Fall colors

Much to my surprise we had some brilliant fall colors this year. Our Norway Maple trees suffered from tar spot fungus during the wet summer and most of them just turned black and all the leaves dropped off before the first of September.

Beyond that there just seemed to be a lot of sad looking brown trees around and more leaves on the ground in September than I can ever remember having. So I just didn't expect much fall color.

But I was mistaken! By third week of October we had plenty of brilliant color to be seen.

City Mills Pond, Franklin Norfolk, MA, 21 October

Tucker St., Norfolk, MA, 21 October

Federated Church, downtown Norfolk, MA, 22 October

Still here!

For the longest time I just didn't have anything to say. And then, when I had something to say I was too busy to say it!

I always keep track of the first and last corn of the season.

12 October 2015 - last of the season
I *love* fresh local corn and I swear I'll have an ear every day.

And I like to keep track of the fall colors. 2015 was a dry year. I think our local rainfall was somewhere around 8 inches below normal..and the fall colors were just *brilliant*. One of the best seasons in recent memory.

11 October 2015
December was mild. Very mild. Warmest greater Boston December on record. It was 70° on Christmas day! So far no real ice to speak of and only one storm with some light snow. The first cold air of the season is forecast for tomorrow...

This year's colors

The Autumn colors this year have been quite brilliant!

20 October
Last year the colors were very dull. All of the leaves just sort of turned brown and fell off the trees. Apparently dry and cold makes more vibrant colors. Last year it was warm and wet. Except for that big snow storm.

7 October
And well, this Fall has been cold. I've almost turned on my heat a couple of times!

The timing is average. Here in greater Boston the color will peak sometime around October 20 or so and we'll have color for a week or two to either side of that.

20 October
Meanwhile...L is getting ready for Winter..

With her nice new coat!
And I'm getting ready for the hurricane...

Perfect Day...

For polo!

Polo in the Country
Sunday the 16th would be a contender for most beautiful day ever. If there was such a record. It was sunny. Dry. Seventy degrees. Calm. A positively stellar day.

There was enough action in the 6 chukka match between Norfolk and Dedham where 22 goals were made. I'm not sure who won. Well I am. It just doesn't matter. It's all in fun.

These ponies really know their job. That little grey pony takes this more seriously than the riders!

It's not just the polo match. Around here the polo match is the highlight of the season.

Somebody has connections...an FA-18 flyover?

Yes. An FA-18 flyover!
With a 30 minute private air show. Well. Ok. The whole town got to enjoy the air show.

It was all very exciting! I heard so long as they were up there they did a flyover at the New England Patriots game (home season opener).

Dave Thind did a dressage demonstration at half time with the world record holding stallion, White Star. Dave is right down the street at Cutler Farm. Nice place.

Dave Thind warming up with White Star
People show off their cars...

'57 t bird
Enjoy good food...

Good food
And everyone loves the hounds.

Release the hounds!

Colors?

The fall foliage has been pretty dull around here this year.

22 October 2011
The leaves go from green to a dull rust red, weak washed out yellow or brown and then the leaves drop. I don't think I've seen a single flaming orange or brilliant crimson tree anywhere. Even the local meteorologist during the weather forecast last commented on the dull colors.

I have no idea why this is the case. Some years are better than others of course but this year the foliage is notably boring. I know stressed trees tend to be more colorful and I know sick trees tend to be less colorful. That's about all I know about foliage.

But here, this is a common sight this season:

Boring

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Here's something to suit the season!

Roasted butternut squash and red bell peppers
This is a simple dish of roasted butternut squash, red bell peppers, chopped garlic and fresh rosemary.

Preheat your oven to 350.

• Peel and seed a butternut squash, cut into half inch cubes
  
• Cut 1 red bell pepper into half inch squares
  
• Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, chopped garlic and some fresh rosemary
  

Roast for 30 or 40 minutes. This is equally good as a side dish or a light main course. I'll bet a glass of syrah will go very nicely with it.

