OLIVIA DAY, AN APPLE ORCHARD AND APPLE PIE

Every Wednesday is Olivia Day for me and my husband, Rick. We’ve watched our only grandchild every Wednesday since April 2016. She delights our hearts every time her father, Sam – our firstborn – brings her through our door until her mom, Hallie – our sweet daughter-in-law, comes to pick her up after work. Olivia is 23 months old now and every time we see her, a little more of her personality emerges.

This past Wednesday, the first Wednesday of October 2017, she came wanting cinnamon raisin toast, to make noodles and waffles with Play-Doh, and to listen to me read to her “I Can Do It By Myself, a book I read to Sam thirty years ago.

Going outside is on her agenda too. This past week we took her to Deardorff Orchards  in Waconia, Minnesota and the three of us were kids for the day.

We petted and fed the goats

and wished we could take the white rabbit out of its cage.

We walked by beautiful and interesting sculptures,

watched a tractor mowing and played on another.

We had so much fun walking amongst the apple trees, many of the trees still boughed with apples. As we walked, our feet sometimes tripped on or squashed apples that had fallen to the ground.

And Olivia picked her apples, with Grandpa

 

without Grandpa

 

 

and sometimes ate while picking.

Just before leaving, we spied a man tamping down freshly harvested grapes (The apple orchard is also home to Parley Lake Winery.)

Dan had two big batches he was tamping down. Each contained enough grapes to make 40 cases of wine. I asked him what his title was and Dan says, “Well, technically I would be called a Dirt Man.” That’s because he’s in charge of making sure the grapes are growing well, and the soil is behaving. Thanks, Dan, for educating us.Afterward, we came home and I baked a couple of pies – Rick’s favorite kind: Apple, of course! A little someone loved it too. 🙂

Here’s my recipe in case you’re off to an apple orchard soon. I make my own pie crust,  which you can find here. (In the link, the pie crust is listed below the pumpkin pie recipe.) I am a big user of a food processor and my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer when I make apple pie. Makes the job of making pie crusts and slicing apples a breeze!

Hope you are enjoying these beautiful fall days before the-weather-which-shall-not-be-named arrives. Have a blessed day.

Julie