If you don't like viewing the pictures on flickr, let me know and I'll post them on the blog too. That way everyone is happy again :)
Okay, now that you've viewed all the pictures,wouldn't you say the colors are quite a sight to see? I thought I would like the red ones most but now that I see them all, I really can't decide. My favorite pictures are when you can see a variety of colors all together.
The pictures of the trees on the trails came out better than I expected. The trees are so tall and plentiful all throughout the woods that I could have taken a zillion more pictures but I think I got the best shots I could considering I was using a phone and not a camera. One of these days I'll figure that out. You can't blame Ernie - she gave me the camera and offered to instruct me further but as of today, I forgot where I put the box with the accessories. I'll find it soon...
The gateway to the trails picture was taken down at the bottom of the hill in the front yard. I was on the 4 wheeler on my way to the swimming hole. You can barely make out the gate but it's there. After I got through the gate and down the first hill, I saw about 6 turkeys scattered about pecking out of the ground whatever yummy morsels they could find. They didn't really like my intrusion and boogied on into the woods where I could no longer see them. I didn't have time to get the phone out for picture taking... :(
They have grown considerably since the last time I saw them! They must be at least 3 feet tall and they're looking pretty darn fat too. The dirt down there must hold a new menu of bugs for them to eat! lol Maybe I'll have to eat one of them after all...
I was researching the purchase of a "heritage" turkey. That's all I'll be doing is research. I thought it would be nice to buy a turkey like they used to be; normal size, normal colors (other than the run-of-the-mill-white, which isn't normal by the way), normal feeding procedures (outside eating grubs, worms, ticks, etc.) normal growing habitat. After watching Dirty Jobs (love Mike Rowe) and learning that today's turkeys can no longer breed, I really wanted to get away from that whole concept. Turkeys are now bred to have such huge breasts that they are literally, physically, unable to mate. Rather they are artificially inseminated so as to produce more turkeys just like themselves. Gross, right? Yeah - that's why it was on Dirty Jobs.
So off to the internet I go... apparently "heritage" turkey breeds are pretty popular. I would have had to have my order in about 3 weeks ago for a guaranteed Thanksgiving shipment to arrive. Not only that but a 14-17 lb bird goes anywhere from $169.00 - $250.00 depending on the farm you choose. That's why research is where it ended for me. Bummer too, because those birds looked like a turkey should look. They didn't have this huge breast sticking out to the point where the turkey seemed it would topple over from the weight of it. They weren't stark white, which is completely unnatural for turkeys and they were shown to be foraging around on farms, allowed to roam at will for their food. Sigh, alas the heritage turkey is not this year to be mine.
I'll be cooking the same old, same old, as the rest of you unless we do decide to harvest one from the choices the woods are offering. I don't know about you, but I prefer to use my trusty roaster for cooking the turkey. Using the roaster frees up space in the oven for all the other goodies you have planned and it keeps from heating up the kitchen to unbearable temperatures. I'm not too worried about that seeing as how I'll be up here but very well do I remember those days in FL. You have to crank that a/c down to about 65 just to get all the food cooked without sweating into any of it :()
The roaster saves you that. It comes with a rack and an instruction book so you really can't screw it up unless you forget about it. That's not too likely to happen since the smell of turkey will be wafting through your home the same as if the bird was in the oven. Maybe even more so. You can stuff it just the same and you can lift the lid and baste it too. It's not like a slow-cooker. The heat stays pretty consistent.
I'm also taking Chrystal's advice this year and cooking my turkey breast-side-down. She did this by mistake one year and said it was the juiciest turkey breast she had ever tasted. I'm not big on the white meat but maybe this year she'll convert me over. I'm still eating that thigh though - it's my favorite piece!! I have my own recipe for whole wheat, barley, sausage stuffing that I'll share when the time comes. Gosh, that's making me hungry!
So we're expecting the weather to be in the 70s for the rest of the week. Great time for me to get some bulbs in the ground. Kroger had 6 tulip bulbs for $2.99. I have no idea whether or not that's a good price but it didn't matter because I wanted red ones. They didn't have any red ones :( Gonna check on line and see if I can find some that way. With pansies and mums decorating the hay bales, it's time to get something going around the cabin. I'm not looking for a bunch of fall blooming plants, rather more sping blooming plants that need to go in the ground now.
Like I was in the springtime, I'm having difficulties driving as I'm so busy trying to watch either side of the road with all the brilliant colors popping in front and on the sides of me. I find it difficult to describe how Tennessee looks this time of year. I'm sure other places look the same but remember, this is a first for me. For those of you who have had the pleasure of experiencing it, maybe taking a look through my eyes will bring back those memories.
The color of the orange leaves simply splashes off the trees, the gold leaves shimmer brightly with the faint breezes, the red leaves boldly make themselves known in that though they are fewer, they are certainaly more powerful in their statement . There are many trees that remain green throughout the fall and winter and they make such a perfect contrast to all the other colors that you begin to appreciate them in their own right. Were it not for the green of those trees, would the other colors stand out so proudly?
Along with the colors of the trees many other things are changing as I travel these roads. There are trailers loaded with hay, six foot tall corn stalks, browned from the sun and bound with string, set out for purchase, multi-colored pumpkin patches down either side of the road and if you don't pass 20 yard sales in a day, you must have stayed at home. You can buy farm-fresh eggs for $1.75 on just about every corner you come to. Even the convenience stores have them :)
Outdoors is definitely the place to be after the scorching heat of summertime. At 60-70 degress by the time I get home, we still enjoy taking our walks and checking out all that's been worked on or completed during day. The work has slowed since the swimming hole was finished and the cabin staining is done.
The roosters now follow us around if they haven't been fed. Not that they don't eat all day mind you - indeed they do! They make a very low cooing kind of sound, almost like a little vibration noise. It's so faint you aren't sure you heard it until it comes again. It makes me think of a satisfied ahhhh sort of sound :) The six originals still try to run off the Lone Rooster but he's a pretty smart guy. He tends to stand right beside or behind me while I'm throwing out their scratch. The other ones stay out front where the bulk of the food goes flying and I sneak him a handful or two when they aren't looking.
There are festivals to be had every weekend; a book festival, annual bluegrass festivals, church fall festivals, banana pudding festival and contest, and community parks with signs posted to come join the fish fry, chili cook-off and pot luck supper. You can stay busy if you want to. You can do like we do - stay at the cabin, relax and enjoy the sights to see just looking out the front door or the back row of windows, or my favorite - my kitchen window. Don't believe me? Ha, betcha will when you get here. You are coming to visit right? lol
"Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance." ~Epicurus
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
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