Pirate Surprise

Last night, I took down the pirate skeleton, so that he wouldn't get rained on or bothered. I brought him in after everyone was asleep. Suddenly, I realize that I have no where in the house to put this guy. He's pretty big (Upper torso, life sized) and heavy.

There's a railing around the stairwell to the basement. I thought about the dead space in the stairwell, and grabbed some conveniently placed clothesline, and tied the shackles to the railing. Now he drapes over the railing and (so I thought) would hang well above the head of anyone entering the basement at the foot of the stairs.

This morning, my SO wakes me up to tell me goodbye. Usually he gives me a hug or a quick kiss (I love my SO) but today he woke me with "Um, Honey? You might want to find a new home for ol' Billy Bones there. He scared the crap out of me this morning..."

Whoops. I better find Ol' Billy Bones a new home.

Psst. snowtiger42...
Would you like my pirate skeleton? Call or email me, ye scurvy dog!!

If not, the bidding starts at $42.

Arrrr!

Pumkins are FOOD

I want to make some buttons or t-shirts or something. Possibly some LJ icons.

They will say, "Pumpkins are food."

Here's the definition of "Pumpkin" from the online Webster's:
Main Entry: pump·kin
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: alteration of earlier pumpion, modification of French popon, pompon melon, pumpkin, from Latin pepon-, pepo, from Greek pepOn, from pepOn ripened; akin to Greek pessein to cook, ripen -- more at COOK
1 a : the usually round orange fruit of a vine (Cucurbita pepo) of the gourd family widely cultivated as food b : WINTER CROOKNECK c British : any of various large-fruited winter squashes (C. maxima)
2 : a usually hairy prickly vine that produces pumpkins

Get that? Winter Squash. Why do they call it that? Well, if you don't puncture them, get them wet, or expose them to extreme heat, they keep for months. Harvest them with the rest of the crops and set them aside.

How does one eat a pumpkin?
If your only answer to that question is "pie", you're not part of my "Pumpkins are food" movement.
If your only answers are "Pie" and "bread", you're not part of it, either.

Wanna join the movement? Post a recipe or a link to such for a pumpkin dish that you have eaten or prepared (or both.)
Here's mine:
( Feed the neighborhood )

Also, there's a great story about an unusual use for a pumpkin.
My Papa was at a random gathering with the neighbors. The neighbor's father was present and telling great stories from "the farm." At some point the subject of pumpkins came up (this may have been when my family was growing pumpkins in the back yard.) Everyone said that the only thing pumpkins were good for was Jack-O-Lanterns and pie, and pie was too much trouble.
The old farmer chuckled to himself and spoke up.
"Punkins are good eatin'," he said. "You can do lots of things with 'em."
He then went through a list of things that you could do with a pumpkin (including stuffing it) and then got nostalgic.
"But the best thing to do with a punkin' is to make punkin' wine."
Of course, they asked how to make pumpkin wine.
"Well, first you cut a little plug out of the side of the top, see, about yay big. Then you pour yer sugar and yeast into the hole. Plug the hole back up and seal it with candlewax, but stick a straw in it first so it can breathe. Then ya hang the punkin up in the barn for a couple of months, give it time to ferment. When it's ready, ya take it down and pull the plug back out, strain the juice into bottles and seal 'em up. Then ya throw the punkin to the hogs. They like that a lot."