Halloween Costume

Sigh... it's almost time for Halloween again... Jerry and Ben are hosting their 7th Annual Beary Spooky Halloween Contest. This is a big deal... I need to come up with a costume... sigh...
They have two costume categories... one for store-bought costumes and one for home-made costumes... I usually go home-made but... it's been a busy fall...

Maybe I should just go store-bought? Maybe my RCMP Bear outfit?

Or I could go as Bear Nicholson, world champion golfer?

Or maybe a Nutcracker bear?

Or my Spooky Cat outfit? No... wait... I did that a couple of years ago...

What have I gone as in the past anyhow?

Let's see... 2012 I went as a Mummy... that was fun... if a bit itchy...

In 2013... I was a Space Bear...

In 2014... I went store-bought and we had a Feline Theme going on... Me and Spooky were twins!

In 2015... I went as a Guerilla Gardener... with bandaleros of seeds...

Last year, Little Fox was here... he was Fox in'a Box... and I was a Snowman (complete with an authentic carrot nose).

What to do this year.... what to do...??? oooooohhhh.... bright light-bulb idea!!!

Introducing...

Bearzan - Lord of the Rainforest

Yes... it is I.... Bearzan... Lord of the Rainforest!

Stand back... I am about to swing from this branch into the forest... step back... farther back...

... Ahhhhhhhh...uh-ah...ahhhhhhhhh!!!!

Almost there....

Whew... made it... um... ahem... of course I made it. I am BEARZAN... Lord of the Rainforest!

As I disappear into the lush foliage of the Rainforest...

Ya know... this loin cloth is kind of... umm... skimpy... and it's a bit breezy under there....

I might want to be careful as I climb down...

It is me... Bearzan.... Lord of the Rainforest... signing off! (And going to find some October-appropriate clothing!).

Leek Potato Soup

Chef Sandy here... it has been a beary busy fall... We have potatoes and leeks that need to get used up... Sooo... last year we made leek-potato soup which was super-duper yummy. So we are doing that again... Here are some of our leeks...

They actually turned out pretty good... although some did go to flower for some odd reason.

Let's see.... what next...

We saute the leeks and some garlic in butter... until soft...

Then get 2 lbs of potatoes...

Then roughly chop them and find some fresh thyme (from the garden) and a couple of bay leaves (not from the garden).

We also need some broth... this is turkey stock we made from the Thanksgiving turkey... 7 cups ready to go.

Add it all together and let simmer for a while

Then run the stuff through the blender in batches.

Back in the pot and add some cream...

Mmmmm.... soooo good!

Backyard Campfire

Hullo... before I get started... let me just issue a...

DROOL WARNING!!!

OK... consider yourselves warned!! We had a campfire in the backyard... the first one since June!! We had a very, very, very LONG campfire ban this year... it's good to be able to use it again.

I got to try out my new Adiron... Muskoka Chair! it fits perfectly and the wide arms are perfect for a mug of honey beer.

Yep... that's honey beer... mmmmm....

That's me and Grampa...

Nice fire... I wonder what's for dinner?

Oooh... bratwurst!!! Yum!!!

Got some good coals going in the fire... these should cook nicely.

Remember... there was a drool warning earlier!

Slurp... slobber... drool!

Notice there are 4 sausages... if we let Grampa have one... that still leaves 3 for me and my friends. Ah-hem... anyone coming over?

Anyone??? No? OK... I'll have leftovers!

Mmm... with beet-potato salad... yum!

And it's all gone!

Hope your keyboards haven't shorted out!

Raspberry Maintenance

Hullo! We had amazing raspberries this year but... it is time to thin out the old canes and tie up the new ones. This is a beary important job which I will supervise with care.

First.... you have to get rid of the old canes... this is a big pile!

You can tell the old canes because they are brown. The new canes, which we will live are pale green... they will be fruit-bearing next year.

The old canes are tied to the wire using plant ties... that all has to come off.

Alright humans... get going!

Right then... now we have a pile of old plant ties... and now we tie up the new canes!

One down... only another 100 or so to go!

See how much more open it is? The new canes will like the space next spring. Do you like raspberries?