Growing sweet potatoes this past summer is providing me with an education in how “not to”. First of all, I have never seen them grown and wasn’t sure what to expect. When I would dig a bit like with regular potatoes, I did not find anything.
I read that if the sweet potatoes are allowed to get below a certain ground temperature, they get hard spots that don’t cook soft. So today, I dug them. I really should have waited as they are still so small. (lesson learned) This is how they look underground and the roots manage to grow very deep. Next year, I will buy some starts of sweet potatoes that have a shorter maturity date because I did enjoy growing them. They took a good month to do anything and then they went crazy.
Here is a photo of my helper. He is about 3″ across. I wonder if he is the same one that was in the garden last winter or if he has many cousins living there with him. Look how much he looks like the ground and I might have missed him had he not moved.
Just a tad early for Thanksgiving, but look how beautiful it is.
Where do the days go? I thought with an extra hour, maybe I could get something extra done. But, NO, that didn’t happen
I did finish one bear paw. These are going to take so much longer than I expected because it seems sewing a straight line on a 1.5″ piece is much more difficult than sewing a straight line on a 3″ piece. And there are 40 pieces in a block. So now that one paw block is done, I can calculate how many I will need and cut them out. Then they will go on the back burner and I will do a block now and then as the mood strikes me. It will not be a ufo, but rather a work in progress.
These are blossoms on my small Meyer lemon tree and LOOK!
There are 5 tiny little lemons forming – here is one. I brought it into the house 2 weeks ago as someone online mentioned how fragrant they are inside.
After gym this morning, I went across the street to the grocery store for 3 items. The produce man helped me load the cart with free pumpkins. I checked out and went to the car. My phone rang and it is DH. “If you are still at the store, will you buy ….?” Being a good wife, I went back in and purchased that for which he asked and also loaded the cart once again with free pumpkins. I got out to the car and looked at the first receipt. She forgot to give me the 7% senior discount on that purchase, so back into the store to get that refund. I arrived home to a husband who wanted to know what I’m going to do with all those large pumpkins. I sure hope the sheep like pumpkin. I think I will have to split them first and I’m not sure how to do that. But next sunny day, I’ll be outside with a hatchet. There’s no rush to use them as they will last all winter in the barn or garage.
After lunch, I started cutting the Bear paw quilt. After cutting enough for 50 paws, I decided I wanted to change the way the colors were, which meant that 1/4 of what I cut will not work for where I cut it. So I washed some brown fabric to use instead of the off white and started cutting again. This quilt has a large number of pieces. I am cutting only enough for the paws to begin with. After they are made, I’ll cut the sashing and corners. Meanwhile, the sewing room will be chaotic until this is assembled.
I’m trying to decide which way I like these boxes the best. That might make a difference in how I quilt it. I’m also wondering if I want to hand quilt or machine quilt. The finished quilt will be 29 x 33 – a nice sized wall hanging. Decisions, decisions. HELP – suggestions very welcome.
I had several boxes of potatoes that were in storage just as they came out of the garden. It was time to go size sort them and put most of them out in the garage now that it is cool enough. Yes, we have been eating them – mostly the very large ones however.
This is about 50# that will stay in as we will eat them fairly fast. I took another 150# out to the garage.
No, none will carved as they are destined for the table in one form or another. But don’t they look pretty. I love this color. The garden was bountiful this year so I’m able to share.
We have new neighbors and this is what their cat thinks of the idea of moving. It’s just as well she likes staying inside as their are cat eating coyotes all around us. Cats have to be smart to survive.
At long last, this table runner, Gift wrapped, saw some action today. It has been quilted and will have to wait for the binding. My aim is to have it finished is December.
The carpet has now been purchased and will be installed Monday, October 31st. It is the last of the interior parts that I need to get done. We will wait for at least a half week of dry weather before we can get the outside of the house painted. It would be so helpful to me if the candy and other snacks were not placed right where I have to wait to be checked out. It is no wonder the citizens of this country and getting wider and wider.
