And here it is...

That moment of peace...my coffee, my blog, the morning sunshine, and most importantly a quiet house. Its been a long time since I've had that combination. Yesterday marked the beginning of my winter depression. Yesterday I pulled up all the things in the garden that won't make it through the winter. Which is just about everything except a few herbs, some broccoli, and some lettuce. This year my goal was to harvest and can everything possible. I did that. I learned to can fruits and veggies. I made pickles and jams. Next year, I aim for avoiding my winter depression. Cold frames. Its happening. I found several old windows during random junk days around my neighborhood and I have drawn up some plans for a cold frame for my raised beds. I'm going to start my seedlings earlier and get them out into the sunshine. I had great success with my tomatoes this year, getting them started and ready at least. Its the transitioning that I have trouble with. I knocked out a good majority of my heirloom, Cour Di Bue, tomato babies because I didn't have a safe place to put them while they adjusted to sunlight. Wind=tomato seedling death.

Today I'm planting the last of some bulbs for Spring. I've never planted bulbs before and had any success, so we'll see how that goes. I bought these allium bulbs that will have giant purple globes on the end of a three foot stem. Think purplish blue dandelion times about 100. They're amazing to watch, just swaying in the breeze. A lot of people turn their noses up to flower gardening because its not practical, but I can't think of anything more practical or neccessary than something that brings me peace and tranquility.

Tomorrow is another 15K Farmers meeting and I can't wait to do the kids' activity. I'm felting some sweaters with my Momma and we are going to help the kiddos make little mittens out of them. So easy to do and they can sew the mittens up themselves using plastic darning needles and yarn. I'm bringing some buttons from my "funky button" collection so they can decorate them. I'm so excited!!

Sigh...

I wasn't prepared to wake up to an overcast rainy Fall morning. I need to be at home baking bread and knitting.

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P.S. I need a farm name

A day of pumpkins

Here lately, I've devoted most of my life to work. Its unfortunate, but sometimes I love that place as much as I love my garden. The difference is the garden brings me peace and work brings on an adrenaline rush comparable to that of being dropped into the middle of a pack of wolves with a raw steak taped to your butt. I love that rush. Its a different kind of accomplishment and not as wholesome as my other hobbies, but its powerful and gives me confidence to face everything in my life. My heart is in that job for life. So, anyhoo, I'm back for the day. Slowing down, focusing on the season and upcoming festivities...HALLOWEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love it. Its cold in the morning. Crunchy leave are all over the yard. (I don't rake, sue me, whatever) I let the girls out of the coop this morning and they all ran out, feathers ruffled up like they put on sweaters. Still no eggs, but I love those chickens. I have dreams about going out there and finding multitudes of colored eggs and overwhelmed with feelings of excited bliss. I just want one pale blue/green egg. That's all. Its like a drug that I'm addicted to, but I've never even had it. I've wanted chickens and my own eggs for so long. Now they're here and they need to get down to business.

I'm hoping today is going to go as planned. I am drinking my homemade pumpkin spice latte. I'm going to pack Sophia up here shortly and go pumpkin hunting. This was supposed to take place in my yard, but alas, FAIL! Yeah, I'm still bitter about no pumpkins. I will try again next year and be more aggressive with the feeding and caring for them. Still organic, but more aggressive. I'm going to make pumpkin bread and work on Sophia's garden gnome costume. Hopefully a productive yet fun day for us.

I planted some fall broccoli and a few lettuces which seem to be thriving with the cold mornings and warm sunny afternoons. I actually prefer fall lettuces. The flavor is a lot better. If I can conjure up some hoops, I would like to see how long I can keep the lettuce alive through the winter. I have a feeling its going to be very mild for a good portion of this winter. If I had to guess, I'd say February will be cold, but I'm planning on starting my plugs much earlier this next growing season. Especially the potatoes, lettuces, and broccoli. This year was very informative, though not quite successful. I learned to can and make jams. Had other things not taken place during peak harvesting times throughout the summer, I would be more stocked up on my canned veggies. I'm still happy though.

Why?

The big question that everyone asks me is why? Why do I make things when I can just buy them? I have several reasons but mostly its for the process. I can't willingly rely on other businesses/people to provide me with my basic needs. I wish had been raised on a farm where making what you needed went without saying and was second nature. I wish I had someone in my family to sit me down and show me how to knit or make jam or tell me how to grow healthy tomatoes. I don't, so I make do. I love the process of learning. When I go to the bookstore, I go straight to the cookbooks or craft section. I don't read romance novels or biographies of famous people. I'm more star-struck by innovative local celebrities such as our 15 Thousand Farmers founders and my favorite local band, My Morning Jacket. I love how-tos. I want to learn forever about "how-to." Self-sufficiency. If it can be made, I want to make it. If I can grow it, knit it, can it, save it, build it, whatever, I want to try.



The process of making things, allbeit sometimes frustrating, is actually peaceful to me. Sometimes when I give handmade things to people you can see the disappointment in their faces. Its not shiny and new with a pricetag. Its pricetag is invisible, but its there. It is printed with my heart, my time, and my effort. Its not perfect or designer-labeled. But its unique and already has a history. It was specifically made for you by me. As my hands push the fabric across the sewing machine; as I sit for hours at a time with two needles and some yarn, as I watch to make sure the temperature is just right in the oven...it was made for you.



