Thursday, September 12, 2013

What's Goin' On?

::  Our heat has abated but the humidity refuses to leave.  We've been getting a bit of rain which has been much needed, and we're thankful for it.  But between the rain and humidity, the garden has remained so wet that I almost have to suit up in full rain gear to work out there.  (I actually haven't resorted to that.  I just get wet and sloppy.  And a titch muddy.)


::  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.

30 comments:

Unknown said...

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.

Sunnybrook Farm said...

You 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.

DFW said...

Food looks great, as usual & I hope you get through w/the wood before you need it.

I 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.

2 Tramps said...

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!

Mama Pea said...

Unknown - 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!

Mama Pea said...

Sunnybrook 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!

Mama Pea said...

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!

Quilting 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!

Mama Pea said...

2 Tramps - Oh, no! Just the thought of a mouse on the rampage in the pantry . . . !

'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!

Tombstone Livestock said...

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.

Tombstone Livestock said...

I should read what I type ....... quick not quit ....

tpals said...

Was your pumpkin from home-grown? I've got some in the garden and have never processed any before. Hint hint...tutorial post. :)

Sue said...

LOVE the morning glories---is that cosmos I spy next to them--it looks great!

We'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......

Susan said...

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.

Anonymous said...

I love the morning glories :) So pretty. Glad you got some rain, would you send some my way please?

You Can Call Me Jane said...

Your 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:-).

Mama Pea said...

Tombstone 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!

Mama Pea said...

TL - I knew what you meant! (We all need proof-readers for our em-mails before we send them out!)

Mama Pea said...

tpals - 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.

Sad 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(

Mama Pea said...

Sue - Thank you! Yep, those are the new (to me) Rubenza Cosmos I tried this year. I was very happy with them!

The 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!!

Mama Pea said...

Susan - We'd take the llama beans!

As 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!)

Mama Pea said...

Stephanie - I know. We need someone to figure out the weather and get it spread EVENLY all across the country!

Mama Pea said...

I'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.

I just wrote you an e-mail regarding the "missing" one. Hope we can get it straightened out.

tpals said...

That's just sad.

Mama Pea said...

tpals - 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)

Anonymous said...

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...

Leigh said...

Oh, the horrors of a rainy, muddy garden. It gets tiresome. I had to chuckle at the idea of you gardening in rain gear.

I 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.

Mama Pea said...

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.

Mama Pea said...

Ruth - 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!

We'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}

Lisa said...

Your 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'! :)

Mama Pea said...

Lisa - 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!

I have put on my list to make you some really ugly pot holders and send them to you so YOU WILL USE THEM! ;o)