Color Season Bright This Year

  I figured our trees would be muted this year, what with the dry conditions of summer. Through September we were down over 10% (3") in annual rainfall. In fact the US Drought Monitor still has us in their D1 (Moderate Drought) category. I figured the trees would simply drop brown leaves.

 And that's what seemed to be happening earlier. But recently the color ramped up and we had a beautiful last-minute display of fall color.

10-22-23

10-22-23

10-26-23

10-26-23

10-29-23

10-29-23

 The tree above was supposed to be a Willow Oak. That's what Lowe's had it tagged several years ago and that's what is appeared to be when we first planted it. The leaves were thin and long. But deer browsed the bark and I thought it had been killed. I put a small fence around the trunk and the tree somehow survived. But it now appears to be a Pin Oak. What gives?  Was this some hybrid that everted to some other stock? How could that be?

 Today (10-30-23) we've had soaking rains for two days  and most of our trees have lost most of their leaves. So the color season comes to an end.

Creamy Cheesecake

  I'm all out of desserts so I decided on cheesecake this time. I didn't want a huge cake - not one that would fill my springform pan - but I wondered if there was a  recipe for something simple, something that might go in a prepared graham cracker crust?

 This one seemed to fit the bill.

 It couldn't be any easier. Just  six ingredients if you count the lemon  zest. In fact I had three limes  in the refrigerator  and went that route instead.

 It makes a lovely cheesecake and one which fills a 9" graham cracker crust to the very top.

 Tom  and I both love blueberry so I bought that type of pie filling for topping. It really doesn't  need anything but the contrast - both for the taste and visual appeal - is a  real plus. Cherry would be great, too. What wouldn't?

 I cut the pie into eight pieces instead of the usual six. Cheesecake is extremely rich and the smaller pieces are plenty. It's noted as being 281 calories but I don't know what size slice that's for.

 I'll have to remember this recipe when I want a quick cheesecake  that's as good as any.

To Kill a Mockingbird at the Schuster

  Back in July Tom bought two tickets to To Kill a  Mockingbird at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton. He knows I love plays (he doesn't) and that made what was a birthday gift that much more special. The only problem was waiting three months for the show.

 I have never been to the  Schuster before. Opened in 2003, I suppose the only reason that it took me twenty years to attend a performance was having someone to go with.

 I had seen commercials on TV for the play and I had mentioned several times to him how much I'd like to attend. I knew Tom wouldn't be interested so I was doubly surprised when the mention of tickets was included in my July 13 birthday card.

  And what an exceptional piece of architecture the place is!

 Pictures were not allowed to be taken during the performance so I shot a few before, during a 15 minute intermission  and after the play finished.

 The atrium was quite impressive ... and huge.

 Palm trees (real, I think) grow beside the one glass side of the Schuster. I believe that wall faces south.

 Inside is even more impressive.

 My only complaint - if you can call it that - is that the rows of seating were very close together. That makes a bathroom break (which I did not need) more than a challenge. It would also make egress difficult in an emergency.

 The Schuster has a capacity of 2300 people and I think most, maybe all, of the seats were taken for this 2 PM Saturday matinee. Another impressive feature is that no seat is more than 150 feet from the stage.

Click to enlarge

 Two actors were especially noteworthy: Richard Thomas (John-boy on The Waltons) played the lead, Atticus Finch, and he never missed a beat. His performance was heartfelt and exceptional. And Mary Badham, who played Scout in the feature film with Gregory Peck in 1962, played Mrs. Henry Dubose.

 And Scout, played by Melanie Moore, was perfect. Even though she is 32 she seemed the child the part required.

 But everyone was exceptional.

 We parked at the Arts Garage which charged $10 for the day during scheduled performances.

 So it was a belated birthday gift but one I'll remember forever.

 National Tour Preview

Time to Bake Bread

  I've been wanting to bake bread again. It's been a while. Grocery store bread is too easy. But when I added "bread" to my grocery list for tomorrow I thought "No, I don't want that. I want homemade bread". So this morning I set out to make a couple of loaves of one of my favorites, a Simple White Bread on JennyCanCook.com.

