Autumn Mischief & Bagel Discoveries 🍁🥯

So, here we are- about five days until the ber months begin. According to Google, the “official” first day of fall 2025 is September 22nd. My favorite time of year- the time when I feel most alive.

I promise I’ll make a whole post soon with all of the silly bucket list stuff I want to do (haunted houses, apple picking, the usual fall basics, and then a few extra more cryptid-y things), but today is not that day. Today’s just a little catch-up.

B, the Yard Yeti, hasn’t been feeling great the past couple of days, so we’ve been keeping it kind of lowkey around here.

Chicken & Dumplings 🍲

In that downtime, we made crockpot chicken and dumplings- one of my absolute favorite comfort meals. The Moss Maiden was over the moon too; she loves it almost as much as I do.

We tossed chicken thighs, rainbow carrots, celery, onions, spices, water, and broth in the crockpot Saturday morning before B had to depart for the farmer’s market at 3:45 am (ew, especially because I’m the one driving him). Let that go all day. Once it was perfect, we deboned some chicken for a pasta dish that night, let the broth simmer overnight, and by Sunday evening-bam– perfect chicken and dumplings.

Okay, there were a few more steps in between like thickening and whatnot, but you get the point. Sure, the biscuits weren’t homemade (Pillsbury dough to the rescue), but the wait was worth it.

The Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Discovery 🥯

During all this, we discovered something new about B. He likes cinnamon raisin bagels.

He needed something to soak up stomach acid, and for some reason, we were out of bread (which is unheard of in this house). So, he looked for the next best thing, I usually keep cinnamon swirl bread on hand, but I’d swapped it for caramel swirl brioche- I was feeling like trying something new- which he didn’t want to try on a sour stomach. So, I offered the second next best thing: a cinnamon raisin bagel 🥯.

And before you picture me handing him a sad, plain, untoasted bagel- no. I toasted it up in a pan with butter. Asked if he wanted cream cheese (I keep a whole arsenal of cream cheeses- plain, cinnamon brown sugar, veggie, onion & chive, jalapeño honey- you name it, we live in the WI border, this is a cheese household), but he said no. Just toasted with butter.

This morning, while I was making coffee ☕, he told me he loved it. He even stood in the kitchen with me, asking how to make them himself, and told me to keep buying them more often. If you know my little brother, you know this is a total win. Trying new things has never been his favorite- within reason- so standing there talking about bagels felt like a small victory. He is totally part of the picky eaters club.

Garden Update: The Cursed Year 🐇🪲

As for the garden… well. It’s not a great year for me out there. Between the Cursed Knee Saga™, migraines (more appointments incoming, I swear), and plain old bad luck, the vibes just aren’t what they were last year. We’re looking less like a garden, and more like a graveyard.

• Zucchini: Dead. Taken out by vine borer beetles 🪲, despite all our efforts. (Fuck. Vine. Borer. Beetles.)
• Tomatoes: Roma variety finally came through, but not like last year’s beefsteaks. Next year? Back to basics- sugar bombs and my beloved yellow grape tomatoes from Harm’s Farm. (Aunt D, you’re a saint. That plant is now a household staple. I need at least 2.)
• Cucumbers: The long greens were decimated. Next year- pickling cucumbers only. They grow the best, and I never have much to complain about.
• Jalapeños: Coming out of our ears 🌶️. Genuinely, I don’t know what we do right by these things, but they always come off the plant massive, super spicy, and everyone loves them.
• Peppers: Struggling. Probably thanks to rabbits 🐇 who treat my garden like their personal buffet. Sigh.
• Green beans: Also, rabbit victims 🐇. Delicious while they lasted. But I’m getting ready to change my name to Elmer Fudd- we’re ready to start hunting wabbits.
• Sugar snap peas: Winding down with the heat ☀️.
• Cantaloupe/Watermelon situation: I think the cantaloupes cross-pollinated the watermelons, but at least there’s a gorgeous cantaloupe growing. We haven’t seen any watermelon growth though- so I’m going to say the cantaloupes took over. If anything touches it before I get to harvest it, I will cry 😭.

The weeds are taking over a bit- we’ve been slacking, admittedly so- but honestly, losing the zucchini has been more than discouraging. Normally, this would be prime zucchini, and zucchini bread season. My mom, my grandma, and I would have the windows open on a cool day, making chocolate chip zucchini bread together.

And then, banana bread 🍌. And listen- don’t tell me all banana bread is the same or made equal. It’s not. My family’s recipe is five ingredients, stays moist, and never turns into a dry brick that you could throw at your ex’s car and take out their windows. The trick? Brown those bananas until they look questionable- and I do mean questionable- and then mash them into soup, then add your wet ingredients before folding in the dry. It works every time. Ask my friend Autumn. Or Jason. It’s the real deal.

Reflections 🕯️

It’s wild to think it’s 2025 already- much less that we’re already halfway through. Two years a homeowner. Two years since my grandma passed. Time keeps moving, whether or not the garden cooperates, whether or not my body cooperates, and whether or not I want it to.

Stay spooky 🦇, stay safe, and even on days like this- stay hydrated 💧.

-Sky, The Crippled Cryptid

https://linktr.ee/skylanarissa