Whispers, Wisdom & Witticism
Good Morning my friends! It’s very early here in the Secret Garden as I sip on my steaming cuppa tea. Today, I chose Taylor’s Apple & Cinnamon tea because I am also eating left over pumpkin bread I made for my Bible Study Ladies Friday. I thought the Autumnal flavors would be perfect for the beginning of a beautiful day. The sun is beginning to peak above the horizon with beautiful shades of pink. For some, it has been a long hot summer, but Tuesday brings the Autumnal Equinox, which should be bringing cooler temps for most. Even though I am in Florida, I find myself thinking of football, a cozy fire in the fireplace, hot mugs of cocoa, aromatic candles wafting pumpkin and apple smells all through the house.
The recipe I have for this moist and delicious pumpkin bread, I have had for over 55 years and it came from a dear friend. Friends are wonderful aren’t they? I mean your true friends who stick by you no matter what. Sharon was one of those friends and she knew I was going through a rough time, as I had a loss of someone close to me….so she popped over to my house (yes, unannounced as we did that in those days) with a grocery bag full of the ingredients for her recipe of pumpkin bread. She even brought along a loaf pan and the printed recipe, which I still have in her handwriting. She asked me to sit at the counter while she made it and all she asked was the oven to be turned on at 350 degrees. You know, she could have made it at home and brought me a loaf, but I love the way she involved me… without me having to actually make it. It gave us time to talk while she stirred up the loaf and while it was baking my house smelled of cinnamon goodness and it gave me such a cozy feeling that I will never forget. Sharon has since passed but I will never forget her kindness and the generous use of her time. The printable recipe is at the end of this post.
Friday, I made two batches of the pumpkin loaf recipe which allowed me to make a large loaf and 6 small loaves. The individual small loaves I gave to each of the ladies to take home.
I have been working on styling my hutch for Fall. I usually put out several items, then I live with it a few days and then remove most to simplify. Kinda of like the old adage: which advises that before you leave the house, you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory or item. I know I want to keep the happy little ghosts, but I am still working on paring down the rest. Stay tuned for that look.
In carrying out my friendly ghost theme…aren’t these little guys cute?
And probably more traditional is this little vignette. I don’t like witches but this little Byers Caroler granny doesn’t seem too scary holding her apples. The headless horseman and his horse (also Byers Carolers) are behind the fence. There is a jack-o-lantern and little black kitty cat in front of the fence.
Speaking of cats, this photo from our local news shows a panther just outside someone’s lanai in Estero which is a few miles down the road from the Cape. We do have panthers and black bears in addition to the alligators and manatees.
The Captain has been flying in and out of Lexington, Kentucky for the last 3 weeks. While on ‘down time’, he happened to be there on game day when KY played Alabama. He also just happened to be wearing a Kansas Jayhawk blue Basketball Championship shirt which many of you know is about the same color as KY blue. For any of you football or basketball fans, game day is special for the home team. He called me to tell me that KY fans were Hi-five-ing him and yelling across the parking lot…”Go Big Blue”. He said they were so friendly considering there is a rivalry between Kansas (KU) and Kentucky (UK) basketball. I told him the next time a fan was being nice to him, perhaps he should say: “you do realize this is a Kansas shirt and not KY shirt.”! 🥰. The Captain said…”I’ll just keep smiling!”
Oh this is so cute If you love animals, check this out! check this out!
How clever to use a bus for dogs to travel to play day. Click on the link for the full story. It will make you smile.
The Pumpkin Bread recipe is below. It is a keeper.
Have a great and Blessed Day!
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (really makes the loaf moist)
- 1 can pumpkin (2 cups or 303 size can)
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Add oil, sugar and pumpkin; stir well
- Add flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves
- Mixture will be stiff
- Pour in greased loaf pan
- Bake 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick comes out clean
Rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
Dear Kari,
I’m really late this time. I haven’t been on the computer for days because I had a stomach flu. Not good at all. I’m a huge fan of fall and pumpkin bread. I have a recipe that I’ve had for years and it is very moist too. I can’t wait to have my first cup of tea. It’s about that time. Love your little ghosts. So sorry to hear your wild life is getting destroyed. We have the same problem here too. Deer are always getting killed on the roads. We get some mountain lions and bear around here too, but as far as I know they aren’t being killed. Did you watch the Chiefs? That was a tough game on Sunday, but ended well.
Hugs,
Sandy
Hi Sandy…it is never too late for old friends…and yes, we did watch the Chiefs and it was down to the wire wasn’t it? 🥴 I was hoping we would win but they seem to match us score for score there for awhile. I think that was supposed to be an easy win for the Chiefs…guess that shows those pundits don’t really know what they are talking about. It is like we have always said…anything can happen on any given Sunday.🏈
I’m sorry to hear you were sick…I hope you are better now. I do think there is something going around down here too. Several of our friends have had flue like symptoms.🫣😷
Take care my friend…get plenty of rest.
Yes, aren’t friends the best??!! What would we do without having them to bless our lives. I’m so sorry that your good friend has since passed away, but you have wonderful memories of her and her kindness. My pumpkin bread recipe is from when my daughter was in first grade and I still love it. It’s very similar to yours but makes 3 loaves. I’ll have to make some soon. Happy first day of autumn 🍂!
Oh yes Kitty…friends are wonderful which is why I love blogging so much! We meet so many interesting people and share a love for what we do, that we feel we ‘know’ them pretty well. That is the way I feel about you. If we lived in the same area…I know we would be ‘bosom buddies’ as Anne with an ‘E’ described her friendship with Diana Barry!
I’m sure your pumpkin loaf recipe is just as good as Sharon’s…and there is nothing like a nice cuppa tea and a slice of warm pumpkin bread.