Not hounds

These are not hounds.

These. Are dogs.
I was so very proud of L!

The entire weekend was just insanely beautiful for this time of year. The weather is usually quite nice over the Columbus Day holiday here in New England but not this nice.

Sunday 9 October 4:15 pm
It was dry and pleasant and there wasn't even a wisp of a cloud as far as you could see in every direction.

L has had issues with dogs as far back as I can remember. She tries to stomp them. Pictured there above are a couple of our barn dogs and she's ok with them in the barn. Even that took years and if they're out of their crates sniffing around while she's on cross ties things can still get a little dicey.

A year or so ago a neighbor was out running his dog loose in the field while we were riding. He and L faced off at about 30 yards. The dog not the neighbor. And I'm thinking oh crap. I'm really sorry but if he comes charging down here barking L's going to kill him. They stared at each other for what must have been 2 or 3 minutes. I don't know what she said to him but he got all timid and put his tail between his legs and (thankfully!) ran back to his master.

So I was quite thrilled to be out there with the dogs. Her first time ever outside the barn with dogs. And the big black one there. The Gordon. She's not particularly bright and she got in around L's feet there a little bit. L was very careful not to hurt her.

And when we all got some momentum going I look alongside and that little Jack Russell was proudly heeling her.

A good time on a beautiful day and a great exercise for L.

And it looks like Monday, the 10th, was the last of the corn this season. This was a really good ear of corn for this time of year.

This one is special

We see Monarch butterflies all season long around the barn. This one here is special.

1 October 2011
It was just a few weeks ago I learned that Monarch butterfly caterpillars only eat milkweed. I had no idea. That's probably why we see them around the barn so much. There's milkweed everywhere.

Sometime when I was a little kid I had learned about the migration of the California Monarch butterflies. So well known I suppose because they gather in great clouds to migrate. And for some reason I was left with the impression the migration was unique to the California butterflies.

I had no idea that our local Monarchs migrate. I guess all Monarch butterflies migrate.

It wasn't until 1975 that the winter destination of our local butterflies was known. Years of investigation by a Canadian zoologist found the winter destination of the eastern Monarch butterflies. An assistant found the exact destination on 9 January 1975.

Which brings me to the little guy pictured above. He's special. Yes that is a male. Monarch butterflies live for 2 months. The reproductive cycle in this guy however has gone dormant and he'll live for 7 months. He's going to migrate. He'll travel only during daylight. Cruising 20 kmh at an altitude of 50 meters. Eating only milkweed. At night.

His destination is a 60 square mile territory in central Mexico. The butterflies gather there with as many as 20 million of them in an area 1/3 the size of a football field. There his reproductive inclinations will become active. He and billions of his friends will make more butterflies to migrate northward next Spring.

I think that's rather amazing. I'll bet he's in Washington DC by now!

Scrub a dub dub

I really wanted to ride. But this time of year? When it's 80 degrees? Time for baths! This could be the last bath day this year.

24 September
These things can go either way. Turns out today L was quite agreeable. Sometimes she can be a real stinker!

I like the Cowboy Magic stuff. Mostly because it rinses out so thoroughly in cold water. I use the rosewater formula with L.

Squeaky clean!
I love a clean horse. Of course she won't stay that way for long.

Not dogs

These are not dogs.

I love that guy's back yard.
These. Are Hounds.

Hounds
And these are not horses.

Not Horses
Those. Are Ponies. Polo ponies!

Polo in the Country
Sunday was Polo in the Country hosted by the Norfolk Hunt Club.

18 September 2011
It was a most beautiful day and we all had a great time. It's the event of the season and, as usual, the hunt club did a really fine job hosting the event.

I just love polo ponies.  They really do love the game and they know their stuff..

Happy pony

Close to the action

Really close to the action
Tailgating a polo match puts you really close to the action. You have to have your wits about you and pay attention!

