Change Happens

Change is happening here in our niche of this world. The golds and bronzes and oranges are covered with a light dusting of sparkly white. The water of the lake is now smooth hard ice. Thanks to Bing's morning bird feedings, we have daily visitors - Chickadees, Blue Jays, Cardinals and even a huge Pileated Woodpecker. The Deer gun season is in full swing and the deer are winning - not so many killed yet. I made myself a blaze orange vest this year and I can safely walk our property. I take a broom along to sweep the fluff of snow off the stepping stones and stairs of my meandering paths. If there were onlookers, they probably would try to get a peek of whether or not I take off on the broom. If brooms could fly, wouldn't that be fun. Every morning I love to walk and think and pray. I wish everyone would have the luxury of connecting with nature on a regular basis. What a difference that would make in our nation's health. Not so much need for medicines and tranquilizers and a decrease in anger and rage.

Some Forgotten Crops

The 2008 gardening is over and I thought of four more crops that I forgot to count. Here they are, numbers 36, 37, 38 and 39. Acorn squash - dark green and shaped like an acorn - Bing makes his own because I've never liked the texture of winter squash or sweet potatoes. He cuts it in half, pokes holes in the skin and microwaves it cut side down. When fork tender, he adds butter and maple syrup and says it's great. Zucchini - dark green and shaped like a club - you probably know its reputation as a most prolific producer but we usually only have one or two plants so we're not overwhelmed with them. I usually grate it and freeze it in cup sized portions for use in zucchini bread. Leeks - first time crop and they're still out in the front garden - hope we'll get to them before they're iced Leeks. Grapes - just as with our other fruit crops this summer, the grape harvest was pretty sparse - there will be enough for a couple of batches of grape jelly. They're in the freezer now and waiting for a jam session. All in all, the garden was awesome and so deserving of our attention. It keeps us healthy with its need for attention - we crawl and weed and hoe and till, we pick and freeze and can and store. It keeps us healthy with its vitamin rich greens and roots and bulbs and fruits. Thanks God for creating this symbiotic relationship of man with nature. We applaud your creativity and marvel at the amazing process of seed turning to food. Every year, Bing and I think we're getting better and better at keeping a fine garden - just think how good we'll be when we're in our nineties!.

The pictures attached show some Fall pictures here at our home - but they're already outdated because now the earth is covered with light snow. Ice is on the channel and the boats are in the shed - can winter be far off? Oops! The rutabaga picture slipped in there by mistake and I don't know how to delete it! But I do love rutabagas and this Fall we found out it's an Irish veggie so I like it even more.

Crops 33,34, & 34 Some Root Crops

We put the garden to bed already but I never mentioned these three yummy and dependable foods. The pictures show carrots and rutabagas in our garage root closet and some pickled beets in a jar. Bing built the root closet several years ago and it extends the life of our roots, cabbages, potatoes, onions, apples and dahlia bulbs. There is a thermometer in there and when the temp gets near 32, we plug in a light bulb that was installed in there. The heat from the bulb keeps the closet from freezing and the food at a good cool storage temp.