Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The End

The definite end of summer, that is.  We had our first killing frost last night so we are now officially done with the summer season of 2012.  (We didn't give it up easily this year.)


No, that's not snow on the potato hills.  Just heavy frost.  And no, we haven't dug our main crop of potatoes yet.  What are we waiting for?  Temps to cool off enough that we have a good place to store them.  We figured they've been better off where they are.  Now we might wanna think about getting the digging fork out and popping out those lovely spuds.  (At least I hope there are lovely spuds to be popped out.)


Don't these sunflowers look as if they could be singing in a Greek chorus this morning?  "Oh, woe is us!  Oh, woe, woe, woe, we are on the way O-U-T."

Nary one head matured enough to give us any seeds for winter bird feeding.  Rats.

* * * * * *
 Since we're talking, what the heck happened to the last few days?  They seem to have zoomed by me so fast I hardly noticed them.  (Hang in there, Mama Pea, the long, slow winter is coming.  [Insert hysterical laughter at such a foolish thought.] )

 Today:

:: Go to Library, P.O., food co-op and Credit Union  (I was gonna be there an hour ago.)

:: Clear my desk of "must dos" that have been piling up since last week.  (Maybe by now I've missed deadlines and I can ignore them?  Ha!  If only it worked that way.)

:: Clean dirty house.  (And don't forget the dreaded bathroom)

:: Put up Halloween decorations.  (Boo!)

:: Defrost at least one of the freezers.  (This summer was conducive to lots of frost.)

:: Wash inside of some windows.  (It's getting hard to see through them.)

:: Put summer clothes away, get winter clothes out.  (Where are my turtlenecks when I need them?)

* * * * * *

Okay, I'm off.  (But no more than usual.)


18 comments:

Akannie said...

LOL--your list sounds like mine...a little. QWe had one teensy weensy minor frost, but nothing serious yet. And it's supposed to warm up again down here.

Our taters did okay, but our sweet potatoes are just weird. Huge and cracked all over the surface like the Sahara ground. Inside they look okay though...I'm thinking it must have been the prolonged drought and then massive rains at the end of it.

Ok--I'm getting dressed now and into the day...maybe. lol

2 Tramps said...

Nice list you made. Doing all of that in just one day?!! Most of those items are on my list (mental), too, but it will take me all week to get them done. And don't you find that a killing frost is kind of freeing? I am looking forward to being a bit more housebound by winter!

Sparkless said...

That a pretty big list. I hope you get through it all. My excuse for not doing anything today is I have to have those drops put in my eyes and won't be able to see anything properly for several hours afterwards. Yup, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Ashling said...

LOVE what you wrote about the sunflowers...yes, they do look like they should be singing a dirge!

Erin said...

Your time is definitely up in the garden it looks like! It had BETTER be a long, slow winter... I'm counting on it!

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

If you find what happened to those last few days let me know. I have been missing a few myself. I was sad to see the garden die back with the last freeze, but a part of me is happy that decision has been made for me and I can start cleaning it up for next year.

Mama Pea said...

Akannie - At least you can GROW sweet potatoes! (Someday, when we have that greenhouse . . . )

P.S. Hope you didn't move too fast and rush into anything this morning. ;o}

Mama Pea said...

2 Tramps - At the rate I'm progressing today, it may take me a week, too.

The killing frost was freeing . . . but now I feel a real pressure to get everything out there cleaned up. We still have to empty the compost bins onto the garden soil and then clean out the chicken house for the winter . . . litter will then go into the emptied compost bins.

Mama Pea said...

Sparkless - Please send eye drops.

Mama Pea said...

Ashling - I know it's all a normal thing, but the garden certainly does hit a pathetic looking state when killing frost finally descends!

Mama Pea said...

Erin - I can hardly believe we made it to nearly the middle of October this year before a killing frost. Amazing. Now I'm ready to get out there and tear everything out. It's about time.

A long, slow winter? From your mouth to the quilting/knitting god's ears!!!

Mama Pea said...

Jane - I've noticed you've been MIA, bloggy friend o'mine, but I figured you were finding plenty to keep yourself busy. Hope all is going well.

Leigh said...

Aw, it's always sad to see a garden like that. I'm hoping our first frost is delayed this year.

I have to say that your list exhausted me by simply reading it!

Katidids said...

Hahaha, you relaxing? No, this winter you'll be busy as ever with one project or another. We had a light frost but it is deffinatly cooling, today we hit 60's as a high. Our clean up starts this weekend

judy said...

Funny,I got that same list--NOT-"-boo"to you too-my bathroom has to be cleaned everyday and how do I reteach a 18 year old to put the seat down,I think he is going through a period he missed when he was 13."don't listen" lets see I could tell him to use the bathroom at the gas station.But darn ,I have a weak bladder and it is so annoying to go in the middle of the night anyway but to find the seat up,,,,,"tinkle tinkle little star"---jk but close.So,are you all set for the winter blahs,I actually look forward to winter,Christmas and all.

Mama Pea said...

Katidids - YES! Me relaxing! I wanna, I wanna, I wanna! Can I? (Remains to be seen.) Your clean up starts this weekend? Maybe I should set that as my goal, too. I keep looking at the garden and noting all I could be doing, but have been avoiding going out there!

Mama Pea said...

judy - I've never experienced the winter "blahs." I love winter and am always sorry to see it end. Do ya think I'm crazy?

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - I had high hopes and expectations for getting my list done yesterday but "things" kept getting in my way and I gave up on it around 3 p.m.!

We had only a slighter (is that a word?) frost last night but the garden looks even more bedraggled today. Oh well. It was time.