Tailgating

Master of the hunt
Half time included a demonstration of the hounds. Everyone *loved* the hounds. And I have to admit I just love hearing them bay in the distance.

We all had a grand time and we're looking forward to next year. Maybe we'll compete in the tailgate contest!

The other Autumn

Ride now?
L usually enjoys our rides. But I'll have to lunge her today. She was awfully frisky yesterday! She really wanted to cut loose and I had to hold her back. I like her to be careful when we're going bareback and while I would like to have had us charge around like a couple of nutbags - careful is a good habit for her to have!

I made it up to her. When we were done riding I led her off to hand graze the best grass I could find. She really enjoyed that!

It's actually just as well. I saw two chuck holes out there right where we like to charge. I'll have to mark them. I don't think I would have seen them at warp speed. Shouldn't the chucks be asleep for the winter by now?!

When we think of Autumn, of course, here in New England anyway, we think of the brilliant colors we're famous for. And apples! It's harvest season and we go get squash and pumpkins and make pies and drink cider. I really hate the wintertime but I love comfort food!

But as the season wears on it gets more like this:


We ride out here and this time of year, especially when it's overcast, the wooded paths look like something out of a creepy fairy tale. I could have sworn I left a trail of bread crumbs out here.

There are miles of trails in the woods but getting out there is a challenge. It really does look like this:

We have to bushwhack our way through a couple of acres of brush to get out there. The footing is quite good but winding our way around can be a little dicey.

And then here, look at the contrast. This is basically the same picture as this one, from a slightly different angle.


I didn't plan that. What I mean is I didn't go out of my way - it just struck me as a way to see the change within the season. The same place a few weeks apart.

No surprise here. Yes Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

A treat in November

How's this for a treat on November 13th? It made it into the 60s during the afternoon!

And I enjoyed a perfectly lovely ride with L. Lungeing her on Friday helped. She had a lot of energy on Friday and I lunged her before going off to the Equine Affaire. She charged around like a complete nutbag. So much so she even landed in a heap on one lap. Pretty funny stuff. She gets this "whoa what the hell?" look on her face when she does that. It's especially funny when she's trying to be cool.

Saturday afternoon she was just sensational.

Which was nice. My paint mare G had a case of thrush in her right front foot that needed to be trimmed out and I spent a good hour soaking and wrapping that. I felt pretty bad about that. She's chronically lame on that right foot otherwise I would have been on it much sooner. She's a perfect stinker but she's a good patient. And then...she colics late on Wednesday and I swear that one makes me feel like I'm paying for my sins sometimes.

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This is not hard to do! Porcini risotto. This was just *delicious*!

I soaked some dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water for 5 or 10 minutes.

Dry the mushrooms on some paper towel. Reserve the liquid. I like to splash some of the mushroom water into the risotto. I chopped up the mushrooms.

Typically you'll want to use one part rice to 3 parts liquid. I usually have 4 parts liquid going in case I need more liquid. For a half a cup of rice I got about 2 cups of water going in a saucepan with a chicken bouillon cube. Yes. A chicken bouillon cube. It's important your liquid is hot! Your rice will stop cooking if you add liquid that isn't hot. It doesn't have to be boiling.

Now this is all about technique and while it looks hard and complicated, it isn't, and I really don't know why people are so intimidated by risotto. This is Italian home cooking.

• Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a hot skillet
  
• Add the rice to the skillet. Now, think Rice-A-Roni here. Scatter it around, I let it get a little brown and toasty.
  
• Add a third of a cup of finely chopped yellow onion
  
• When the onion starts to get soft and translucent splash in a half a cup of white wine. I used chardonnay.
  
• When the wine if just about gone, ladle in some liquid from the saucepan
  
• Stir and shake, leave it be. Repeat.
  
• As the liquid cooks off and is absorbed by the rice, ladle in more, stir and shake. Adjust the heat if you need to - if the liquid seems to cook off really fast, turn down the heat, if it's going too slowly, turn the heat up. There's a lot of feels right and looks right to the technique here. I think that's what some people find hard. It's kind of like that "cook it until it's done" way of cooking.
  
