Garden in December

It just keeps giving! Broccoli and leeks for a quiche and I will have Brussel sprouts for Christmas! I'm making carrot pasta this weekend to boot!

First Fire!

It's a shame that live photos don't work on my blog because these two pictures look awesome on my phone! Global warming is also a real shame because we didn't start the wood stove until December 3rd. That's unheard of! Not a flake of snow on the ground is disappointing though! I'm finding it hard to get in the Christmas spirit. At least the house is toasty warm right now and there is still food coming out of the garden.

Shiny new parts for the first fire on December first!

New fire brick and newly welded sides!

Seed Saving with my Sunflowers

I had to take these puppies off the front porch,  where they were drying,  because Slip and Buffy found them.

4 Mammoth sunflower heads drying on the front porch wood rack

When I finally screened them all out and left the screen out for them to dry a bit more, the chickadees found them!

I can't win but at least all the birds are happy!

Last years pigs

I realized a week or so ago that last years pigs never (really) made it onto the blog. I referenced them on a Merrymeetingmenu post that I am working on, but failed to find photos of them that I hadn't already (mistakenly) deleted.

Then... I found this moments ago. 

Hammy Davis Jr. was the red head. The spotted pig was Notorious P.I.G. Piggy Smalls.

They got big really fast!

 

and then there were three very happy pigs! We got the third Pjork for a local camp that gave us all their compost!

Slip and Buff

They want to come in!

These ladies are the most social chickens we have ever had.

Not only would slip come into the house if we let her, but she loves to assume this stooping position that lets us pet her and pick her up.

Too cute!

This years Pumpkins!

I'm not only proud of the knockout garden we had this year 

 

but I am ecstatic  about the pumpkins we grew. 

 

 

 Happy garden = Happy Family = Happy kids! I love my life!

Fire Starters

Do you realize how incredibly flammable dryer lint is?

VERY

So, use it to your advantage and harness the power! Shove it in some empty cardboard paper tubes or empty boxes from things like Jello.

That's a plain and simple and hugely sustainable way to make fire starters.

A basement full of wood

I have to say I am rather proud of our accomplishment.
See that front row there?
 
















 That is all MY wood, aka Madeleine wood, because that was all dead lying or standing wood that SP would never have concerned himself with.

I am also a huge fan of the collective wood stacking we have done with our friends.

Abby and Steven are moving into a new old house this weekend. We were there last weekend helping stack their three cords of wood into their wood shed.

It really makes us happy to help others. It is my life's mission. 

The best past was even getting over to Beth's the next day to get her firewood in the right place. Yes the right place is on the other side of the house and NOT at the opening of her driveway.
Because really, how could this picture NOT make you happy!?



A fair tally would be that the 6 of us stacked 10 cords of woods this season. That is quite the accomplishment if you ask me!

I love these people and am happy they are in my life, and proud to call them friends!

Frost tonight...

This is my kitchen/dining room

Loading firewood into the basement

Father, son, and firewood

I love these two so very much. 

Status: Firewood

First Hod of the Officially Full Fall!

We got back from the Common Ground Country Fair on Sunday so late that I never made it to the garden. I hustled down last night in face of the pending rain to grab all the tomatoes I could. There was so much I could have done out there but it started to rain in earnest.

















Its kind of sad knowing that the garden is on it's last legs. A frost could it at any time and frankly I am so luck it hasn't happened already. My husk cherries and basil are definitely showing that some colder temps took a nip at them over the weekend. We are planning on 5 solid says of rain through Sunday so I guess its time to button up the firewood project under some tarps until next weekend. 5 to 8 inches are expected!!!! Stay dry everyone!

Hods, Hodfuls, and more of both.

Our garden has achieved that point where it requires a daily trip to bring HOD-FULLS of produce back to the house. I can't even keep track of the pictures I take because, of course, I take one every time. Even while I was away in NYC, I pleaded with SP to commit to following my lead and getting down there regularly. It worked and he did. Most of my hod pictures have been posted on Instagram but since I haven't posted more than one or two to this blog, here goes almost a month of hod-fulls.

sorry... this one's crooked or is it sideways? That's SP picking beans.

this is definitely one of the first hod-fulls of the season.

This one was right after Greyfox.