::A Fall Walk Around our Place ::

Friday afternoon it was 92° outside and sunny.  

We were getting in the car to head out to visit my daughter when I saw these Morning Glories...I wish I had seen them when the first bloomed. I waited 5 1/2 months to see Morning Glories! 

Here it is October and they've just now bloomed! The vine is withered and sparse...and there is a tiny flash of blue and purple.  I'm glad I got the chance to see a few flowers from planting these seeds with my grand-daughter. 

So Friday 92°...and today in the 52°.... and I have these beautiful Roses on the bush! 

I snapped these this morning making my rounds in the yard... 

on the way back from the COOP!  So pretty and vibrant pink. 

This is the COOP. Fall... it's been a year since we started owning chickens we've gotten lots of eggs. Had lots of fun with the chickens in the yard. I doubt we'll be letting them out in the yard much this winter. So hard to catch all of them. 

We have two of the NUGGETS left. The two smart chickens that didn't make it to the Freezer. 

Their names are (yes, we named them) are Opal and Pearlie. My Grand-daughter has wanted to name a chicken Opal since we brought them home.  She watches a fairy cartoon and one of the good fairies is named Opal.... So we named the other Pearlie after the main Character. I THINK I can tell the chickens apart....I'll try and get some close ups of them... and see if you can tell a difference. 

This last collage is of random things growing in my yard this very brisk October day... 

An Oak tree...which I can see outside my kitchen window...still has VERY GREEN leaves on it. 

By next week...they'll be yellow and soon after that they will just be gone. Not much of Fall Foliage Festival....in the part of TEXAS. 

I also have the makings of a pretty good Aloe plant. 

My sister in law gave me several pieces to grow...and the chickens OBLITERATED THEM. I salvaged a little tiny piece and planted it in this pot...and put it inside a fenced garden area...to keep the chickens off of it. 

It has grown pretty well.  I need to bring it in now. 

Then lastly... LOOK AT THAT MUSHROOM! It's as huge as a loaf of bread! Bigger than a SOFTBALL!!! HUGE... 

...Crazy stuff going on in the yard... on this Cloudy, OverCast, Chilly, Simple Sunday. :) 

Hope you enjoyed the walk around our place in the country... I enjoyed showing you around. 



Joining up at SSS




Oh give thanks to the LORD for He is good; His loving kindness is everlasting. ~Psalm 107:1

::Using What you Have:: T-shirts in the Garden

On Sunday, August 5... I told you how our garden was still growing. The photos I used were at that time about 1 WEEK OLD PHOTOS.


You may have noticed in the picture below...that flash of red in the back ground of this picture...Well it's a Melon Hammock!

I also showed you how the Cantaloupe was putting fruit on the vine again. The photo below shows the Cantaloupe just left of center...

Back to the RED flash of color in the back ground... it's a T-shirt. See I didn't have any panty hose so I used an old T-shirt. For what you might ask?

See that little cantaloupe in the above picture?


Now, check it out below!!!

Now this picture is from this morning ~~so this is almost 3 weeks since the previous photo was snapped.  That Cantaloupe has gotten huge! 

The problem is: this vine has grown all along the fence (placed there to keep the chickens out) ...but I had a couple of melons fall from the vine before they ripened fully, because they were just too heavy. So I made some little Melon Hammocks.


Here is how I did it. If you don't need explanation I don't mind if you just scroll through the photos...but if you do, there is a little bit help for you! I need pictures and words sometimes!  :) 



This is a T-SHIRT SLEEVE. I cut it from the t-shirt... and cut it open. Then I cut 3 slits in the sides right, left and in the curve...These are for tying to the fence. I also cut random slits for 'GIVE' and 'AIR FLOW'

The knot in the rounded part gives it a little cupping affect. You'll see in a moment.



Here is the little melon I showed you up top.





I've used the slits from the sides and tied the sleeve to the fence. If you look in between my thumb and forefinger you'll see the knot...designed to cradle the little melon. Vio`la!