The process is something that I want to pass along, but I know not many will be receptive. When you understand the process, you understand the effort and why. A good friend of mine gave me some frozen applesauce that her grandmother made from apple in her orchard. I wonder if she took the time to learn how to make the applesauce herself from her grandmother. Soaking up every little bit of knowledge from those who understand self-sufficiency from neccessity is the most valuable form of knowledge. Thats surviving knowledge.



P.S.
She does know how to make the applesauce and I'm very proud of her for that! Of course, now she has to teach me. ;-)

A chill is in the air

I feel it. It starting to happen. Its at 7 am when I go out to feed the chickens. Its a crispness that's creeping in through the night and is, for now, chased away by the warm sunshine during the day. Its almost Fall y'all and I couldn't be happier. Giddy is a more appropriate term. More so than Spring or Summer, Fall gives me an energy like no other. The farmers' markets are completely stocked with colorful harvests. Coffee has a whole new purpose as a comforter and hand warmer as I peruse the tents full of veggies and fruits. I can drink coffee anytime of day and in any weather. I stick to one a day if that, but coffee, when its cold outside, lights up my soul. Sounds slightly grandeur to describe a beverage in such a way, but I think its an association I have between coffee and shopping with my mom almost every Saturday for the past few years. I have finally found the person who truly gets me and shares the same passions for simpler more wholesome living. We have this addiction to Heine Bros coffee. What once started out as a crush on Starbuck's, our gateway coffee, has led to trips around town to different coffee shops until we found our true loves...Mom's mocha with whipped cream and my Nutty Irishman latte. Whatever we do or where ever we go is in direct correlation to the location of a Heine Bros coffee. (Starbuck's Pumpkin Pie Latte...I still heart you best of all) Luckily our favorite places to go are generally in the same vicinity.

So back to the subject of Fall...screw all you guys whose pumpkins grew this year. No, I'm kidding. I'm happy for you. Slightly bitter, but happy for you, nonetheless. No pumpkins and no clue as to why. My heart breaks every time I look out the window to my meek pumpkin patch and see nothing but vines and big orange flowers, but no glorious pumpkins. It makes no sense. And even though there is no chance that by Oct 31st I'll have one of my own orange beauties to carve, I can't bring myself to pull up the vines. As if the Great Pumpkin, himself, would visit in the night and sprinkle full grown pumpkins onto my vines and I would run down the stairs in the morning to see what Halloween presents he left for me. Yeah, I went there. So what. A girl can dream can't she?! Oh well, try again next year.


P.S. I have already started buying seeds for next Spring. Ridiculous.

Oh yeah, my garden

Lost a lot of stuff due to the events in July. Didn't water or weed at any point during that time. 'Maters are still doing slightly above average. I've canned quite a few quarts and that's makes me happy. My cucumbers, despite my neglect, produced 22 quarts of pickles. Dill...in the form of spears, slices, and whole. Next year I'm going to make my own dill spice blend, because whereas the package blend was convenient, it did burn every hair out of my nose with its pungency. Did I mention that was only one cucumber vine? And I probably, and unfortunately, wasted that much because of my neglect...call CPS on me, I deserve it. (cucumber protective services)

sil plants are on the warpath with stems comparable to small trees. Over grown and loving it they are. I may only have one pumpkin out of, oh I dunno, 30 PLANTS! (FAIL) Its ridiculous and heartbreaking. Nonetheless, I won't mind another trip to Hubers, a hayride, and picking my own little orange darlings with Sophia and Hubby, who, might I add, are doing quite well through all of this. That hubby, I tell you what. Nothing beats a good man who cooks and cleans and brings your spirits up through the worst of times. That man went days with no sleep to take care of us while I was dealing with my family situation.

Eggplants=ZERO. The plant itself its large and healthy looking yet apparently I'll be buying my eggplants from the farmers' market this year.

My one HUGE success this year was my Cream of Saskatchewan Watermelon. The first of about 10 is sitting in the fridge as we speak. I'm thinking tonight is the night. They are all doing great and are about the size of basketballs. That was the one thing I thought wouldn't make it this year.

CHICKENS! Oh yeah! They are getting so big! No eggs yet. My bet is on about two more weeks before the first treasure. I can't wait. There will be joy in my life again. That may be the start. The thought of greeting my girls in the morning, only to be greeted in return with an egg puts neon in my veins. I haven't spent as much time as I would have liked with the girls, and for that, some of our relationships have suffered a bit. But, I still have my goodies and Bessy still wants to be carried around like a baby. its ridiculous because she wasn't even one of my originals. We bonded. I love her, and still secretly (not-so-secretly) wish that she was a he. It could still happen!

Therapy? Who needs therapy? I just lifted two months off of my chest. I did miss this. My city-farmgirl life is whats helping me to heal. In between trips to and from the hospital I forced myself to can the pickles for fear that I would lose everything if I didn't. How could such a modest task like canning, ease the mind? Dunno. It did though. I chopped cucumbers through deep heartache and tears. And, when it was all said and done and I pulled the jars out of the water, I mustered up a miniscule amount of pride. A drop in the ocean, maybe, but it was something.

I heart Fall. Get here quick.