:: I put an arched trellis in the field garden this year leading to the back section where I put the corn and potatoes. I planted morning glories at the base of it thinking they would climb and completely cover the trellis. Like everything else this year, their growth was slow but when the finally made it to the top of the sides instead of growing over the horizontal top piece, they just kept growing straight up. The vines were about 18" high before they flopped down and have started to cover the top.
:: Wood working this week has gone by the wayside in favor of getting a lot of little jobs (maintenance, repairs and such) done. They're necessary and it's great to have them out of the way, but at the end of the day you can't see much for your efforts. Papa Pea did put in an hour or so this morning with the chainsaw, and I've been getting in a little time on working up kindling. The bin is actually getting close to being filled.
This nice stack of wood magically appeared in our back wood working area yesterday. Truthfully, no magic was involved. Our good neighbor told us he had to take down several big trees in conjunction with an excavating job he was doing and asked if we wanted the wood. Yes, please, and thank you very much. A good neighbor indeed.
:: I seem to be requiring more sleep lately. Or maybe it's just because it's not getting light out as early in the morning anymore my body doesn't think it's time to get up until daylight makes an appearance. I'm really looking forward (as I do every year) to it getting dark earlier in the evening so we're encouraged to wind down sooner. Game called on account of darkness and all that.
:: I spent some time today making up some goodies to give the folks we got the horse manure from last weekend. Two quilted pot holders, a bunch of Oatmeal Cookies and a Raspberry Crumble Pie. Since I had the oven going, I made a pumpkin pie for us. That's our daughter's favorite so I hope she'll be around to get a piece. Or two.
:: And now it's time to rustle up some dinner. Hot dogs (chicken franks) on sprouted grain buns, cucumber salad and cherry tomatoes, and pumpkin pie for dessert. I can handle that.
Sounds like a delicious dinner. I've been canning tomato juice today and can hardly stand to think of the kitchen with all the dirty bowls and juice all around. A light dinner and a full cleanup is up next, just as soon as I rest up a little bit.
ReplyDeleteUnknown - That's the trouble during canning/preserving time. It literally takes over the kitchen and there's no way you have the energy to spend more time in the kitchen preparing a decent meal OR can find the counter space to work on! Hope your clean up goes quickly tonight. Just keep thinking of all that luscious tomato juice. Mmmm-mm!
DeleteYou might want to take those morning glories down before they go to seed, burn them before they can take over the garden like kudzu! They do look nice but can be a curse. Storms are moving through our area but none hit us yet.
ReplyDeleteSunnybrook Farm - I thought of you when I wrote about the morning glories. I realize in warmer climates (like yours) they can be very invasive. But up here we don't have that problem. I always grow them in the garden and move them around each year. A few sprouts will come up from fallen seeds of the year before but nothing that can't be controlled. Maybe that's one advantage we have in our short, cool-ish growing season!
DeleteFood looks great, as usual & I hope you get through w/the wood before you need it.
ReplyDeleteI have just acquired a pattern for pot holders that I plan on making from my scrap fabrics. I have very few scraps since I just started quilting in August, but I always have future projects in my mind.
DFW - Thanks! We've already got enough wood put up to get us through the season, but I won't be happy until both sheds are chuck full and I feel we're ahead of the game!
DeleteQuilting scraps are great to use in making pot holders. Each one takes so little fabric. Have fun. Maybe you should buy more fabric. Hee-hee!
Ditto about your dinner - and dessert - sounds great!! Am cleaning up here after finding a mouse had raided the pantry. It left the trap alone and went on to better things. So dinner will need to be quick and easy here tonight. And I hope we hear the snap of a trap going off very soon!
ReplyDelete2 Tramps - Oh, no! Just the thought of a mouse on the rampage in the pantry . . . !
Delete'Tis the season when the mice are wanting to come inside here, too. People laugh at him but my husband sets traps around the house OUTSIDE to catch the mice. When folks say that's strange, he comments that we never have a problem with them getting inside. They're caught and deader than a door knob before that!
Hmmm, hot dogs, sounds good, my kinda dinner quit and over and done. I think you can slow down on the woodworking, since you are ahead of the game, and work on it in between projects on the priority list. That reminds me, I need to clean out my wood stove one of these days, I keep putting addresses from mail in there and it's too hot to burn them right now.
ReplyDeleteTombstone Livestock - I finally broke down and made a small fire in the kitchen wood stove (our first of the season) this morning 'cause it was soooo chilly in here. I do the same thing . . . toss odd bits of paper I want burned in the stove, but have to watch the build-up I get during the summer when we never make a fire!
DeleteI should read what I type ....... quick not quit ....
ReplyDeleteTL - I knew what you meant! (We all need proof-readers for our em-mails before we send them out!)