The table runner is now ready to quilt. I modified the pattern to fit my table by adding another design unit and the triangles on the ends. For “batting” I used the Teflon fabric that is made for pot holders, so that when something hot is placed on it, the table will still be protected. I don’t even trust myself not to forget.
Then it was time to do some of those mundane tasks – like cleaning out the refrigerator. These chores never take care of themselves.
And the garden is still producing, so I picked and cleaned kale. There are still more foods (beets, parsley, peppers, celery, etc.) to pick and though some will stay for the winter, some need to be taken care of – maybe tomorrow. And to my surprise there are dozen of volunteer tomato plants 2-6″ high. But the freeze will take care of them.
I brought the Meyers Lemon tree and the lime tree into the house as I’m not sure when the first freeze will be, but usually by mid October and we are there. Since the lemon is blooming, I’m anticipating wonder fragrance from this little plant. The little lime tree nearly died, but I see it is coming back. I promise to take better care of it. See all the parsley near the bottom. Will that grow in the house throughout the winter?
A corn maze is great fun for every age. Our grandsons decided the best way to make sure we were out before dark was to always take the left road. Since there were no dead ends, it worked. We made the circle by always leaning to the left and arrived back where we started.
Corn maze fact: Did you know that the farmer plants the corn, then when it is about a foot high, he takes a rototiller through it to make a pattern for the maze? Today, one maze was a shark and the other was a seahorse.
After the corn maze, we had to decide what to do next. Many activities were for younger children
The boys decided to pick out some pumpkins instead of the other activities available. This pumpkin was 84#. Of course, they took several small ones and another three that were medium size for the front door. The grandparents came home with fresh Brussels sprouts on the stem.
And since I know you’ve been patiently waiting to see this finished quilt top, and it is now published in the “The Quilt Pattern Magazine” , I’d like to present CELEBRATION
You are welcome to go to their website and get the pattern.
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Since tomorrow is the day to post our knitting this week, it is time to show that some progress has been made. These were started mid August, so my goal will be to finish them by the end of September. Since I’m on the foot, I should be able to achieve that (pending interruptions in the schedule)
This is what I wrote yesterday. “So tomorrow’s goals are to finish weeding the hoop house, make bread, pick apples, and finish the quilt and to make applesauce” . So who thinks that actually happened? Instead, this is what happened.
The olive bread and rolls were made and another sponge is started. The apples, hoop house and quilt were untouched. They go on tomorrow’s list.
Instead, today the 9 huge zucchini called to me, and I made 18 cups of relish,
30 patties from a recipe my sister sent me. Most of these are going into the freezer. There is a large kettle of grated zucchini in the refrigerator that I will cook into soup for the weekend and 16 cups of grated zucchini is now in the freezer. There are only 2 very small zucchini left and they will go into a salad. There will be no more zucchini this year as I pulled the plants.
These peppers
and these carrots, along with some previously picked onions were part of today’s ingredients. I did can 7 pints of applesauce out of previously picked apples.
This was a lovely small sugar pumpkin until the chickens found it. They also enjoy doing this to carrots and beets. So we just plant enough for both of us.
Tonight I get to crawl into nice clean sheets to dream about the new adventures awaiting me tomorrow.
Then we picked corn, green beans, beets, and carrots with which to play tomorrow. And we must not forget to pick the apples before the raccoons and deer get to them.
I really needed a spinning area as the fleece and spun fibers are creeping across too many surfaces and this closet hasn’t been used for much.
They are already filled. Doesn’t this make the most perfect spinning area for what I want at my fingertips? Yes, there are many more fleeces, but they are not taking over my bedroom like these items were. I am so pleased to get this done. Thank you, Lisa, for the idea. Now I need another closet like this for the knitting supplies that have no home. And now that the table these were on is mostly cleaned off, I have room to spin again.
After exercise this morning, I picked, seeded and lay peppers on the dehydrator shelves. My hands and nose are still burning tonight. Perhaps I should have worn gloves and a mask.
