Sing a Thanksgiving Song (all year long)

Who says there are no Thanksgiving songs? I actually heard someone on the radio say this. Well, they are wrong! There are beautiful Thanksgiving songs, but you might have to look in the hymnbook to find them. One of my favorites is "For the Beauty of the Earth."  I cannot limit this hymn only to the Thanksgiving season for I often find it drifting through my mind as I survey the world I live in and gawk at the amazing Kansas skies. Here then are the words to this beautiful hymn supplemented by photos from my garden and my childhood.

Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours!

 Lord of all, to thee we raise

 this our hymn of grateful praise.

He Prayed for Me: Jacob B. Becker

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16

My great-grandfather, Jacob B. Becker was a praying man. Even though he never met me, he prayed for me. He prayed for my sons, too.

Jacob B. Becker
1868-1948

Jacob B. Becker began his life April 3, 1868 in Karlswalde, a small Mennonite colony in the Russian province of Volhynia.

It's Time: Baked Potato Soup with Sausage and Roasted Peppers

When the dusky autumn skies become a steely grey. . . 

When the nip in the air becomes a definite chill. . . 

When there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees. . . 

When the moisture in the air assaults your skin with tiny pellets. . . 

Then it's time. It's time for soup.

A Kansas Country Garden: Bad Plant Momma!

Ah, autumn! Who doesn't love this season? The cooler days, the colorful leaves and dusky skies along with the musty scent of fallen leaves make it very pleasant. But autumn is a season of endings as well. In the back of every gardener's mind is a poignant question. When will the killing frost arrive? You know its coming, but you don't when. 

Jamming: Red Pepper Honey Jam

This year many of the peppers have already turned a brilliant red.

Peppers do very well in our Kansas garden. Unfazed by summer's heat, they soldier on week after week while other garden plants bite the dust and finish their shorter seasons. As fall arrives, peppers are in their prime. Branches bend under the weight of ripening peppers and sometimes break. The culmination of an optimistic spring when a few too many small plants were tucked into the ground is fulfilled with a bountiful and beautiful harvest. What to do with them all? I roast a few (click here for more information on that). I make salsa, both fresh and canned (more about another time). And this year, I am making Red Pepper Honey Jam.

The combination of Anaheim, Poblano and Jalapeño peppers makes a tasty jam.

Sparkling jars of brilliant red are lovely to behold, but it's the taste--sweet and tangy while packing a bit of heat--that make this jam simply outstanding.