Pumpkin preserving time!

 This morning started with a roar! At 0450 number 10 bellowed for some chocolate milk. Not only that she was ready to get up! Therefore everyone shall get up. I opened the door on the east side of the house to let out the bigger dogs and the music was still blaring from somewhere across the fields. No room to complain as I have dogs that bark incessantly when the phone rings, a car comes in the drive, a bird flies too close to the yard or a fly gets out of line.

Really though how can anyone stay up that late?! Oh well, people move out here to get away from neighbors that complain.  Our new neighbors all enjoy late nights it seems. Those to the west and those to the east. They also enjoy 3 and 4 wheel toys to race up and down the street. Not so good for the dogs and their security. It makes them very nervous.

Today we had planned several things to include, going to town, setting in the pool liner in the big pool and starting to switch the water from one pool to the other. However, yesterday we did not get all of the brackets off of the sides. Today it was too windy and cold for DH to do that project so pool take down and water transfer will have to wait until after this next cold spell.

I baked the pumpkins, well most of them, this morning before church. With that done I had planned to go to town and get milk and a few groceries for the week. Also, the guys were going to work on the fence. The weather turned cold faster than it should have so I called my daughter and updated her on the fence and the pool being on hold and informed her that I would focus on covering plants in the garden. She said they would come out and help with that instead.

To pass the time while waiting for the help I scooped pumpkin meat out of the baked pumpkins. 

Then I remembered to switch the laundry and discovered that there was a large hole in the impeller of my machine. So I trotted over to my son's abode and showed him the item that caused the hole and to ask if I had ruined a tool or would he be able to fix what I found wedged in that hole.  He was shocked, as was I, that it caused such a hole so we headed to the garden to cover plants and discuss whether to fix the machine or continue to use it. Then it was apparent that we needed to do something about the greenhouse so we switched gears and looked for material to shore up the building long enough to weather this storm. As we nailed the board across the north door my daughter arrived and we finished covering plants.

Back in the house we worked on the pumpkin puree and dinner and she showed me the latest technology the kids were using for the schoolwork. 

We managed to get a total of 14 cups of pumpkin from 3 pie pumpkins! That's about 7 cans of pumpkin for the upcoming baking season. I still have two pumpkins to bake tomorrow and all the seeds to roast. With all the bags safely stored in the freezer we started playing cards and having a good visit.

All in all the day went so fast but quite a bit did get done, not what was planned but it was all certainly needed. The adult kids will head to Michigan in a few days to take care of a few things there and then will return to stay out here until just after the holidays. At that time they will head back to Michigan to be present for the births of their next two grandkids, a boy and a girl due in January. That will make five for them and it brings the great grandchild total to 6 for us! I need to get busy crocheting blankets not slippers!

Just the thought makes me tired... so good night for now!