All Tucked In

I know it seems a little ridiculous but I have been tucking those tomato plants in at night.  Using nothing but my finest vintage sheets to keep them warm and snugly while trying to postpone the inevitable.  I am not ready to say goodbye.  Not ready for cold nights.  Not ready for the sun to make shorter and shorter visits. And I am definitely not ready to give up that fresh from the garden taste.  The changing colors bring moisture to my eye and the smell of fall has made me weep uncontrollably more than once.  The hope of a new spring seems painfully far away.

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Take one food dehydrator that has been sitting unused for........  Slice tomatoes thickly and drizzle with olive oil and your favorite dried herbs.  I also added some kosher salt.  It took about 6 hours to dry to a slightly rubbery texture.  I chose to keep mine in the freezer for a longer shelf life of 6-8 months.  Let me tell you, this made short work of a lot of tomatoes!

Bounty

This is a nearly 3/4 full paper box of concord grapes!  Can you say jelly?  I am always overwhelmed this time of year with the bounty that is coming out of the garden.  If my only job where to tend the home, I might me able to handle it all.  The truth is, the home is usually last on the list of things to do in a day.  As a result, I am going to do with these beauties what I did with them last year.  I will clean them all from their vines and freeze them in zippered bags until I actually have the time and inclination to make them into jelly.  There is really no need to stress about it now when the tomatoes need me most!  This box full gave me about 18lbs of grapes.  I have three vines that are about four years old.  I am thinking that a) I probably only need one vine and b) I will soon be begging friends to help share in the bounty!

An October Rainy Day

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Before the First Snow Flies.....

Every year we choose one large project to throw our money at.  This year, it is the deck.  FINALLY.  We took it down over four years ago when we realized there was a serious possibility someone might fall through it.  Someone actually did fall off of it...my poor husband leaned against the rail and CRACK! one back flip later he found himself on the ground. Throw in one year of we don't have the money to spare, two years of saving to buy a furnace etc. and we find ourselves four years later. As you can see we are doing the work ourselves but not without the help of a VERY knowledgeable friend.  So for now, I am doing nothing but racing against the weather clock with the hope that we will have it built and sealed before the first know flies!  Wish me luck...it is October 3rd you know!

And for next summer....

SIMPLICITY 2447

I did it.  I finished that summer blouse.  You know- the project where I was finally going to make something for myself.....  It seems to have taken nearly all summer and now the cool days of fall are setting in.  Sigh.  The one thing I never seem to have enough of is time.  Mostly the kind of time that allows me to do the things I want to do.  I could go on forever sewing, crafting, doing small construction projects, gardening and bicycling.  Of course I would probably have to be an independently wealthy hermit too because we all know it doesn't work that way.  We have house chores, places to be, jobs to work and families to contribute to. How does that saying go?  Whenever you have time you don't have money and when you have money you don't have time. Maybe I will try putting TIME on my Holiday wish list.  I let you know how it goes!

Trouble in the Henhouse

 Do you see it? There...with the long neck feathers...and curling tail feathers..........

A ROOSTER!  Unmistakable when you hear the crowing.  Well I suppose that means we have four hens instead of five.  You will be happy to know he has gone to the farm and I do not mean the proverbial "farm" in the sky.  He has gone somewhere to crow his mornings away and impress the ladies all day.   Something that is definitely not acceptable on the urban farm as we have to be kind to our neighbors!  He really was a fine specimen just not for my coop.