Hugs and Blessings always…
Kari with a ‘K’🥰
Your apple lady is adorable and very fall! Love your ghosts too. Pumpkin bread is just the best and I’ll be eager to try your recipe. Whenever I’m making little breads like that, I love to do as you do and send people home with their own loaf! I’m so with you on the smells and tastes and colors of autumn. Some foods just taste better in the fall and look prettier on the plate, too! Sharon sounds like she was a dear friend — you were lucky to have each other.
Isn’t it true, that unfortunately Jeanie, really true friends are rare? We all have acquaintances and good friends which is still a good thing…but that ‘one’….that special ‘one’ is hard to replace. I am so happy that I have been able to have more than ‘one’ of those kinds of friends. I am truly Blessed.
I hope you like the pumpkin bread…it is a keeper in our family. And I do love the smells of Autumn in our home. yummy!
Have a great and wonderful week at the lake…I like that the cottage and your home are not to far from each other…that way you can pop in and out of both.🥰
hugs💕
What a lovely story of an old friend. We know who they are, don’t we? I am so sorry she has passed.
Thank you for the Pumpkin Bread recipe! How delicious!
I loved seeing your Hutch.
Sorry I am so late but I just got back from Texas.
Nancy, thank you for stopping by with your kind comments…yes, it is sad Sharon passed but she left a definite mark in my life that I will never forget. I think of her every time I make her pumpkin bread and it gives me a warm and cozy feeling. Stay cool my friend…when are you going out west?
Not quite yet. We are waiting for the leaves to turn.
Sending hugs your way.
Good evening, Kari. So sorry I am late for tea and pumpkin bread. It has been one of those days. I loved reading the story of Sharon, what a friend that would think to do that. Wow, I guess I didn’t realize you had panthers and black bears way down in Florida. It seems the critters are increasing exponentially in our area. There are bears near us, so far we have not had one appear on any of our trail cameras. We have bobcats, but not panthers! We now have alligators so I am sure other animals will make their way up here. Happy first day of autumn tomorrow, my dear friend!
Pam, you are not late. I waited for you because I knew that we would have more time to chat after everyone had gone…so much to say as I feel I have known you for years…oh dear! I have known you for years.🥰
We have heard that so many of our wildlife has been moving north…keep a look out because you might see a bear or panther in your back 40! There was camera footage of a black bear not too far from our home, but so far we have not seen one. There was also a black bear on Sanibel Island for a while getting into everyone’s garbage cans. Supposition is he swam over to the island from Ft. Myers.
I posted a response to you yesterday but when I looked today it was not there…so it is probably floating around in cyber space! LOL. Anyway, we will see if this one ‘sticks’.
Have a Blessed rest of your week. 💕
It’s that time for pumpkin bread and your recipe sounds delicious. Sweet of your friend to not only visit but bake the bread during a difficult time for you. I bet your kitchen smelled so good not only then but also this past Friday. Love the little ghosts in your hutch. I need to get mine out. October is almost here.
Kari, aren’t we Jayhawk fans happy to sport KU apparel? I like how the Captain just played it real cool. Did you see during the Missouri KU game that the camera kept showing what looked like two close friends, one sporting a KU shirt and the other a Mizzou shirt?
Yes Jan, I did notice the two friends at the KU/Mizzou game. How cool is that? We have a couple here at church that are KY fans and we tease each other. I do have to admit the two instigators are the KY husband and…😔yes, ME!!! But we do it lovingly and our Sunday School class laughs at our little barbs while our Bible teacher shakes his head and says “oh no!, Kansas and Kentucky are at it again; somehow I’ve lost control of this class” LOL. The Captain and the KY wife just shake their heads. But it is all in fun. You will appreciate this next one Jan…My grand daughter is a Jayhawk fan and her husband is a K-State fan; so they are a house divided. And yes, they have one of those banners showing both colleges
You know, it was so special for my friend Sharon to do what she did…I will never forget it. I think of her each time I make her Pumpkin Loaf.
Happy Fall my sweet friend.
Your pumpkin bread looks so good! The lovely story about your friend bringing ingredients to your home and visiting with you while she made it is priceless. I used to make pillows with the saying, “A True Friend is the Rarest of all Blessings”.
The story about the panther caught my eye. Yikes! Mankind keeps encroaching on their homeland, so what can people expect?
You are right Donna, we just keep building and forcing the native animals out. It is so sad. There are a number of panthers that get hit and killed on the interstate, and it breaks my heart each time it is reported on the news. They are becoming a more endangered species.
I love the saying on the pillows you once made. A true friend is rare indeed.
Thanks for stopping by and have a Blessed day. 🥰💕
I would swap out the vegetable oil for either tallow or grass fed butter. Seed oils are loaded with lineolic acid which causes inflammation in the body. Dr. Mercola writes extensively on this.
thanks Melody…good to know and I do have tallow on hand. I love it and use it for my occasional frying. There are so many foods these days that cause inflammation that we are finally learning about. The Captain uses tallow for a skin product too! Thanks for stopping by.
I do enjoyed your post this morning. I was awake early and thought u should get up and bake that awesome delicious looking pumpkin bread. I especially love your hutch with your ghosts. I need to post my new ghostly creatures before they get packed for Florida. We are neighbors, in a sense! Snowbirds from Ohio for 8 months just north of you. One day we’ll meet for coffee. Have a blessed fall season.
Oh Cookie! I would love to meet with you for coffee! The pumpkin bread is so easy and quick to put together, I’m sure you would like it. Thanks for stopping by and there are already a few snow birds here. One of our snow bird friends just arrived yesterday.🥰 Blessings and safe travels!
Kari