• Thursday-What'sUP September 23 - 02:58 pm

Looks like it's been a banner year for growing pumpkins, at least in Patty Rheault's Bootjack pumpkin patch. There's something out of place though, check a little closer in the top photo, toward the back of the garden... it looks like we skipped a few holidays, there's someone hiding there with a Santa hat on. Patty said it was a bit chilly the day they snapped these photos, so her Grandson Danny decided he needed to wear a hat and only this Santa topper would do. With "Santa" Danny sitting on the pumpkin in the second photo, you can see just how big that pumpkin really is. I'd say the Rheault Grandkids are going to have some good size pumpkins this year.

Those pumpkins are bigger than the kids!! Wow!!

What wonderful memories those kids will grow up with. That's what Grandmas and Grandpas are supposed to do...spoil them...with really cool stuff...and those big pumpkins are gonna fall in that category for those kids!

Way to go Patty and Dan!

How CUTE!!!

Oooooh, I love pumpkins! Not only do I like to make pies with 'em but I like to have a bunch for decorating this time of year. Sure would like to have some of those beautiful ones from Patty's patch! Lucky kids to have a gramma like Patty!:)

Aawww, those young children remind me of when my sons were that age. Their preschool classes always made a trip to a local pumpkin patch in the fall. We used pumpkins for many activities, from figuring out which one is bigger, counting (pumpkin seeds), to decorating them. Those activities were also done in Kindergarten. I find it much easier to take the Libby's can of solid pack pumpkin, though to make pies, breads, or cakes, etc, though. :-)

Please remember to vote for the Copper Harbor Ambulance Barn. We're up to 50th place now. We need all of you to vote to get us over the top!
http://www.refresheverything.com/copperharborambulancebarn?utm_source=em

I need some help. Where can you buy a sauna stove
that also heats water? Wood fired or electric
is ok.

Marianne,
Make that 49th place as of 11:50 9-23-2010.

Tom (Tom):
"I need some help. Where can you buy a sauna stove that also heats water? Wood fired or electric is ok."

(I'm kind of a traditionalist, so that probably affects my recommendation.)

Leo Nippa started Nippa Sauna Stoves in Bruce Crossing nearly 80 years ago, and of course that's the brand of sauna stove that I first met up with over 60 years ago at my grandfather's farm in Bruces. I even had the pleasure of meeting Leo on several occasions.

Sadly the business has since moved to Troll Land (!) (in the Northern Lower Peninsula). <shocked expression here> I'm not sure it's still in the family or if it was sold outright to someone else.

But one thing for sure, they were the original UP sauna stoves. I couldn't imagine using any other!

Click the above link to find their web site.

Tom, FR is right, Nippa is the best & what we use at Little Betsy! wasn't aware that they had moved though.

Wow! Those pumpkins are pretty huge.

Thanks for the info on Nippa. Found what I was
looking for. A stove that will heat the water as
it heats the room. A simple process but very effective.
My family, too, had a Nippa sauna stove. It went with another family member when the old sauna was
demolished. It was beyond repair sitting idle for
a number of years. Now a new sauna is being planned and the stove is an important factor.

(another one of my late replies) Marianne, I agree with your idea for making pumpkin pies, but about 4 years ago while we were at the farm where we always buy our 'decorating' pumpkins, we met a lady who was buying lots of 'pie pumpkins' (the small ones) and she said they were easy to cut up compared to the larger ones, so I bought a few, came home and made several pies and they were delicious! More work but lotsa fun.:)