I escorted September out with a snack and a glass of chilled white wine, my last for at least a month, and since I'd eaten a sandwich for an early dinner I kept the food simple - a sliced apple and several slices of the sharp blond Coastal Rough cheddar (Costco). That was a remarkably nice snack. I have three more apples that are beginning to get soft so have found a recipe I haven't tried before in my Fanny Farmer cookbook - a "Dutch Apple Cake" that involves using one of several quick bread/cake batters and cutting the apples into slices (10-12 per apple) and submerging them sharp side of the wedge down into the batter. There is some cinnamon sugar and can be a streusel topping involved, and if this turns out good I'll take a few slices to the neighbors (ala the days of early-COVID when I took weekly offerings to the neighbors and to my ex.)

I still have never found the exact recipe my mother used for an apple coffee cake that is a fond memory from childhood. She'd make them every so often on those winter days when we were all indoors and fussy, there was nothing like a mid-afternoon snack of that warm cake and a glass of milk (I would drink tea now). That recipe, and her recipe for salmon croquettes are two that I would love to find. Does anyone else have long-sought-after recipes from childhood you're still looking for? It can't be just me. :)

The fridge has been cleared more and I'm going to empty and wash the shelves this weekend. I have less okra now because last night when I went to my friends' First Friday event I took three quart bags of fresh okra, along with two jars of my pickled okra. These are the first jars opened since I started canning back in July. The jars and bags were received with enthusiasm and though I'm getting tired of okra, I'm glad to continue to find happy recipients. The woman next door (whose husband boils okra for himself) kind of rolls her eyes when the topic comes up, akin to those who have found too many zucchini left on their front porch when no one was looking. However - he tells me that she loves pickled okra but without the hot peppers, so I made several jars like that. The eye rolling should cease soon.

This summer I started a fitness program aimed at hip health, and while it has made my bursitis more of a problem, in recent weeks I've figured out how to exclude the moves that make that happen and am trying to do the routine every day. It changes after three or four sessions, and we're getting into some more vigorous moves, but they are helpful. COVID is still a big problem in North Texas so I'm not going to the gym for the time being. I only started back in mid-summer and then I stopped after a few visits.) Walking and exercises and I should get out the DVDs my sister recommended, from a Canadian stretching guru.

I took at look at the front room with the eBay stuff - the cardboard is out of control again. I need to flatten and store some of them in the greenhouse, because I use them to put down and mulch over the top for paths in the garden. Right now you can't see the paths because the crops spread right over the top of them, but they're still there. And maybe this is the year to make more paths and clear beds in the front yard.