Thankful Me

I love autumn, and I love apples!  This salad comes together quickly, and takes advantage of wonderful fall fruit and nuts.  

Autumn is the season of Thanksgiving, and this week I've noticed many things for which to be thankful.  Here are ten: 1. The beautiful sunrises.  Probably due to many years of reading children's books to my kids, when I see a sunrise, I often recite in my mind:  "It is the morning of a new day.  The sun is shining.  Little Bear gets out of bed."  I'm not sure if that I quoted that verbatim, but Richard Scarry's character always greeted the new day with a smile.  I'm a morning person, and feel the excitement of each new day.  2. Lunch with friends.  Every month or so, a group of about ten of us meet for lunch.  Our paths don't always cross between our get-togethers, but we pick up where we left off.  We've supported each other through illnesses, deaths, weddings, children, and grandchildren.  We usually laugh, we sometimes cry, and I know I can count on these women.  3. Ability to welcome unexpected house guests....

I recently created a book of memories for my parent's 50th wedding celebration.  In reading the remembrances that my children, nieces, and nephews wrote, I realized that one common good memory they have is of spending time working with Grandpa and Grandma outside in their yard. 

Have you ever seen a close-up photo of an object, but you couldn't identify what the object was until seeing another, more-zoomed-out photo?   Of course, with the blurriness of this photo, it's no wonder it is unrecognizable. Do you recognize the yellow middle section of this flower?

Time to pick a peck of peppers. Anyone have a good rose hips recipe?  These are HUGE. I didn't get a good photo of the bumblebees, but they love this plant. It's nearly harvest time for pomegranates. Thanks for the changing weather, and harvest time.

As I've mentioned once or twice, my parents recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary .  I wanted to give them a gift that would be meaningful and personal, and I'm happy to say that it is finished.  

I can't claim credit for this idea, and unfortunately, I don't remember where I first read this recipe.  (If I read it on your blog, please let me know, and I'll put in the link to your site!) Are you swimming in zucchini?  Is your freezer stocked with zucchini bread?  Have you put grated zucchini in all of your favorite casseroles?  Have you thought about just wrapping zucchini in bacon?