Autumn Harvest
Late Autumn Greetings!
I hope this finds you well and enjoying the best time of the year, in my opinion. Are you as overwhelmed with things that need to get done as I have been lately? From June to Christmas it just doesn’t let up around here! It has been an irregular summer while we have a house built and live in a camper next to my barn. Thank goodness I have a kitchen room in there where I have space to cook, can, and a regular sized refrigerator. On top of everything my husband decided a few weeks ago that we should get a puppy! I will be so grateful when I have a house to live in!! I’m praying that it’s done in another week or so….. before things really start to freeze up and living in a camper will no longer be an option.
Garden Downsize
I decided last spring that with an unpredictable summer ahead I needed to cut back on my garden for this year, so it was about half of what it’s been in the past. This manageable size allowed me to actually stay ahead of the weeds for once! Unfortunately my fencer wasn’t working and so the deer had nearly uninhibited access to the garden, which resulted in them eating all of my pumpkin and cucumber plants, sweet corn, and even my gladioli. So there was a lot of work for nothing. I should’ve known that would happen, but I kept planting anyway. I ended up with plenty for me to deal with, but not enough to take to market more than a couple times, which was fine since I didn’t have time to go anyway. I missed getting to see everyone there, but not the work it takes to get things ready to sell. Maybe next year I’ll be back at it.
Juicing
This summer I invested in a steamer/juicer so I don’t have to borrow my sister’s anymore. They make getting juice out of fruit so easy! My cousin had another bumper crop of grapes this year so I took the drive to her place and picked until the car was loaded. This resulted in a few days work of steaming and canning, but now I have lots of delicious grape juice for the months ahead. Next came canning tomatoes, and then the apples needed picking. This year’s abundant apple crop made up for last year when there were none. I just finished making cider a couple days ago. My friend came to help for a few hours and then I was on my own, something I hadn’t done before. It’s definitely a job for a crew of three, so it took me awhile to get done and cleaned up. I’ve always loved making cider and am still tickled that I have my own set-up to do it.
Summer Artwork Project
Way back at the beginning of the summer I finally got going on painting a barn quilt to display on the front end of my barn. I found this design online and copied it onto this 20×20 inch piece of plywood. It was kinda tricky to figure out but I did. It’s now almost November and it still isn’t done. I just need to add a coat of varnish and a frame border. The hard part will be hanging it up, which probably have to wait until spring.
Christmas Designs for 2022
It is November first today so I’ve been anxious to find time to work on this year’s Christmas card designs. I hope I can do at least two. I finally got started on one a few days ago with a fjord pony that I want to use on cards and tea towels. I’m excited about how this will turn out. If you’re interested in fjord pony stuff, stay tuned.
