Stowing Unnecessary Baggage

Driving home from work today, I was dazzled by the breeze gently stripping leaves off of the trees.  Various colors of discarded foliage whipped across my path.  This, of course, is normal during Autumn, but I was taken aback by the beauty in discarded things.

For some reason, these days I've been feeling a burr under my pirate garb to discard many things in my life, namely clothes I don't wear anymore and so forth.  (Especially after the store changed the dress code.)  You get the idea, right?  Honestly, how much stuff does a pirate need?  The answer should be, only enough to carry aboard ship whilst sailing off on a new adventure.  But is that true?  Well, that's got me pondering again about life and what I want and need.

Why is my closet so full?  Why do I stash things under my bed?  (Besides 3 novels that will never see the light of day.)  Why must I cram other things in nooks and crannies to get them out of the way?  What do I do with normal decorations while I put out Christmas decorations?  And what's up with holding onto my kids things in the hopes that my grandchildren will play with them?  (They only want to learn to rove like Captain Mimi anyway.)

I digress... but you get the picture.

But today, I realized something as those leaves made their way lyrically through the air only to land in a heap on the ground.  We cast off from shore all the time, leaving behind old homes, towns, schools, friends, and least desired... family.  Yes, we entertain the notion that the grass is always greener on the other side.  We purchase and stash, purchase and stash.  We stand in long lines just for the chance to buy things on sale, even when we don't know if what we want will still be available.  All of this made more perfectly clear as this past weekend and Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping madness hit stride as stores opened on Thanksgiving night!

As I sit at my computer and listen to Baroque music while writing this post, it occurs to me that none of that stuff really matters.  As long as I have a crew to lead, a ship to sail, and a compass to point to what I want most, I'm content.

How do you deal with unnecessary baggage? 

Slow...Autumnal....Yum? Uh-huh...Yes it is!

There’s something about an autumnal Saturday morning with no place to be.  Children sleep in, coffee brews, lounging occurs…perhaps a bit of reading is done?  Or not.  And then at some point even the chill in the air prompts you to feed the masses.  But what shall you feed them?  Mmmm….Yum! of course!  And there’s nothing I know of better than the deliciousness below!  Enjoy, my friends!  It’s the best flavor I can offer up to a spectacular fall lounge-fest!  Now I know yo’ momma didn’t serve you this, chile!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Pecan Syrup

Pancake Batter

2c flour

2T Brown sugar

1T baking powder

1 ¼ t pumpkin spice

1t salt

½ c pure pumpkin puree

1 large egg

2T vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, pumpkin and oil.  Add the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.  The batter may be a bit lumpy.  That’s okay.  Cook as you would other pancakes.

Maple Pecan Syrup

1c maple syrup

1 ¼ c pure pumpkin puree

¼ c chopped pecans

¼ t cinnamon

Heat ingredients in a small saucepan until warm.

Lagniappe

I like the flavor that roasted pecans give to this sauce rather than just chopping raw ones in and calling them enough.  They’re not.  To me anyway.  Also, this sauce begs to be poured over other things too….like cheesecake, vanilla ice cream, waffles, or whatever you can imagine it on!  It’s Yum!  Uh-huh.  Yes it is……

By the way, you better cook up a pound or two of bacon to go with that.  It's the right thing to do.

What’s your favorite thing to do on a slow, cold, Saturday morning in fall?