Ill gotten gain

It was a sure sign of trouble to pull up to the farmhouse and see a note on the door.

The sign  said, "If you are here for a raffle prize, please enter and find your items on the table. Ring the bell if you need assistance."

Uh-oh. The door to the hundred and fifty year old house stuck a bit, but then opened into a dim room. In the center sat long, plain wood table, with half a dozen or so items on it.

Long story short, my two pair of earrings somehow morphed into one pair and a gift basket of honey and maple syrup that I know for a fact I didn't bid on. But still - almost free loot.

Chinese "coin" earrings

 The earrings dangle about an inch before the coin. These are both casual and dressy enough to wear with jeans or to work. I like the beaded circles just above and below the blue crystals.

Surprise, surprise - maple syrup and honey

The gift basket has about a $50 value, according to the makers' website. That jug of maple syrup towards the back is a full 16 ounces. Among other things, there are large jars of raspberry honey, honey mustard and lemon flavored creamed honey. A smaller bottle of maple syrup, cute hexagonal jars of peach and cherry honey, a package of honey straws and some scattered, honey-filled candies round out the rest of the loot.

I'm not much on honey, so most of it is going out to bless a couple of friends. Maple syrup, however, is the true nectar of the gods. At least half a dozen of my autumn specialties include it (and none of those specialties are pancakes or french toast).

Not bad for a few bucks in tickets.