I'm blogging later than usual tonight, following a very busy weekend of visiting children and Apple Festival activities. Bob and I worked a little in the information booth on Saturday, and I worked all day Sunday at the front gate, a job I'd never done before in the 14 years I've been on the committee. The high school boys' tennis team and their moms and dads were the money takers and they did a great job. The only excitement we had was somebody driving over two of the bushel baskets we were keeping our brochures in, oh, and we did get pretty excited when this couple from Wells County, I GUESS, changed their minds about coming into the festival and just started turning around and trying to go back out the front gate against three lanes of incoming traffic, WHAT ARE YOU DOING??????? The police chief told me the guy didn't seem to have a clue that he was doing something wrong or unusual. That's right, it's just all about you.




On Friday afternoon I did a field trip with 35 first graders at the One Room Schoolhouse. I'm not sure first graders can fully appreciate the 1885 classroom, as they've hardly had time to get fully acclimated to the 2008 classroom. When they were leaving, one little girl asked me where my real class had gone while they were visiting.... see what I mean. But, they did seem to enjoy the experience, whatever they made of it in their minds. They were very excited. At the end of the session, I told them that if they enjoyed their visit today, they could sign up for our summer camp and do some fun things like cook applesauce over a fire and make lemonade and ice cream. At that, they all jumped out of their seats and cheered. I turned to the teachers and said "It looks like I've whipped them into a frenzy over the prospect of possibly making applesauce next year. Sorry."



Lindsey and Brent brought Bonnie, the Dog who Will Not Be Ignored, along for their weekend visit. Rob and Candace brought Roxy, over so the two of them could meet, and on Friday night we had puppy follies in our family room. Here's a picture of the two cute critters. Sometimes Maddie would join in, and sometimes she just guarded her tail.

Lindsey holds both pups.

You remember those nuts I featured a couple of posts ago? I'm going back out to see if they're still there or if squirrels have carried them off. I think we may be eating them this winter.

Recipe of the Week: Tomorrow night I'm catering a supper for twenty-five people. They'll be having chicken salad sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, barbecued pork, soup, and carrot cake. Here's the recipe for the soup they'll be, hopefully, enjoying. It came from the Vera Bradley cookbook. I would recommend cutting back on the salt, maybe just 1 teaspoon. Also, I used a combination of half and half and milk.

Potato Cheese Soup

4 cups chopped peeled potatoes

1 1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 3/4 - 2 cups milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon minced garlic

Parsley to taste
Combine the potatoes, water and salt in a saucepan. Cook for 20 minutes or until tender; do not drain. Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the onion. Saute for 10 minutes or until translucent.

Puree the undrained potatoes and onion in a food processor or blender. Pour into a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Add enough milk to make the desired consistency. Stir in the cheese, butter, pepper, garlic, and parsley. Cook until heated through. You may add one ten-ounce package of frozen peas for a new twist.

"The tired and thirsty prospector threw himself down at the edge of the watering hole and started to drink. But then, he looked around and saw skulls and bones everywhere. 'Uh--oh, he thought. This watering hole is reserved for skeletons."

Jack Handey