out to the orchard on a beautiful fall day...

 

Achilles, Wulf, Tennyson, with Lorena, who is their other grandma, both Margaret and Kathryn's mother-in-law, since they're married to brothers (Darius and Adrian)...she's visiting from Manitoba.

We get some long harsh winters, but Central New York autumns SMACK, as the girls would say.

Miss Margaret with Tennyson, Kathryn pushing Rhys...

Wulf LOVED climbing the ladder and reaching those apples!

Achilles and Rhys...

Achilles and Tennyson...

Margaret and Tenny...looking for the chickens roosting under the truck...

I wasn't going to go anywhere today, but the girls were going to the orchard...Margaret took the day off from work, I'm so glad I went.  It was quite fun.  I brought home apples, because they can't be beat, fresh-off-the-tree apples!  Apple pie, apple muffins, or just a crunchy, juicy fresh one from the bowl.  I also brought home four apple cinnamon donuts, and a gallon of fresh cider, they make it right there behind the glass so you can see...only four donuts, for three girls, in case one of them wanted two, and shh, one of them did, but I won't tell which one it was.  Back in the day, it'd be a dozen, easily, but I'm adjusting to smaller quantities.  

Dinner is being made, we're having a chicken pot pie.  One.  One chicken pot pie.  It's so weird.  With Jonny in Germany, and Paul in Hungary, and only the three girls here with me, one is plenty.  I have the pie crust all made in the refrigerator, ready to be rolled out, and the filling is simmering on the stove...chicken breast, all cubed up and marinated, browned in olive oil, then chicken stock, a bullion cube, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper, a dash of onion powder, a smidgen of garlic, a few peeled and chopped red potatoes, and a bag of frozen mixed veggies.  I'll thicken it up before I put it in the crust...I made a teeny bit of extra pie crust, so I can make a sugar free pumpkin pie...

Ah well.  We've got a cold here, but it's getting better, I think.  I don't sleep well when Paul isn't here, but these two clowns are good company:

Jonathan's car came last night.  

That car carrier was huge, the guy drove it from California, delivered nine cars...

It's a few years old, but is very spiffy...no rust!  The car deliverer, Sergey, suggested that maybe it's a stolen car....um, no, it's from my son-in-law to my son...the guy said, "You sell, you make lotta money."  He was a very nice hardworking guy, I think Ukrainian, or Russian.  I did give him a twenty dollar tip, I mean, by the time you fuel up that monstrosity of a car carrier, and drive this far, how much profit can you really make?  

Anyway...when Jon gets home from Germany, he'll have a nice car to put on the road...and it's time for me to go assemble my chicken pot pie...it smells good in here already, I am still loving the cold weather meals, although I'll be longing to grill, come March...