Special day

Today is a very special day... it's Douglas the Pug's second Birthday!
I can hardly believe my little boy is two years old now... it seems like yesterday we brought him home (in December) 6 weeks old, ONE pound... it took us two months to stabilize the little bugger and thousands of dollars, he was not a healthy puppy. But he overcame it all and is one special boy indeed.

Shall I proceed to overwhelm you with the cuteness??

He still sticks his head in the bag of flour every chance he gets!

opening his presents

he was so cute when he was sleeping as a baby

Pretending to be part of the decorations

tired of watching TV I guess

even I can't take the cuteness... he was the cutest puppy ever. (Just don't tell our other kids I said that)

Last night we got our first heavy frost. There was ice on the home pond this morning and when I took the dogs out for their morning pee, still some white patches on the grass. But the sky was blue, and cloud free, and it was a gorgeous day.

Douglas this morning

 ice on the pond, with a Blue Heron hunched down

We took advantage of the nice weather and after chores, headed out to haul in some wood. 

 what? is there a Pug in my tractor?

After a while we took a break for lunch... 

our view at lunch

 We stayed out until after 5 PM when it started to cloud up and get a little cooler. We got a couple mule loads of rounds, which we added to the pile to split tomorrow.

When we got home, we caught these two sharing a snuggle....

I was smart this morning, realizing it was a nice day and that we'd likely head into the bush, I filled my crock pot up with the fixings for beef stew before we left, so I wouldn't have to cook tonight. I knew around 8 PM when it was time to eat, I'd be pretty tired. Plus there is the added bonus of coming into the house after chores and smelling that stew all throughout the house.

I made these stuffed sweet potatoes the other night and I must share the recipe, because these are awesome, and so easy. I used two sweet potatoes, which would easily feed 2-3 people, so keep that in mind. They are very filling, so be careful not to make a lot more than you need.

Baked sweet potatoes

Clean the skins of your potatoes really well, poke them with a fork and then cook them in the microwave for about 6 minutes, or until soft. Take them out, slice them in half length wise and let them cool. You could do this in the oven, but seriously, who has the time.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While your potatoes are cooling, heat a little olive oil in a pan, add 1 diced shallot, 1 clove of garlic (diced), and cook until tender (don't burn your garlic!) Add either 1/2 box of frozen spinach (thawed) or a few handfuls of fresh spinach and cook until it's warmed and wilted. In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup of cream cheese with about 1/3 of a cup of Greek yogurt.

Scrape most of the cooked potato out of the skin, but leave enough so the skin holds up and doesn't tear or fall apart. Mash your potato and mix it with your cream cheese and yogurt. Add the shallot, garlic, and spinach.

Fill your potato skins up with the mixture and top with some shredded mozzarella cheese. Pop them in your preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. I can never get enough sweet potatoes and these are really tasty.

Now, I'm pretty tired. The fire is going well, the dogs got a special treat for Douglas Birthday, and the last game of the world series is about to come on. I'm going to take my tea and curl up with a book before nodding off for the night. 

These are the best days of fall. I feel so good tonight because last year I didn't get to enjoy this part of fall, gathering wood, working in the bush. Even before my surgery I couldn't work much, and then after I couldn't haul wood all winter. It feels good to be able to work, and to be out in the bush again, feeling better, a little out of shape compared to my usual self, but after hauling in a few more trees, that will correct itself. I know I'll sleep well tonight.