Been Busy!

It's coooold here! Got the woodstove going, but it's not helping upstairs, where we have no heat at all. I've always enjoyed it, but the last few years it's been a bit much.

We've been putting up applesauce this past week, and finished up with 36 pints today. Still have a bushel of apples left, so I may make another batch of apple butter, with a new recipe I've been wanting to try. Dorie does most of the sauce, and I help turn the food mill and help her fill the jars, but she does most of the work on it. Now we've got (24) 3/4 quart, and (40) pint jars of good homemade applesauce on the shelves down cellar, along with tomatoes, peaches, beets, pickles, jellies, etc etc. A friend wants me to post a picture of it all here -- maybe I will, after I get it straightened out.

I saw a very interesting (and welcome) sight the night before last. I got home aroung 930, and pulled in the upper driveway to go around the barn, and saw a pair of gray foxes! We have red foxes all the time, but the grays have been really scarce, and I haven't seen one in probably 20 years. But there they were -- two really pretty ones. They froze for a few seconds in the headlights, long enough for me to get a good look at them. They appeared to be healthy enough, with nice thick coats and bright eyes. Looked fat and ready for winter.
I hope they stay out of sight of the hunters. I hunt, but there's no reason to shoot one of those beauties!