Kim McMahill

Here are a just a few days in December to remember this year. December 7 - Pearl Harbor Day December 12 - Poinsettia Day December 21 - Winter Solstice (shortest day of the year) December 25 - Christmas December 27 - National Fruitcake Day December 31 - New Year’s Eve

It has become a bit of a blog tradition to share my Thanksgiving pumpkin cheesecake recipe since I’m not a huge fan of the traditional pumpkin pie. I hope you enjoy the cheesecake, if you choose to give it a try, and I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE Crust : Crush 10 whole graham crackers and mix with 3 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of butter. Press into a 10 inch cheesecake spring pan (bottom and 2 inches up the sides). Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove. Filling : Beat together until smooth, 2 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese (works best if softened), 1 cup of light cream, 1 cup of canned pumpkin, ¾ cup of sugar, 4 egg yolks (save whites in a separate bowl), 3 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon each of ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the pumpkin mixture. Pour over prepared crust and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Baking times vary, so make sure ...

Over the years, I’ve posted Theodore Roosevelt quotes fairly often. I find he had a great deal of wisdom on a number of topics from conservation to patriotism to doing what’s right. Here’s one of my favorites. “Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” Theodore Roosevelt 

In 2022, the National Park Service has five entrance fee-free days where all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. Four have already come and gone, but the last fee-free day will be on November 11 for Veterans Day. For more information visit https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm

I’m writing this a few days before November, and many trees still have brilliant yellow leaves. It’s only a matter of days before it all goes away, and we are left with empty branches until next spring. I’ve enjoyed the extended fall festival of color this year, and I hope you have too, wherever you may be. Later this month, Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving. In 1621 the first Thanksgiving was celebrated between the Pilgrims and the Indians to give thanks for the bounty of the fall harvest. They prepared a huge feast including a wide variety of animals and fowl, as well as fruits and vegetables they had grown. This early celebration was the forerunner of today's holiday tradition. However, after that first Thanksgiving the observance was sporadic and almost forgotten until the early 1800's. In 1941, Congress made it a national holiday and set the date as the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is a time to recognize what we have to be thankful for and to spen...

Here are a few of the holidays and days to keep in mind for November. November 1-2 - Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) November 6 - Daylight Savings time ends (gain 1 hour of sleep) November 8 - U.S. General Election Day November 11 - Veteran’s Day November 13 - Caregiver Appreciation Day November 17 - Great American Smokeout  November 20 - Universal Children’s Day November 24 - Thanksgiving Day November 25 - Black Friday  November 26 - Small Business Saturday November 28 - Cyber Monday