Redneck Baby Proofing

The title for this post is HE's contribution and refers to the duct taping of the liquor cabinet to keep one VERY active and curious 10 month old out of it.  At least this is not the door to where the actual alcohol is stored, but there is plenty for her to get into with red wine tumblers and vintage glasses.

The banana bread is my tweeked version based on Marjorie Standish's recipe from Cooking Downeast.  I add chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut and undercook it a little bit...it is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

November is my favorite month.  I love the bare bones of the trees, especially at night when the stars peek through the branches. I love the squeaking sound the trunks make as they rub against themselves in the cold. I love the first dusting of snow and the way the cold air catches in your throat...it reminds me of a line from an all time favorite poem of mine about November...it is joy, and joy outright. There is so much more I adore about this month...the smell of woodsmoke...I could go on and on. When I was growing up this was the time of anticipation for dogsledding seasons arrival. There are many Saturday nights I am wistful for the Greystone; a local dive, really, in upstate NY.  The worn wooden floor, the jukebox playing old country tunes, the woodstove, cheap drinks,the smell of the cold clinging to patrons jackets as they come in the door, playing pool, the stars twinkling like frost in the sky, snowmobiles lined up in the parking lot...it is a palpable yearning for a different time in my life; a time when people I loved were alive and everything seemed so much more innocent. I am lucky I had the opportunity to relive some of this with my family and friends in my adult life. It and they were the balm that held me together through the deaths of my parents and for this I am ever so thankful.

I hope you all have your own love affair with this season.  Blessings upon you.