More to do with apples!

Last weekend we tried to go apple picking again. That didn't work out so well since all the places we tried to go have closed since 1992. I guess that teaches us to use a book that old. But we did buy some apples and we were busy in the kitchen again. We made apply sauce and turned it into fruit rollups and we made dried apples. For my birthday Bebeth and Mark gave me a dehydrator. So we gave it a whirl. It worked pretty well and we had great snacks this week. Next time though thinner apple slices and thinner fruit rollups. But I guess that is how you learn. We also had oatmeal apple sauce muffins for breakfast...yum!

Apple sauce ready to be turned into fruit rollupsThe finished dried apples

This Week's Local Food

This weekend we went to the Farmers Market and another place with local food, the farm itself! We went apple and pumpkin picking. One of the coolest things was the pumpkin patch. The pumpkins were all at different stages so you could see how they grow. Check out these pictures of the different stages the pumpkin.

A pumpkin with a cool shapeAnother cool pumpkin

A pumpkin just starting to grow out the vine

A new and old pumpkin

A pumpkin flower

Arthur with our friend's dog Georgie in the pumpkin patch

Once we got our hot apple cider with cider donuts we headed home with our bounty. Yesterday we made home-made apple sauce (if you want to make it check out this website for how to make it and where you can pick your own apples www.pickyourown.org/applesauce.htm.) Today we are going to make an apple crisp to try to make a dent in all the apples we got. Fall is officially here!

A new member of the family!

This weekend we went to the Humane Society and brought Moshi home. Moshi is 4 months old gray and white kitten that loves to cuddle and play. We named her Moshi because she is smoke colored and Moshi means smoke in Swahili. She is great to have around to distract you from doing work especially when she keeps trying to walk on the computer!

The Farmers Market

One of our favorite activities is going to the farmers market on Saturday morning. We head out around 8:00 and walk the mile to the market to hopefully get there before the crowds hit. If you are new to farmers market this is the best time to go. There are tons of produce, flowers, and gourds. Not only is all the food tasty, fresh, and local, but it is so colorful. Here are some pictures from our trip today. If you go to a farmers market let us know what you are buying and how you cook it so we can get some more ideas! Some times our eyes are bigger than your tummies and we don't always know what to do with all the stuff we bring home.

One of the many colorful stands of flowers

A view of some of the stands

It is still raspberry season but not for much longer!

Us at the market

The last of the summer squash... so sad it is over already.

Family Visit

Last weekend my parents came to visit us in Michigan. We celebrated Arthur's birthday, visited the farmers market, and went on a nature walk. The walk might have been the highlight. My dad gave us a lesson on how to identify trees and we collected many leaves to bring home to identify later. We also came across this crazy looking caterpillar. Unfortunately it doesn't turn into a beautiful butterfly but a dull looking moth. It is called Halysidota tessellaris -- Banded Tussock Moth caterpillar. If you want to check out some other really cool caterpillars found in Michigan check out this website.
http://www.pbase.com/crocodile/caterpillars2004&page=all
My mom stay until Tuesday to see me teach at Michigan State. She made it through all three hours of the class with out falling asleep! It was nice to have her there and show her what I do every day.

Lansing

I spend three days a week in Lansing. I stay out there because the commute is so far and I have to be there for up to 14 hours a day some days. Lansing is different than Ann Arbor. In Ann Arbor we live in town and can walk most places. But Lansing is in the middle of Farm country and I have yet to see the town.

In Lansing I am staying out in the country. The house is surrounded by corn fields and on my drive to work I pass many cows and horses. It is a long way from NYC! It is very relaxing living in farm county. The landscape is pretty and is a nice change from the box stores that I pass on my drive from Ann Arbor to Lansing. The nice part is it saves me a lot of driving time and means I can work from home on Thursday and Friday. The down side is that I essentially travel three days every week and miss Arthur.

My drive to Work

The view from my window

Living in Ann Arbor Michigan

We have been back from Africa for three months now. It has been wonderful to see family and friends and settle into the next stage of our lives. We are now living in Ann Arbor Michigan where we are both attending school. Arthur is getting a joint degree in business and environmental science at the University of Michigan. I am going to Michigan State for my PhD in Science Education. That means we will be living in Michigan for three years! It will be an adventure that we will keep you posted on. But for now we have set up our apartment and getting into the swing of things and waiting for all of you to come an visit. Check out pictures of our apartment at http://picasaweb.google.com/Courtneyschenk/OurNewApartment?pli=1#5242547220927909410

Come and visit!