A'Hiking We Did Go

Yesterday we threw our small packs in the car and took off to do some hiking in this beautiful fall-ish weather. It was windy and overcast but also warmer than we had expected.

The uphill was a bit strenuous. Or at least the lactic acid burning in my thigh and buttock muscles claimed it was. Dagnabbit, I sure would have thought I would have been in better shape after a summer of gardening and work around home. But as my dear husband tried to explain to me, when we're hiking or climbing, we use an entirely different set of muscles (or at least use them in a different way) than we do otherwise. (His muscles were "talking" to him, too.)

No matter. We both made it without damaging our bodies in the least. No after effects this morning. And there's no doubt the exertion (puff-puff), fresh air and relaxing effect was good for us.

Hiking boots, resting boots. Even without bright sunlight the whole hike was gorgeous.

Frost warning for us tonight. I'm thinking it won't happen though. But I'll be sure to close the cold frames over the tomatoes and peppers . . . just in case.

Not Much Interest in Qigong, Eh?

Well, my. Either it's the time of year when everyone is totally-plumb-pooped from too much physical activity this summer or very few people are familiar with Qigong! Or maybe we all have a need to dismiss adding anything new to our lives and scale back to a simpler daily routine of dealing with all the "necessaries" that already fill our lives.

Only two readers left a comment saying they would like to receive the VCR "Qigong for Healing" tape I offered and that's perfectly fine. It certainly made the chance of winning the draw better for both entrants!

But even with those odds, I have only one tape . . . so only one winner. And that lucky lady is . . . Akannie! (If you would send me your mailing address via the "Contact" button over on the right hand side bar, I'll get it mailed off to you asap.)

Wish I had two copies of the tape to send one to you also, Judy. Thanks to both of you for entering the drawing!

A Little Knitting - No Quilting

Try as I might, I haven't found much time for doing handwork in the last couple of weeks.

We're still putzing along on the never-ending remodeling jobs which feels good because, even though it might not seem like it on a daily basis, we ARE making progress and continually improving our everyday living environment and the organization of this place.

I spent time this past weekend (and Monday) getting several coats of a dark walnut stain on the plywood floor in the garage area where we're installing the new washing machine and utility sink.

Papa Pea has been putting in his spare time on the rebuilding of the high-sided trailer.

I did go to my handwork group yesterday morning and finished knitting the ribbing on the bottom of the blue sweater I've been working on.

Next is to pick up and knit the ribbing around the neck and down each front. As you knitters out there know, this particular operation can be a bit tricky so I'll have to find a time when I can be by myself (just in case any bad words accidentally escape my mouth) and give my full attention to the task.

Today I want to get out and do a lot of clean-up work in the garden. I have trouble pulling up plants that are still green even though definitely past their usefulness/bearing time. If I can keep reminding myself that it's oh-so-much easier to get rid of them now than when they are brittle-brown and half frozen into the ground!

Cooler temps for the rest of our week . . . supposedly. The bulk of our hummingbirds left about a week and a half ago which is earlier than the usual departure date of around September 15th. We've seen only one (or what we think is one individual bird) in the past week. I do believe fall has finally arrived.

A Give-A-Way: Do Ya Wanna?

Do ya wanna loosen your joints?

Create a strong calming effect on your mind and body?

Help heal a variety of ailments?

Learn a preventative health program that balances and revitalizes your whole body?

You say you do? Well, have I got a VCR tape for you!

In rearranging our TV/stereo area, I came across this tape I've had for several years and would now like to pass it along to someone who will actually use it.

Along with all of the above listed benefits, "Qigong for Healing" supposedly will " . . . cultivate clear and free flowing qi, the body's life force, which is essential to good health." (Now, who's gonna pass that up?)

So who wants their name thrown in the hat to win this give-a-way? Doesn't matter if you've never commented on my blog before or if you're a regular around here. Just leave a comment letting me know you'd be interested in receiving this instructional tape. I'll close comments tomorrow night, Tuesday, when I shut down my computer, usually around 9 p.m., and draw a winner sometime Wednesday morning.

Come on, jump in. You know you'd like to loosen your joints!

Brrr! And Ain't It Wonderful!

This is the second morning in a row that it's been 50 degrees outside and 63 degrees inside. It's the second morning in a row that we've made a wee fire in the main wood stove to stave off the chill while getting ready for the day.

Day before yesterday we put cold frames on the bed of peppers (they've been especially slow this year, but now have many blossoms on them) and the bed of cherry tomatoes.

They're opened up during the day . . .

. . . but closed down each night when the sun no longer offers any warmth.

I didn't put a cold frame over the slicing cucs, as we're kinda full of as many as we can eat fresh, and I have about 15 harvested cucs stored in the spare refrigerator as we speak. But this morning I'm wondering if I should try to prolong the harvest of cucs to make more of Jennifer Jo's refrigerator pickles. Last night I made two more half gallon jars full. One for us and one for Chicken Mama to take home. I might/maybe/should haul out another cold frame to prolong the life of the cucumber bed.

"Oh, Papa Pea? Honey? I need your help. Again."

Tomatoes and Onions Go Together, Right?

We've been in another dry spell and I decided it would be a good idea to get the onions out of the garden before fall rains hit. So yesterday morning I enlisted the aid of my Under Gardener (which is the title a British gal once told me they call someone working under the Head Gardener in England) in the harvesting of our onions.

To my dismay I found these onions that nearly fill a 5-gallon pail in various stages of decay. Some had just a soft spot and others were well on their way to ishy-mushy compost. They were scattered throughout the three raised beds I had onions planted in. Most were growing right next to a perfectly good, solid onion. Papa Pea suggested it might be some kind of a fungus that had attacked them.

But the good news is I think we've got enough onions that will cure nicely and last us through the winter. Above are pictured about two-thirds of them spread out in a shed to dry. A bit of work left after they've cured to get them cleaned up and stored in mesh bags but I'm thrilled to see the good harvest we got.

I hadn't picked any of our cherry tomatoes in a couple of days and knew a whole bunch of them were ripening at once. Papa Pea helped me pick them and this was our harvest.

A total of 18-1/2 pounds of cherry tomatoes! Can you believe that? I couldn't. All from two plants I started indoors and planted in a raised bed. These were the same tomatoes that only a very short time ago I feared weren't EVER going to ripen. What do they say about patience being a virtue?

So far today I've gone up to get milk, done a couple of errands in town (still crowded with tourists - ugh), started some cottage cheese and sat down to write this post.

It's nearly noon now which means I should be thinking about lunch. Then I'll be preserving the tomatoes and making some more refrigerator pickles. Hubby has asked for help in putting the finish on the garage floor in the area of the utility sink and new washer. Methinks all of that should pretty well take care of this day.