• By the time you get to that 3 parts liquid to one part rice you're almost done
  
• Splash in some of the liquid that you used for soaking the mushrooms
  
• Start giving it a taste, might need the tiniest pinch of salt, remember, it's going to be finished with parmesan cheese so go light on the salt. The bouillon is salty too and it might not need any at all.
  
• Put the mushrooms in
  
• Add some broth, very small amounts at a time, stir and shake until the rice is done to your liking
  
• Finish with some grated parmesan cheese. Not a lot. Third of a cup maybe.
  

This whole thing took maybe 20 minutes. I wasn't paying much attention.

To a large extent risotto is a personal thing. I had some risotto once at a Michelin Star restaurant and I thought it was just awful. I like my rice to be a little bit al dente against a nice creamy background.

I serve it with a little parsley and the only thing that disappointed me about this one was the fact I finished my wine while I was making it and didn't have any left to go with it. I couldn't help myself!

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Good human

This picture has nothing to do with what's on my mind. I can't help but wonder who is looking at whom here:


I try to be a good horseman and I think most people will tell you I do right by my horses. They're living beings and I've never thought of myself as their "owner" but rather their "guardian". And there's no reason for them to be without anything they need.

And I've always felt their (my?) training should be enjoyable for them. Oh of course issues arise and we've had fleeting moments of unpleasantness. But I do this for fun and I'm not going to have fun if they're not having fun. When you do it right they're just hanging out with the herd. Which is what horses want out of life.

I try to be better at this all the time. The better I do it the easier it is for them to do what I ask. And why on earth would I want anything to be harder than it has to be?

To a large extent I try to make it up to them. I've done some really stupid things and thankfully nobody's been hurt. Not badly anyway.

And this time of year, after some hard work and a nice ride I really like one of these:

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And before I forget the recipe, here's my take on Chicken Normandy:

Look closely - those are finely chopped mint leaves on the green beans. That was really very good.

• Chicken thighs or quarters
  
• Some butter
  
• One apple. I used McIntosh. Cored. Slice into wedges. Maybe 8 to 12 wedges.
  
• One onion. Slice it into wedges. However you like.
  
• Seasoned flour
  
• Bourbon. 1/3 cup.
  
• Apple cider. 2 cups.
  
• Some salt, cracked pepper. To taste. Always.
  

This is less work than it appears at first glance. I don't do anything that's difficult or takes a lot of work!

Get a tablespoon of butter going in a cast iron pan over medium high heat. When it's hot and the foam has subsided toss in wedges from your cored apple. You can peel it if you want. I like "rustic" so I didn't. I think a Cortland apple would probably be pretty good. All I had was McIntosh. So I used McIntosh.

Dredge your chicken in some seasoned flour.

When the edges of the apple wedges are browned, take them out and drain them. Add another tablespoon of butter to your pan and brown the chicken. Both sides. Take the chicken pieces out and put them on a plate.

Now add onion wedges to the pan and cook them until they're browned. There's going to be browned and burnt looking stuff in your pan from the floured chicken. That's ok, that's flavor. When the onion is well browned crank up the heat. As soon as the pan begins to smoke just a tiny bit...

Put in (your favorite) bourbon. I use what I drink. If you're at a loss I think Maker's Mark is pretty good.

When the bourbon is almost gone put the chicken in the pan, skin side up, and pour in the cider. Do not cover the chicken with cider.

Now put this in a 350 degree oven.

After 30 minutes take it out and put it on a medium high burner, remove and set aside the chicken. Put the drained apple wedges in the liquid and reduce to about half. Crack some pepper into it.

Turn off the heat and whisk in a pat of butter until it looks shiny and silky. Put your chicken on a platter and spread that over the chicken and serve.

This is seriously good.

Oh and I was actually a little surprised. I'd had a half a bottle of merlot sitting around and it was really good with my Chicken Normandy.