Good morning everybody. We've got a heavy ground fog this morning. I feel like I should be hearing fog horns echoing in the mist, yet we're miles from any sea! It's been another busy week here as the garden winds down, and we get ready for cold weather. I put up my bushel of apples. Tried an apple walnut and cranberry relish that was in the Ball canning book with some of the apples. It looks pretty in the jars; hope it tastes as good as it looks. The tomatoes, despite looking awful, are still producing, and I may get to my 50-qts. of tomato sauce yet. I'm optimistic. I spent 2 days in Nashville at the end of the week. The traffic really freaked me out. I just don't think I could live in a city anymore where you have to get in a traffic jam everytime you want to go to the drugstore. No wonder half our society is stressed out. Guess it's just as well they all live in the city, though. I'd hate to see country roads get as crowded, and I think they are in some parts of the country. On that note, I'll stop and look forward to other notes on this thread. Someone else, please start this next week; I'll be on the road again. Have a good week.

-- Katherine in KY (KyKatherine@Yahoo.com), September 30, 2001

Answers

Hello everyone! Our garden , with exception of tomatoes and okra, is gone..I dug over a bushel of sweet potatoes yesterday. They turned out very nice. Our weather has been cooler and windy--makes you think winter is just around the corner. :) I will start my fall house cleaning tomorrow--(this is my 'spring cleaning').

Started making Christmas gifts and really need some good ideas! What do you give someone who is very wealth and has everything they could ever want or need?????? I remember a verse from the Bible that goes " Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey,spices and myrrh,nuts and almonds." So maybe that is my answer--gifts from the garden and orchard!

Hope everyone is well and that you have everything you need. Debbie

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), September 30, 2001.

Hi:

It was a beautiful day here. We are building a chicken coop. Everything's in from the garden except kale and carrots, but we have 18 pumpkins on the kitchen table to process! This is the first year we've had pumpkins..do any of you prefer to can or freeze? I'd be using them for pies and bread anyway. I LOVE fall.

One of the neat things about living in a small town is that things are much more intimate. A townsperson who runs the movie theatre here started an "art film" club. Last night we premiered with a wonderful movie "Moulin Rouge." Great time, great movie.

take care. cathy

-- Cathy (nomorespam@somewhere.com), September 30, 2001.

We have chicks! Little Black Hen hatched out 5 out of 9 remaining eggs under her. The last 4 were duds. 4 little yellow chicks with the occassional black spot and one black one with yellow markings. She's a great mama too. They hatched Wednesday and Thursday. There's the beginnings of the homestead flock. The pigs are ready to go to the butcher this week or next. I am feeding them lots of apples. I am planning to send the ram lamb even though he's still young (only 5 months old). the turkeys are getting aggressive with the kids. The kids used to chase them and now the turkeys are returning the favor although if the kids din't run away crying I am sure the turkeys would turn tail pretty quick. How big do you like your turkeys to be when you butcher? These are only 3 1/2 months old.

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), October 01, 2001.

I forgot to mention that the lettuce and spinach is doing great but its getting colder nights so I cold framed them with hay bales and old windows. I can taste those greens already! hee hee

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), October 01, 2001.

The days here are warm, around 70 and the nights are fairly cool. Around here the farmenrs are all working like crazy to get the crops out, there is rain forecast for later in the week. I still have a few tomaotes producing and the zuchinni are endless this year. Other than that I just have a few carotts and the brussel sprouts left to put up. I got the fall cleaning all done last week and the wood is cut, split and ready to go. My husband is an avid hunter, so we ususally cut wood in the summer. I am ready for fall, and it si time to start thinking about winter and Christmas presents. I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler temps. have a great week.

-- Barb in wc IL (Barb43@countrylife.net), October 01, 2001.

I really enjoy reading what is going on in other parts of the country here. I am jealous of so many pumpkins, and still fresh tomatoes and squash! We have had a rough year, with a couple of deaths in the family, and one being my father, who was my gardening buddy the last couple of years - always over the phone with "my potatoes are up, are yours? and WE had fresh corn for supper, what did YOU have?" I didn't really feel inspired to garden much this year, as he died just at planting time. I am getting itchy for next year already, though, and plans to put my garden in a new, more permanent place with a shed (as soon as I move my hens so they won't get into my tomatoes!) and some permanent raised beds for asparagus and strawberries *YUM!*. Thanks for the spirit boosts, even though no one knew I was getting them.

-- Christine in OK (cljford@aol.com), October 05, 2001.