There it is chillin out in the sun! Nice and snug in it's little melon hammock! Hopefully, it will avoid premature drop!


As it grows the random slits will allow for expansion and stretch to give the fruit ample room to grow.






There you have it. A simple, FREE way to support your fruit in the garden.

Does anybody even wear panty hose anymore? Of course I recycled all the old pairs I had...so, this T-shirt was the next best thing!
LINKING IN AT HOMESTEAD REVIVAL






Deborah Jean's Dandelion House

The grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philippians 4:23 

 

:: STILL GROWING ::

I was so hoping to be finished with the garden by this time of the year. But here it is August and we still have many plants thriving outside. 

 You can't really tell it from the photos-- but all around the interior parts of the yard... dry ground, not many grassy areas. Here inside this front bed... it's pretty lush!  
Tomatoes... still growing! 

 Tomatoes on this side and Canteloupe spanning from one growing box on through to the other... 

 Our Pecan Trees have plenty of pecans on them so far this year!  That's exciting! 

 Not only is this Canteloupe spanning the beds... but the weeds are thriving too.  I gave up on this little area when it came to weeding! 

 The other day I came very close to pulling this particular canteloupe vine. But as you can see.. It has fruit on the vine STILL! 

...AND HERE... More fruit. 

This long narrow bed looks like it has seen better days... but there are beets, Okra in the back and Tomatoes here toward the front. There are also some Peppers plants growing near the okra...but NOT ONE PEPPER!!!  


So with all the gardening we did last Summer, Fall, and through the Winter;I was hoping our Spring beds would grow and we'd rest during the Summer months of 2012. I wanted to let the ground lay fallow and prep it for a Fall garden in 2012... but no, here we are the first week in August and still have food growing. Which, is a GOOD thing... not going to complain there. It just shows me, there is still much to be learned where gardening is concerned. 


We've had a real relaxing weekend... I've had some time out browsing the new Good Will and Bargain Land.  I painted and am waxing the ""Boy's"" (our youngest son...that is his nic-name...Boy) dresser to match the bedside table. This morning The Honey brought me breakfast in bed!!! So it has been a pretty simple Sunday. 





I almost missed the Sunny Simple Sunday blog hop: It is late Sunday night but I'm still linking up. To find out how people are getting by on their Simple Sundays follow the link to read more! 






Sunny Simple Sunday -9

The grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit.Philippians 4:23 

::Texas Summer Garden Update::

I read lots of blogs and I see many of you are JUST starting to see the fruits of your labor out in your gardens.  I,on the other hand, am seeing the winding down of our garden.


Which isn't a bad thing. I'm sort of tired and I figure the ground needs a rest too.

Last year-- I said I'd take a break during the summer; let the land lay fallow and not worry about growing during the heat of the summer. 

 Well, guess what?! This summer has been all together different for us here in Kaufman County,TX-- than it was last year. 

 In just the last 4 days-- we've had rain every day!  Not to mention that we've had other days with intermittent showers...yes! So the growing season has been extended. We grew tomatoes, cabbages, brussels sprouts, and broccoli over the winter. We also had carrots and radishes and Fall Potatoes! So while it's been two summers that we've had a garden we are in our THIRD SEASON of growing. It has been hot some days...and it has been wet others!!!

 That's not to say we haven't had our share of pests too. 
Last year we had a terrible 'plague' of grasshoppers. This year, they haven't been as bad. 

 The chickens have helped to deter them on the ground...but they couldn't stop the 'hoppers from eating the SUNFLOWERS OR THE CORN!!! We got a little bit of corn; enough for The Honey and I to have a few meals. I'm determined to put corn up. I may try some in the fall. 
I was just reading the other day-- That where we are-- is right on the cusp of Gulf Coast and Southern Interior planting zones. We may be able to plant and grow corn in the Fall! I hope so.  I also read that we have ON AVERAGE 254 GROWING DAYS throughout the year.  I'm starting to believe it. 