DeleteWas your pumpkin from home-grown? I've got some in the garden and have never processed any before. Hint hint...tutorial post. :)
ReplyDeletetpals - Nope, my homegrown stuff is long gone. I've used my Red Kuri squash rather than pumpkins the past few years. But whether you cook up squash or pumpkin, it works about the same. You can either cut them in pieces and bake them in the oven (about 350°) until fork tender or peel them (a little more labor intensive) and cook in water. Then scoop out the pulp (if cooked with skin on), then mash or puree in a blender if it seems too stringy. I package mine in 2 cup containers and freeze. I'm sure there are good tutorials on line you could follow if you wanted to check them out.
DeleteSad to say, neither my pumpkins nor squash are going to make it to maturity so there will be no home grown/processed pumpkin around here this year. :o(
That's just sad.
Deletetpals - I will miss the pumpkins (I love them for fall decorations) and squash is a favorite vegetable of mine, but considering the rough time the whole garden had this past season I'm very, very happy and thankful to have gotten lots of other veggies out of it. When you get right down to it, potatoes and green beans are more important than squash and pumpkins! :o)
DeleteLOVE the morning glories---is that cosmos I spy next to them--it looks great!
ReplyDeleteWe're busy busy here as well. Seems there aren't enough hours in the day, but I love that feeling of getting one day closer to winter and reading and relaxing.
You've got great neighbors. I'm sure they're gonna love the treats. Hmmm. Guess that makes YOU a great neighbor too!
:)
PS You'll note it's 1:35 am and I'm not only UP, but making applesauce , doing laundry, AND making potato soup base. Sigh. Insomnia......
Sue - Thank you! Yep, those are the new (to me) Rubenza Cosmos I tried this year. I was very happy with them!
DeleteThe wood was from our nearest neighbor (wonderful people) but the treats were for the folks (several miles away) where we got our horse poop. (Good reminder to take something over in exchange for the wood though. They think my Oatmeal Bread is great. What do you think? Would 50-60 loaves pay for all that wood??)
How can the rest of us hope to keep up with you when YOU DON'T SLEEP??! I read once that most people classified an geniuses can function with very little sleep. I think that makes you super-brilliant!!
That's what one gets as a thank you for horse manure? OMG - I wonder if there's some way I can get a ton of llama beans to you.... heehee. I would like to get morning glories to grow up my fence - but something eats the seedlings before they get a chance to get going.
ReplyDeleteSusan - We'd take the llama beans!
DeleteAs for the morning glory seedling eater, you must find and destroy him! (I think morning glory seeds are poisonous . . . but apparently not the little sprouts!)
I love the morning glories :) So pretty. Glad you got some rain, would you send some my way please?
ReplyDeleteStephanie - I know. We need someone to figure out the weather and get it spread EVENLY all across the country!
DeleteYour morning glories are AMAZING- how beautiful! And my husband would LOVE a neighbor like yours who just drops off loads of timber to cut, shop and stack:-). By the way, I sent you an email via your "contact me" link here on your blog. Did you get it? If so, don't mind me, I'll be more patient:-). If you haven't, please let me know (thyhand123@gmail.com). Thanks and have a beautiful (dry!) weekend:-).
ReplyDeleteI'll Call You Jane - These neighbors of ours couldn't be better. They are always saying we do too much for them, but we think they do too much for us! I guess that's a pretty good arrangement.
DeleteI just wrote you an e-mail regarding the "missing" one. Hope we can get it straightened out.
I think of you every time I use my beautiful pot holders... I used them today taking out a Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole. The sight of them makes me smile. I need to get busy in the garden tomorrow, its dry here, but the rain will be coming soon...
ReplyDeleteRuth - Aw, that's very sweet of you to say! I do love inflicting pot holders on people who will use them. If you would like another pair at any time, just let me know!
DeleteWe've had lovely fall weather for three days but the rain is supposed to start tomorrow. I should have put in more time in the garden today, but ya know what? There's just too darn many things to do! :o}
Oh, the horrors of a rainy, muddy garden. It gets tiresome. I had to chuckle at the idea of you gardening in rain gear.
ReplyDeleteI should mention that since I've moved my domain name to a different registrar, my blog isn't updating on many feed readers, like your "Blogs I Visit." I probably seem like I've fallen off the blogosphere, but not so.
Leigh - So glad you left the note. Yes, I have been thinking you were so busy you couldn't get up a post . . . and I was missing you. Now I'll have to catch up on what all I missed. I am still quite the computer dummy so I'll have my daughter reset things so your blog shows on my "Blogs I Visit" again.
ReplyDeleteYour morning glories are so beautiful! It looks like an entrance to a fairyland with your trellis and flowers. We grow (deliberately) morning glories here too from volunteers and simply 'move' them to where we want them to grow... usually up the front porch trellis. I too, always think of you when we use your potholders - though they are still WAY too pretty to actually use as 'potholders'! :)
ReplyDeleteLisa - The volunteers are always so much sturdier and healthy looking than the ones I start inside each year. I start them because I never know how many will pop up from last year's seeds, but by now I should realize there are plenty without me thinking I have to start new ones!
DeleteI have put on my list to make you some really ugly pot holders and send them to you so YOU WILL USE THEM! ;o)