Quotation of the Week: "There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before. " — Robert Lynd (1892-1970)

Get a Bucket of Fall Beauty from an Old Bucket!

When your old metal mop bucket has come to the end of its days with age and leaks, recycle it into a beautiful and whimsical Fall Planter. Here's What You Need: Old Mop Bucket (Milk Churn, Saucepans, Fish Kettle, or Soup Pot also work well) Electric Drill Pebbles, or Broken Pottery Chips Gardner & Bloome Potting Soil Ornamental Corn, Wheat Stalks, Miniature Scarecrow Pick, Mini Pumpkins, or Gourds Plants For Sun or Shade Plants For a Sun Bucket Mums (Tall) Purple Angelonia (Tall) Ornamental Peppers (Med.) Dwarf Rudbeckia (Med.) Lobelia Crystal Palace (Trailing) Osteospermum Orange or Lemon Symphony (Trailing) Plants For a Shade Bucket Coleus (Tall) New Guinea Impatiens (Tall) Kalanchoe (Tall) Cyclamen (Whites & Purples) (Med.) Crossandra Yellow or Orange (Med) Variegated Ivy (Trailing) Bacopa (Trailing) Drill drain holes in the bottom of the bucket. Place pebbles or pottery chips in the base for drainage. Add a potting mix, such as Gardner & Bloome Potting Soil, to within 2" of the top of the bucket. Plant taller flowers (see parenthesis above) in the middle or toward the back. Add medium sized plants around the taller flowers. Then add the trailing plants around the edges. Fertilize with Dr. Earth #2 Starter Fertilizer and place in the sun or shade. Add a tiny pumpkin or gourd along the edge and place small wheat stalks in the soil. For even more whimsy, add a welcoming mini-scarecrow to the center. These buckets will give you long lasting color right up to Thanksgiving. You can even bring them indoors (for one day) to help "autumnize" your Holiday decorating!

Fall Back: It's That Time of Year Again!

We will be returning to Standard time on October 31st. Remember to set your clocks back one hour Sunday the 31st, at 2am. Or set them early and enjoy that extra hour of sleep! Smoke detector batteries should be changed yearly; the change to Standard Time is also a great time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Properly functioning smoke detectors save thousands of lives every year.

What You'll Need: CRUST: 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup butter, melted FILLING: 3 packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese, softened 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 can (15-ounces) solid-pack pumpkin 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 can (5-ounces) evaporated milk 2 eggs TOPPING: 2 cups (16-ounces) sour cream 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Additional ground cinnamon

Step by Step:

In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 inches up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350ºF for 5-7 minutes or until set. Cool for 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Gradually beat in milk and eggs just until blended. Pour into crust. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla; spread over filling. Bake for 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool for 1 hour longer. Chill overnight. Remove sides of pan; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-14 servings