Monday, September 26, 2011

The last Monday in September


There's a soft rain falling out there...it's after 11 PM, and I am tired but not sleepy.  The dogs are sleeping all around me and the Irishman is sound asleep on the other side of the house.  It's been cool of late, fall settling around our shoulders like an old blanket.  Mornings are very cool--in the low 40's mostly, although this rain should warm things up a bit.

  We still haven't put up the heat lamp in the chicken coop, but probably will this next weekend.  One of the hens is laying ginormous eggs...almost twice the size of the others. It's bizarre. The last Rhode Island Red is looking pretty raggedy, I suspect I'll go out to the coop and find her dead any day now. She doesn't appear to be in any distress  but you can tell by her comb and her body that she's fading. She is almost 5 years old...

  I was walking out in the backyard today and noticed the last of the flowers and the walking onions and the raggedy old lilies and irises...almost like the plant world is preparing for it's seasonal shutdown. The green beans are flowering to beat the band and the sugar peas have lots of blooms too. The turnips and kale are looking healthy and there are even a few radishes out there. The 2 squash plants that Patrick put in the ground are getting big, I suspect there's not going to be enough time for them to make fruit though....but who knows? The parsley and chives are still looking well and I could probably harvest more basil. I harvested quite a bit and made pesto, if you recall. I still have last years basil drying in the closet (I know, I know...) and I need to get that out and bagged....

  Baked a chicken pot pie today, with big buttermilk biscuits on top instead of making pie crust. It was warm, good comfort food....chunks of chicken breast with onions, celery, carrots, green beans and red potatoes. The house smelled like heaven....

  I had a busy weekend. We went to the little local retro-theater and saw Cowboys and Aliens. it was fun. That was on Friday.  ON Saturday we usually kind of go our separate ways, as I have to go to MissB's anyway at 3...on Sunday we had our District picnic and then I went to MissB's and then I went to an 8 PM meeting and gave a girl a coin for 3 years.  By the time I got home, my butt was draggin....I baked a coconut cream pie that morning for her, and I made a cooker full of crockpot corn to take to the picnic. Today was the graveside service for the baby my niece lost....she was 4.5 months pregnant and wanted only her mom and dad and brother there, so...I don't know much about what happened. I came straight home tonight and thought I'd surely be in bed early.  HAH!


  I got 2 new books today...The Complete Idiot's Guide to Preserving Food and another called Independence Days. I'm looking forward to digging into them.

  Okay.  I'm tired and need to get to bed.  It's almost midnight and I feel the fog starting to creep in around the edges. lol


The canning workshop is this coming Saturday, and I'm both excited and nervous about it.  I need to try to get into a chiropractor too, my neck is killing me. Hope it's not another earthquake....



Namaste.

6 comments:

Rita said...

I wonder why the one hen lays such huge eggs? Curious.
Sounds like the last Red will be leaving the coop soon. :(
Your chicken pot pie sounds delicious! And the garden is valiantly trying to race the cold.
Sorry about your niece losing her baby. So sad.
Have fun with the caning workshop! Hope you slept well. :)

Mary LA said...

I love that exhaustion and last spurt of summer you write about -- and I could do with a manual for the idiot preserving food. We are in spring and rushing towards summer -- all the sage flowered today without warning.

The Rhode Island Red has had a good life. Your food sounds delicious.

DJan said...

You know, you get more done in a day than most of us, and it is no wonder you are dragging by the end of each one! You amaze me. And for some reason just reading about it makes me feel tired along with you! But it still keep on doing it, because I like being there with you... :-)

Beth said...

You put me to shame with all that you accomplish.

Fresh eggs,green beans, and peas. sounds heavenly to me.

Carol said...

Are you interested in doing Nano this year?

the wild magnolia said...

Great post.

You were busy.

Hope you rest.

Coconut cream pie....mmmmm

So sorry for the loss of the wee one. It hurts so bad. I know.