AUTUMN GARDEN AND KNITTING

We know it's autumn when the pumpkins are ready to be picked.  Here's our harvest plus two that are on the front porch and one that I've baked and used in pumpkin bread.  Yum!

The gourds are all volunteers from gourds that fell on the ground last year.  I'm amazed - new plants come up every spring at different parts of the yard.  There must be a purpose for something so determined to survive, but I'm not sure what it its.  Nor am I sure what to do with all of this.  Here it all is ready for baking and some thing else ... just not sure what.  I baked one of the smaller pumpkins the same way I bake acorn squash.  Then I scooped out the pumpkin pulp, but it through the food processor and used it to make pumpkin bread.  The delicious recipe can be found here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pumpkin_bread/ 

Master Gardener, D, is transforming the spring/summer garden in to a fall/winter garden.  All the dead and dying plants have been pulled out, and he is creating new planting areas and reviving the soil with chicken manure.  Sounds gross, but it works.  Plants love it as do worms which keep the soil aerated. 

Here's the what's left of the summer garden.  We're hoping to use some of it along with the zillion leaves that are going to fall to create a compost pile. This is definitely learn-as-you-go gardening.

Another change is the expansion of the garden area and the move of the raspberry plant to a sunnier spot.  It's vines will grow up on the fence.

Here's the yard through the dream catchers on the patio.  It's our dream to have a producing winter garden, and I think we will.  Also hidden are a multitude of iris tubers, and tulip, and crocus bulbs that we're hoping will make the yard spectacular in color in the spring.

As I work on my blog, my constant companions are near by.  It's their time to snooze since they go out at night and do their cat thing.  I hope Spaz has learned his lesson about fighting and keeps a low profile while he's out there.

Below is the last of the pink yarn.  I had to piece together what was left to make another drop stitch scarf, a little narrower than the first one.  I like the way it came out.  My plastic bin is full of knitting for the bazaar.  I still have a few started projects that need to be finished and it will be ready to go next month.



I substitute taught at Elk Creek yesterday in math for my friend, J M.  I took my knitting since her students always have a lot to do and I'm not a math genius and no help with algebra or geometry. It was fun to see my old students again and the staff, too.  I'm going again next week.  Will try to take some pictures.  Keep on knitting and crocheting ... someone will love you for it.