Hibernation...

It was a nice fall while it lasted.  I regret not taking more photos of the leaves.

Now fall is over and winter is clawing it's way in.  The poor trees took the brunt of it.  I have to admit, I pretty much hibernated this weekend.  I did make some apple crisp and chocolate zucchini muffins. After all you need to hibernate on a full belly.

 We did go bow hunting this afternoon.  I had a blast.  There were lots of does and fawns.  They came right up to the blind.  A little rabbit kept me company.  Even though he knew I was next to him, he just hopped around nibbling on everything there was to nibble.  I never saw a buck, but it was an enjoyable sit.

As my husband and I walked out, a fawn came running up to within 10 yards and followed us back to the truck.  He doesn't seem to have a mother and must have been lonely.  The moon was amazing.  It looked like the giant pumpkin rising from the prairie.

Are you ready for winter?  After my flurry of preparation, I know I'm ready for a long winter nap.

This is the end...

I was very busy tidying up the garden.  I harvested seeds, put away garden decorations, dug up glads and geraniums, pulled the corn and pumpkin vines.  I spread sluggo around the beds.  Hopefully, it puts a dent in the slug population.  Next year, I will be ready for them.  While puttering around, I couldn't help but think of that Doors song, "this is the end, this is the end my friend."  Not only am I hoping it is the end for the slugs, but it is supposed to snow this week.  It also was the last entry in my garden journal.  

Kelly gave me the journal our first Christmas in the cabin. For seventeen years I've documented my projects, plants, the weather, and life in general.  Many an entry was made over coffee on the porch.  I have a new journal ready to go.  I was eager to start using it, until I started writing on the last page of the old one.  This is the end my friend.

I also picked a peck of peppers.  They are perfect roasted.  I cut them up and discarded the seeds.  I drizzled them with olive oil.  I added salt, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Then I broiled them for 5 minutes, shuffled them around, and broiled for another two minutes.  I let them cool, laid them in a container, and froze them.  Perfect peppers.

Besides drying many of my herbs, I love the olive oil method of preservation.  I take an ice cube trays and fill it with minced garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, and chives.  Pour olive oil over the top and freeze.  These are perfect when browning meat.  I love to use herbs when cooking.  I only have one cube left out of two trays from last year.  I dried mint, chamomile, lavender, basil, rosehips, sage, oregano, and parsley.

Do you use herbs often?  What is your favorite way to preserve them?  Have you had snow yet?  Here is hoping you have a warm week.

Fabulous Fall...

 Fall is always such a busy time of year.  I've been harvesting the little that I have to harvest.  Two pumpkins, some small ears of sweet corn, and peppers.  The only things I've had great luck with this year are my herbs.  Yesterday the weather was so terrible that I hurridly brought all of my herbs inside.  My basils went nuts this year.  We also picked the apples and crabapples.  I left quite a few for the birds, as most were pretty scarred from hailstorms.

This year I tried roasting my peppers and freezing them.  I have to say they are as good as broiled tomatoes.  Yumm...

 I still have quite a few flowers blooming.  My butterfly garden looks great.

The fall fog rolled in fast.  Another weekend came and went as quickly.  I was glad we were able to get the lawn mowed.  I think we set a new record this year.  We mowed every week except for two.  Are you enjoying your fall?  Did you mow a lot?

Millions of peaches...

Actually, there aren't millions of peaches.  We ate them all.  We couldn't help it they were just too good.  This year I only got one box because we wanted to try some plums and pears.  The plums weren't great, but the pears we're good.  The problem is who eats pears when you have peaches?  Anyway, I only canned four jars of peaches and five jars of pears.  I also made some pear wine, which is absolutely fabulous.  My cucumber jelly is in high demand, so I made another batch.  It was a busy weekend.  I also made some peach cobbler.  There isn't a photo, because we ate that too.  Are you getting the feeling those peaches are really good?  

I don't have much else.  We went hunting this evening.  I saw a lot of deer, but not close enough to shoot with a bow.  Oh well.  It's nice to just sit quietly.

 Peaches and Cream Hollyhocks have to be one of my favorite flowers.  They are always in full bloom when the peaches are ripe.

 I am still getting raspberries.  Don't they look grand?

 My Naustraums are stellar this year.  The colors are very vibrant.  Although they are edible, I don't enjoy their flavor.

 We have had a lot of rain and these mushrooms are all over the lawn.  They are the perfect mushroom.

