A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-24-06 .... Autumn Splendor

10-24-06 | JustAmy and MamaBear

[JustAmy]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Dutchess, DollyCali, GodBlessUSA, JustAmy ~

Once Upon An Autumn Day

Once Upon an autumn day,
Colorful leaves began to fade
In the midst of a chilly, frosty air
As multitude of trees grew steadily bare.

Once upon an autumn day,
The whispering breeze was here to stay
Moving aimlessly through the countless trees
Scattering leaves with the greatest of ease.

Once upon an autumn day,
The leaves whirled freely in every way,
Until at last they came to rest
Finding a haven in which to nest.

Once upon an autumn day,
The trees were dormant, and the leaves lay
Waiting for the winter snow to fall
To quickly obscure them one and all.

Joseph T. Renaldi







Swedish Apple Pie Recipe

Apples, cored, peeled, and tossed with lemon juice (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
1 t. cinnamon
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 C. sugar
1 C. all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 to 1 C. nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.

Place apples in pie plate, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over top of apples.

Combine butter, sugar, flour, nuts, and egg in a bowl and mix well. Batter will be thick. Pour batter over apples and spread evenly.

Bake at 350° F. for 55 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with Cool Whip or ice cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Leaves

They’re piled up in the corners.
They’re matted in the yard.
I don’t remember having trees,
Has ever been this hard.

A hint of woodsmoke in the air,
The acrid, musty smell.
Just gather leaves up in a pile,
And spread the ashes well.

Now that they have protectors,
They dump on us with glee.
I’ve never had a poem do,
What trees have done to me.

They pepper me with acorns,
Or crash a mighty limb.
But worst of all to deal with,
Is the assault of ... THEM!

A million scuttling soldiers,
In khaki, to blend in,
They gather in the darkness,
And move out with the wind.

They hide the pretty flowers,
And cover up the grasses,
I’d like to light a fire or two,
And fix their little ... ashes.

Instead, we haul them all away,
Recycled, as they say.
I think they make their breakouts and,
Come back another day.

There seem to be so many more,
Than there once used to be.
Instead of burying, let’s cremate them,
And set their spirits free.

The trees now lord it over us,
That used to live in fear.
I guess I’ve learned the truth of this,
“Rake more than once a year.”

NicknamedBob . . . . . April 3, 2004

If all be true that I do think,
There are five reasons we should drink:
Good wine— a friend— or being dry—
Or lest we should be by and by—
Or any other reason why.
----Henry Aldrich (1647–1710)

Burgundy makes you think of silly things,
Bordeaux makes you talk of them and
Champagne makes you do them.
----Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

If God forbade drinking,
would He have made wine so good?
----Cardinal Richelieu







Winter Bird Pudding Recipe
"Bird Feed Recipe"

2 quarts water
1 C. margarine
1 C. peanut butter
4 C. cereal (cornmeal, rolled oats, Farina, Roman Meal and/or Cream of Wheat)
Chopped fruits (raisins, dates, apples)
Sunflower seeds or bird seed

In a large kettle, bring water and margarine to boiling. Slowly add cereals and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is fully cooked and thick. Remove from heat.

Add peanut butter and desired amount of chopped fruit, nuts and seeds. Cool and place in plastic containers.

Note: pack the stuff into chopped off chunks of discarded panty hose. Hang the mixture in protected crooks of trees. You can also spread the mixture onto a plate (don't use aluminum pans; when it's freezing, little bird feet can stick to the metal and suffer injury), set out on ground or picnic bench.

By placing the food at different elevations, you will attract many species of birds. The food can be preserved in a freezer (if there is any left over). Just be sure to use it within three to four months.

October's Party

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

~George Cooper~















Pumpkin Stir-fry
Makes 10-12 servings

1 6-10-inch meaty pumpkin or squash
1 10-12-inch pumpkin
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken-apple sausage, sliced
1 onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
3/4 pound assorted mushrooms, sliced
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup butter
3 pears, sliced
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scrape the seeds out of the smaller pumpkin, place it in a baking pan, and bake for 25 minutes to loosen the meat. Cut meat out of the pumpkin shell, and slice into bite-size pieces. Turn off the oven.

