Monday, Monday, I make a new convert

Monday, Monday, October 14, 2013

I'm teaching them small.....

Yummy, that mouse was good.

I had to make a trip to Target before my 5.00 off 30.00 of food coupon expired. I only had a couple of days left and 5 bucks is 5 bucks. Pumpkins were 4.00 so I brought two home. No, there will be no jack-o-lanterns to come by and see but you might see a slice of pumpkin pie. I can always draw a face on it with whipped cream. Anyway, everyone was in their usual dragging mood. I was smiling as I had a coupon and nothing makes a senior citizen happier than a coupon off food...well, maybe a coupon off drugs but October gets you double credit in the Pharmacy toward your 5% off every day. I think I scored that day tonight.

At the end of my shopping trip after discovering my 5.00 prescription was now 5.44, I was having a little trouble getting the corners of my mouth to go up. Then I passed a little boy being drug by his parental unit and he gave me a huge smile and said, “Have a nice day!” Well, I returned that smile and told him to have a GREAT day! His parental unit was startled anyone actually responded to him and I had recruited another little Smile Warrior. I will win this frown war. I will spread smiles.

By the time we got home, I discovered something I had felt when I made the bread dough. The yeast was dead and though the sourdough did its best. It did not succeed in raising the bread. So George asked if we should put more yeast in and try again. I told him that when your bread dough doesn't rise you have PIZZA! Let the salivating begin as I fix a pizza and a garlic loaf from scratch. George is in the kitchen chanting over the yeast. Sadly, I don't think he is trying to resurrect it. I think he is trying to kill it. That pizza was delicious.

I have one tiny sweet pumpkin. You may not know this, but the little pumpkins are called sugar pumpkins and are best for pie though looking at it, you might need two or three and they cost as much as a big pumpkin. I bought one for the seeds. By spring, I will have many sugar pumpkins. I bought two big ones. One is known as “Old Warty” as it is warty and the other one is smooth. You don't pick them for hollowness as you want the meat. You get the heaviest and most solid ones. Gads, we barely got them into the van they were so heavy. Tomorrow it's scoop and bake time followed by puree and can and freeze some plus pie. Then I learn how to roast pumpkin seeds and plant the rest. If you get a good veggie, you multiply it.

I bought a bunch of the dollar plastic pumpkins to use as pots on the fence. After Halloween, I just turn them around and they become harvest pumpkin pots. In my world, everything needs two uses or more. You have to remember, we really don't have winter in South Florida and this is our prime growing season or it will be when the temperatures get out of the feels like 90 to 100F. Right now even the tomatoes and peppers are refusing to bloom, claiming it is too hot. Guess I have to sow another generation of them as these are dead on their roots.

So my Smile Warriors, Monday may be tough but you will be back in the groove by Tuesday. Get out there and make some converts. Just because the world is collapsing is no reason not to be happy. There is nothing you can do about it, so smile and be happy. Remember, an unhappy day is a day wasted you are never getting back. AND....the best revenge is living well. I have a stomach full of pizza, a garlic loaf in the oven and am looking forward to playing a little Farmville before bed. I'm all smiles and if Trouble's picture didn't make you smile, nothing ever will.