 I haven't had to cover the tomatoes this year with Tulle...that was my main defense last year against the 'hoppers. This year...they hardly come to the front bed at all. I don't know that the 6 chickens in The Friendly Flock could have handled the grasshoppers we've had. But ,The Nuggets have become quite adept at hunting and eating those pesky bugs; and have earned themselves "a stay of execution".  For now... 

The days are long and have been hot enough that our lettuce bolted... finally. We hardly EVER HAVE LETTUCE AND TOMATOES GROWING AT THE SAME TIME. Last year-- I harvested seeds from the lettuce we grew...this year's lettuce was the result of that harvest. The Honey didn't know this tid-bit of information and he cleared out the lettuce one day while I was out running errands.  Oh well, live and learn.  


 I know many of you are experiencing HEAT where you are-- and are having poor results in the garden. Not to mention-- having to adjust to those sweltering temps--- most summers it's like that here. This summer has been pretty mild. I was telling The Honey-- it reminds me of summers when I was a kid. They weren't always so hot you could fry bacon on the side walk...no, some summers were nice enough to run around the yard and play in the rain while the sun was breaking through the clouds! 


That's how it is GROWING for us this year. 
How about you?  Are you having any luck in the garden? 
Is your garden just about spent or are you just getting started?  I'd love to hear about your garden adventures... share in the comments! 




deborah jean's Dandelion House

The grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philippians 4:23

Pretty as a Pansy~

           Recently I was chatting with someone via email and we were discussing the beauty in blooms-- especially blooms on vegetable plants. 

I was saying how sad it must be to live in a neighborhood where the H.O.A. governs what can and can't be planted in the public areas of your yard. 

 

 This Okra is as pretty as any Pansy I've ever seen. 

...And I think this squash blooms just as brilliantly as a Hibiscus. 

I know I've read some blogs where ladies have said, they'd like to plant vegetables to put on their table to minimize the cost of the food budget. I say if you have a yard, with space and soil;  why not plant food to eat? Instead the city ordinances and Home Owner's Associations want to dictate to you the plants, grasses and trees that you are allowed to have in your yard. Plants that take so much costly water and upkeep; including gasoline for mowers and trimmers. 


I say it's ridiculous. Even if the plants weren't pretty-- and all they did was make produce, 'Who Cares?'. You make the payments and pay the taxes on the property-- why not plant vegetables? 
I guess you could plant something that is really disagreeable with the neighbors...like the Corpse plant voted the World's Ugliest Plant! (not to mention smelly,too)  
I've seen some ugly plants in my day- while not the Corpse Plant, this is the Stinky Squid it is the runner up! 

(not my photo)

I think I had something similar like this growing in my field near the back fence...I can't find the photo now, but it was ugly! 

That's all of my rant. I really just wanted to show you pictures of my  pretty Okra. I thought I'd wrap it up in something informative as well! 

Thanks for reading! 

Linking Here: Deborah Jean's Dandelion House

The Grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with your Spirit. Philippians 4:23

 

BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST-

A few weeks back-- before I took my little blog-cation--- I asked you 'what you thought this bloom may be?' 


Most of you were right it was a squash... Zucchini Squash.

  
The BIGGEST ZUCCHINI SQUASH this girl has ever grown!!!!!! 

No kidding, the one in the fore-ground the size of a football.  I wish I HAD  a foot ball so I could show you... but believe me--

---IT IS  HUGE!  

These were grown on the HUGELKULTURE MOUND IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN. With little to no effort. We've had good rain and mild temps; with lots of sun! 

They are delicious too. 

We're still getting zucchini and cucumbers from there. We have corn growing out there, but I'm afraid we won't yield much there -due to high winds and ...dun,dun,duh....

grasshoppers. Yes! they're back! 

The front beds are doing better-- the chickens are keeping most of them (grasshoppers) away. Up front, we have tomatoes, okra, pepper plants (no peppers yet), cantaloupe, spinach -- the first batch bolted already, the second batch is still going strong; as well as, the lettuce. I started carrots and beets late-- we'll see what we get. 

an oregon cottage

The Grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philippians 4:23