I doubled the recipe - who wants to go to all the  work for one loaf? Two isn't any harder.

And the result was wonderful. Delicate white bread, perfectly browned on the outside and with  that incomparable yeasty taste and smell of homemade.

 Tom and I have each had a slice now that it's cooled down. Well, I had two (but don't tell him).

 I used two rounded teaspoons of yeast. I do like proofing it in the milk and sugar mixture, slightly warmed in the microwave. It's a good way to test your yeast - not to mention activate it. The milky mix will begin to get a little foamy as he yeast begins to work.

 I'd say the dough more than doubled in one hour (above). One rise of 35 minutes is not enough in my opinion.  I always let bread dough rise twice, generally for an hour each time.

 After I knocked the dough down and kneaded it a few times, I divided it into  two loaf pans, lightly sprayed with olive oil. Here they are after a second hour of rising.

 And here are the finished loaves after 30 minutes in a 375° oven.

 This recipe is about as simple as can be and produces a wonderful loaf of white bread. Forget the grocery stuff!

Parker Gets Spayed

  Some time ago when we had Parker to the vet for one of her series of "puppy shots", we asked the doctor  when she should be spayed.  He said before she comes into heat. For miniature schnauzers  that's anywhere from six months to 14 months. Parker was five months old on September 29.

 So we  made an appointment for October 2 to have the procedure done.

 I have to say I was somewhat apprehensive about it. How to make sure she didn't think were having her hurt? Luckily a dog's life goes on day after day with no thought of the future -and little of the past. So she wasn't apprehensive at all.

October 2,  2023

 We arrived at the Farmersville Veterinary Clinic about 8:15 am.

 The past two times we've had Parker to the vets she literally shook. I can't imagine what scared her,  though she perhaps knows when she is here she gets shots. And the other dogs in the waiting  room are a real source of agitation for her.

 Soon enough we left her with Ryan,  who she knows. Her tail wagged as he carried her off. He said someone would  call with a report when the surgery was finished and they'd give us a time to pick her up. The call didn't come till mid-afternoon. All was well  and we could pick her up "between 4:15 pm and 4:30 pm".

 Here she is with Tom just after 4:30 pm. To say the least,  she was totally out of it. I suppose it was the aftereffects of anesthesia though they also gave her enough pain  medication to get her through the day. She acted as high as a kite.

 First order of business after getting her home was giving her the opportunity for a potty break. She wasn't allowed  any food or water after midnight so I wasn't expecting much. Nothing happened. "She was too zonked," Tom said.

 With an inflatable  collar around her neck, she was protected from biting  at the stitches on her belly. Mostly she slept the day away.

 Later in the day she was still out of it. I took her to bed at the usual time (about 10:15 pm) and laid her on her pillow (with a towel atop in case she bled). She was soon fast asleep. I woke about 1:15 am and found her with her collar removed. How did she get it off? I replaced it. Tom came to bed about 2 am and we slept fitfully from then on. I'd hear her groan a bit when she moved but she never seemed in serious pain.

 She wasn't exactly happy about the collar the previous evening!

October 3, 2023

 When I woke during the night I found her asleep on her back with her sutures exposed. So I took a photo. She had laser surgery, supposedly less bloody and with faster recovery than traditional scalpel surgery. We've never seen the wound leak anything.

 This morning she and Tom snoozed on the sofa. You can see her little shaved belly in this photo.

 As the day progresses she's becoming more alert  and more active. She's even pulled some of her favorite toys out of her box. And she hasn't minded begging for treats.  We gave her another pain med at noon, wrapping the pill in cream cheese. She wolfed it down. She's eating a little and drinking her water.

[more later]

Bob - Gatlinburg

  My brother, Bob, and our friend, Sam Owens, travel to Gatlinburg every year about this time for rest and relaxation and to get in a little Smoky Mountain hiking time. I'll post the three pictures he sent me this year first. I received them on 09-29-23:

 And here are last year's pictures. The first are dated 09-30-22:

 Finally those I received on 10-01-22:

 They're certainly consistent on  the week they choose. Usually they leave here on Wednesday and return on Sunday. That's how it was this year, too.