“October had tremendous possibility. The summer's oppressive heat was a distant memory, and the golden leaves promised a world full of beautiful adventures. They made me believe in miracles.”
Don't you just love October?! I can hardly wait for the leaves in our area to turn, this truly is a magical time of year for me!
My uncles funeral was very nice and it was fun to see family that I haven't seen for almost 20 years. I'll miss him, he was a man with a very kind heart and few words. When he called me he would always say..."is this Barb? This is your uncle, Paul Howard." He had a very distinct voice and I always knew who it was, that was just his way. I loved him dearly and will miss him.
The skies have been very beautiful lately, not just the sunsets, but the clouds have been beautiful and interesting! I thought these were funny little clouds. They look like they were percolating in the sky.
That same night, the clouds in the West were so beautiful! They were tall in the sky, and looked like mushroom clouds. They were beautiful and made everything look like it was tinted orange. Perfect sky for October, don't you think?
We've been cleaning out the garden, pulling out tomato plants, green beans, cucumbers and all the plants that have given all they can give. While we were pulling out some weeds in the herb garden we found this big spider, it's body was as big as my thumb! He's a, banded argiope. I'm terrified of spiders so I kept my distance. It's a good spider to have in the garden, but it will die when it get's too cold...it's also done it's job in the garden. We most likely brought it home when we brought plants home from the nursery.
It's been a beautiful Sunday and I felt cozy in my warm house as I watched, General Conference. General conference is a worldwide gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Twice a year, during the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October, Church leaders from around the world share messages focused on Christ and His gospel. I learn how to find peace, hope, and joy in Jesus Christ. I've learned how to strengthen my family by following Jesus’s teachings; and how to receive personal guidance and inspiration from God. General Conference is always something I look forward to, and it's such a beautiful way to transition into the Autumn season. It's available for anyone to watch, you can find the broadcast on, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org. This year, I especially enjoyed listening to the choir sing this beautiful rendition of, All Creatures of Our God and King.
One of our favorite things to do is to go camping with one of my daughters and her family. Where we go, we can get TV reception so we can still enjoy General Conference. We decided that since we weren't able to go camping this year, we would at least have dinner together. So, I will be making, clam chowder and rolls and she will make a dessert - cinnamon rolls or a pumpkin dessert of some kind...yum ;0)
Bratten's Clam Chowder
Brattens used to be a wonderful restaurant in Salt Lake City. It's no longer there, but it's legacy lives on! This is my go to recipe for clam chowder.
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups very finely diced peeled potatoes
2 (6 -1/2 ounce) canned chopped clams
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
3/4 cup butter (not margarine)
3/4 cup flour
1 quart half and half
1 teaspoon sugar
1 -1/2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste
crispy bacon chopped for garnishment (optional)
Put prepared vegetables in a medium size pan. Drain the juice off of the clams and pour over the top of vegetables. Add enough water to BARELY cover the veggies.
Simmer covered on medium high until barely tender - DO NOT OVERCOOK.
In the meantime, melt the butter in a 3 qt. pot. When melted, add the flour. Blend and cook, stirring constantly, add the cream. Cook and stir with a wire whisk until until smooth and thick. Add undrained veggies, clams and vinegar. Heat through but do not boil.
If it's too think for your liking, thin with more half and half or milk.
Garnish with crumbled bacon if desired. Enjoy!
I will double or triple this recipe for my tribe!
Have a wonderful week friends. Be safe in all you do! XOXO
Hugs and Love,
Barb
8 comments:
Hi Barb! Conference has truly been wonderful. So glad you could get together with family for dinner on Conference Sunday. Those cloud pictures are wonderful. I love Idaho skies. I hope you have a lovely week. See you again soon!
I love the clouds too. Especially from the air. I always try to get the window seat when I fly and I spend the entire flight taking photos of the incredible clouds: their color and texture and formations... they're fascinating!
Beautiful skies your way...
WOW - the skies really have been beautiful!! Such pretty photos...well, maybe not that spider. That spider is huge. And creepy!! To think you brought it home. In your car!?!?! Here's to a beautiful week ahead!!
Hi Barb, thoughts and prayers for the loss of your uncle Paul. October is one of my favorite months as it ushers in the most beautiful scenes, though this year, Hurricane Ian took a lot of our foliage. Your clam chowder sounds really delicious, I will copy and use it thanks for sharing.
Thank you for visiting, I have been so lax in blogging hoping to get in routine, again,
Have a great week.
Blessings,
Sue
Good morning Barb. Continued prayers for your family. Isn't it true that we usually only see some relatives at funerals of family? Life is busy. I do love October and all the colors it brings. That is a HUGE spider. I'm scared of those things too. I have never had Clam chowder. I guess I need to add this to my bucket list. I hear others speak of it, but I've just never tried it. Looks good. Enjoy your weekend.
Ooooops. I didn't realize that I POSTED my comment anonymous. It's me....Shug!!
Beautiful photos of the clouds. Those orange ones look very unusual. I've never seen any like that.
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