The First Frost

It has been a few busy weeks with not much time or energy (mostly energy) to post. I keep telling myself that I need to find the time but that is usually while I am crawling into bed at night. It seems that as more and more needs to get done in every day life, the things that help keep me in touch with myself and present with my family are usually the things that disappear first (like posting here).

Seems that we all have been taking a break from the garden and yard lately. Jack is playing soccer for the first time, Jen is trying to go back to mobile meals (hopefully), days have started getting shorty and chillier, blah, blah, blah... We did manage to go apple picking again. With honeycrisp being closer to finished, the main apples were macintosh and something else. They mentioned that the honeycrisps were still available, just not as sharp tasting; much more mellow. At the end of the day, we had almost 2 bushels and brought home 35 more lbs. 15lbs went to more apple sauce (which is already eaten), we made an apple crisp and the rest for snacks.

With weather getting cooler, my thoughts have drifted to the things I want to grow next year. It is amazing to me how often and how easily my mind can drift. I have found a wealth of information on Seed Saver's and Gardenweb forums and I am ready to dive into really building a garden all around me, sort of like an edible landscape. I am looking at adding:

• 6 blueberries to add to the 3 I already have
• 5 thornless blackberries, all single canes so it will be a year or two until fruit
• 4 fig trees from cutting so 2 years to fruit
• transplant the 3 remaining apples from the spring to their final locations
• add a honycrisp apple (our absolute, hands down favorite)
• possibly adding two grapes if we do the patio and pergola like we plan to
• a new side yard planting bed for radishes, potatoes, garlic and other edibles

As for the backyard plans, we decided to hold off and revamp the patio plans. Because of price, we need to reconsider the plans in terms of size and style and we agreed that this will have to wait until the spring. Building a 900 sq.. ft. dry set stone patio with a 200 sq.ft. pergola will take money time and patience as well as be VERY permanent.

We have been focusing more on the small things inside lately. Jen and I notoriously let the little things slide until enough of them pile up and become a really big thing. We vowed (again) to not let this happen again and we (Jen) have a list of things we need to address. Top of the list and the oldest thing is the electrical wiring in the 3rd bed room. Although this was relatively easy, John peaked into the basement ceiling at what we uncovered after removing the acoustic tile ceiling and he wants to bring someone else in to look at the wiring nightmare. Not good. Painting, windows, patching walls, fixing some appliances, rewiring the stereo, organizing the clothes in the closet, switching out all closets, making the bigger bedroom the upstairs living room, adding a wall unit, getting the car inspected, replacing window panes, etc... the list is a lot of little things.

Food Harvested:
The last of the tomatoes and Sultan Peas
Orange Peppers
More and More Radishes

Things Planted:
Actually, removed an invasive Orange Blossom Bush

Seeds Saved:
Day lily seed pods
Last of the watermelon seeds
Sultan's Crescent bean

Magnolia Tree seeds (jen's first attempt which she promptly planted)

Sunflower seeds (from the sunflower project flowers)

Preserved/Cooked:
Nothing new...
15 lbs more of apples for apple sauce

Things to Remember:
Too tired to remember