, I get to take it out and see if the meat is tender to the fork.

After it cools for just a bit, it’s time to peel it.  Get the knife again!  Muwahawahahaha….

Take that!  and that!  Muwahawahahaha…. I’m better now.

The house is nice and warm with a working furnace, but it keeps making a loud squealing sound when it’s starting up.  Really?  Am I going to have to call and ask him about that?

Time to process the pumpkin flesh.  Most times that would mean putting it in the food processor.  Me~I use the vintage food grinder!

It’s way more hands on!

This pumpkin made a fair amount of prepared pumpkin.  Now I can freeze it or bake pie or bread or pumpkin roll or cookies~all comfort foods.

Goats like baked pumpkin too!

Casey

Look at that sweet face.  That’s the face that keeps me going on days that are rife with medical and technical difficulties.

If you haven’t already entered my giveaway, you can click the picture of my calendar on the sidebar.  Or just click HERE.

Linking to Farmgirl Friday.

Linking to Farm Friend Friday.

Has Fall Left Already

It seems like summer lasted for a long time, we had a brief fall, and when we got up Wednesday morning, I was greeted by a very winter scene.

Of course the snow was nearly gone by the time I arrived home from work, but even today I found snow on the north side of the trees.

There are still remnants of snow on the north facing hill also.  By the way, this is the fence that must be replaced next year.  You can see it if you really try.

We had quite a few inches of snow.  Between the rain and snow, it turned out to be over an inch of precipitation.  That’s good.  We need the moisture, but I’m not sure I’m really ready for winter.

Not only have we had our first snow, but our beautiful colorful leaves have also disappeared.  Any of the leaves I found on the trees today were just brown and dead.

Most of the trees are bare against the skyline.

The crops have been harvested from the fields, and they too are brown and dead beneath tonight’s mourning moon.

I think Iowa fields are still beautiful even when they’re empty.

Even the goats are looking like it’s winter.  The kids are really getting fuzzy and round.

Coral Blackboer

I am not ready for winter.  I still have a lot of work to do outside before winter gets here for real.

Linking to Farm Friend Friday.

Linking to Farmgirl Friday.

Linking to Friday’s Fences.

Linking to You Capture where the theme is fall.

Linking to the Shades of Autumn where the color is brown.