What is blooming in your garden?  Would you rather have the perfect pear or peach?  Hope you had a great weekend.

Busy...

 I had a wonderful Monday brunch with Phyllis and Bob.  It is a yearly tradition.  We always trade goods.  Phyllis makes me the best dish cloths and pot holders.  She also keeps an eye open for things I can use.  Last year it was a picnic basket and this year it was a bread box.  I reciprocate with homemade jams and sweet grass braids.  I wasn't certain what I could use the breadbox for as my kitchen is quite small.  Then I had an epiphany.  It would make the perfect seed box.  It fits on my garden bench.  I can keep my seeds without worrying about mice getting them.  I love it.

We got our peck of peaches on Friday. I don't know if I will get any canned.  We are eating them like crazy.  I also got plums and pears.  Plenty to keep me busy.  I made some bacon jam and plum jelly.  With the warm weekend I got a couple of projects out of the way.  The sidehill behind our barn is planted with raspberries.  When I planted it I made a little set of stairs to the bottem of the hill.  Today I made a set of stairs on the other side.  Now I can just make a picking loop.  Sometimes it's the little things that keep me happy.

 Aren't the colors beautiful?  The sun was hitting the butterfly just right.  Below was the sunrise I saw deer hunting.  I didn't see any deer, but it was a beautiful morning.

 I have been busy harvesting tea herbs and sweetgrass.  My garden is a disaster except for my herbs.  I did end up with 12 Bunches of sweetgrass for braids. They just need to dry a little.

All in all it has been a busy week.  What are you harvesting?  Have you ever smelled a sweetgrass braid?  Wasn't the full moon wonderful?

Friends, wine, shopping, and quilts...

Today was a perfect day. My friend from work retires at the end of the month.  She has been a nurse for over 30 years.  To celebrate her freedom and our friendship we spent a fabulous day in Hill City.  A beautiful town nestled in the Black Hills.  It is filled with winerys, art galleries, small businesses, and for the weekend quilts.  They have a quilt show every summer. I love the community because although tourism is a major part of the economy they still hosted a wonderful event that the local community could enjoy.  Also all of the stores are quick to recommend other local businesses.

 We started the day with wine tasting and a glass of wine at the Prairie Berry.  The Prairie Berry is what started my winemaking hobby.  It was there I learned about the endless possibilities when making fruit wines.  We then wandered down Main Street enjoying the galleries and shops.  All of the businesses had a quilt hanging out front.  The high school is at the bottom of main and the quilt show was there.  We then enjoyed a good meal, wandered back up through the stores, and ended with another wine tasting and a much needed slushy.  The fall weather was perfect, as was the day.

 The time and talent put into these quilts was amazing.  Some were machine quilted and some were hand quilted.

 There were color combinations and patterns I could never have envisioned.

 The quilt below was completely hand stitched.  I wish I had taken a close up of the turtles at the bottom.

 One of the funniest things that happened was there was a raffle drawing with many beautiful prizes.  Your phone number was to be on the ticket and they would call the winners at 4:00.  We were in a shop at 3:55 when my friend's phone rang.  Everyone in the store said, "she won."  Turned out to be her daughter.  Then at 4:00 someone else's phone rang and we all said "she won." It was her husband looking for her.  Who knew so many people call around 4:00.

 It was a consummate day.  We bought Christmas gifts, chocolate, enjoyed some wine, and visited until our heart's content.  I went home thankful for a good friend and in awe of the talent around me. I am also inspired for my winter quilt project and new wine combinations.

What are your hobbies?  Does your community host a quilt show?  Is there a community close to you that hosts an enjoyable day?

Thankful...

My husband and I took a drive up a mountain to watch the northern lights.  There were no northern lights, but we had a hellva good time watching the stars and visiting for two hours on the mountain top.   I am so thankful that 25 years later we still sit and visit.  The next evening we went bowhunting and although we didn't see any deer we had a good time.

Tonight a friend invited me over to pick grapes.  We enjoyed a glass of wine, and had a wonderful visit.  She is a great person and I've always enjoyed our conversations.  This summer she went to Greece and it was fun discussing the difference between American and European cultures.  We also shared our gardening woes.  

I drove home, top and doors off of my Jeep, and counted my blessings.  I didn't finish any huge projects this three day weekend.  I didn't go on any big trips.  I enjoyed my time and the people around me.  Life is short and time is precious.  I am thankful for the people in it.  I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend and shared it with friends and family.