Cut the top off the large pumpkin, and scrape out all the seeds. Set the pumpkin on a baking sheet, and place inside the cooling oven. (You want to keep the pumpkin warm but not cook it.)

Place olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; sauté for a few minutes. Adjust heat to medium-high, then add onion, garlic and bell peppers, stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until tender, yet firm. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and set aside.

In a separate skillet, melt butter. Add chopped pumpkin and pears, and sauté until crisp-tender. Season with maple syrup and nutmeg. Mix the two stir fries, and scoop them into the warm, hollowed-out pumpkin. If the pumpkin is still too cold, turn the oven to 325 degrees and heat until warmed well. Serve immediately.

10-01-06 ~ Hall of Fame #17

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 10-23-06 Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[Majie Purple]

Safe travels & HUGS re: tomorrows driving & the funeral.
No apology needed re: ping answering...
We understand.

[JustAmy]

LOL

We have always loved the train but that trip just about removed any thoughts of future trips via Amtrak.

We had considered going Amtrak as far as Klamath Falls but are afraid we might miss the funeral by a day. :)

[Mama_Bear]

Precious little pup! That would work for tomorrow's post too. It's warm and fuzzy and autumn-y.

[The Mayor]

It has warmed up, snow was gone in 2 days.
It has rained almost everyday since...really lousy weather.
I hope this is not the way the weather pattern is gonna be this winter.
We will deal with it, it just make winter longer.

I want that global warming the libs keep talking about.

[Mama_Bear]

That trip between the central valley and the Oregon border is endless! I always forget how far north Californa goes.

Just take it slow and make frequent stops. I'll talk to you when you get back.

[onyx]

He was set on taking the train across country. I had done that several times with my parents when I was a little girl. The double decker El Capitan. After I read your horror story to him, he decided that flying wasn't so bad after all. :)

[JustAmy]

LOL

About January when the fog is so bad and it seems that the chill goes thru you, I will be looking for global warming too.

Hope the weather clears for you very soon.

[JustAmy]

We have taken the train to Salt Lake City, Denver, Portland and Seattle with very few problems.

I would say that trip was an aberration but I have heard from a couple of others. It seems several hours in delays has become the norm. :(

[onyx]

I told him to take me to Europe for a train ride...lol. He quickly declined.

[The Mayor]

... Me to.

[Mama_Bear]

((((Thank You M B /Lori for that sweet note at the end of the Header Graphic!))))

You're welcome. You found some nice graphics for us.

No need though for public thanks.

Well, this is just the way it is, Maj. As long as you take the time to help locate graphics for our post, you are going to be thanked, publicly and otherwise. That's just all there is to it! ;-)

When I was looking for another autumn graphic to post I came across this in one of my file folders. This is one of my favorites. As the mom of a 'once upon a time' little boy, this touches my heart. I know it is one of your favorites too, Amy. :-)

[Majie Purple]

Well okay if You insist;oD...We all want to do the humble & polite thing...& that's a good thing!!!

I know what You mean though...
I just had to say it that way,just had to...& wanted to.
Neat thing is that You also know what I mean huh?
Thanks for that pic ping that brings You memories of Your son!
(((Lori/Amy))))

[Diver Dave]

Have a safe trip to Oregon. We make that trip every year, only we continue on to Spokane to visit family and friends.

Praying that our LORD will prepare the way for you with no problems.

[Mama_Bear]

That is beautiful, Dave. Are those Chinese Pistache? Our neighbor has a tree that looks just like those. And, across the street from us are a couple Liquid Ambers. I love the fall colors, just don't like dealing with the leaves much.

[Majie Purple]

Goodnight;My Brother... and Friends;FRiends; and... All!

[onyx]

WOW, Maj! That is absolutely beautiful. A keeper!'

[Majie Purple]

Drat! forgot to center the text!
Why oh why must HTML code exist????
;oD

[onyx]

Stunningly beautiful trees!

[luvie]

Good night, Maji! God bless you. That's a great picture!

[luvie]

You, too? I am about to become a gramma for the first time in January. How kewl! (((hugs)))