"Fly Me To The Moon"

Woke up to a power outage early this morning...On the bright side, I was able to see the moonlight dancing across the floor allowing the chance to enjoy the simplicity of this beauty!

Photo by Jennifer Maltba all rights reserved

Early arrival

Winter has arrived...and with it the first snow on November 3rd. brought almost 11 inches. 

Well hello Winter!!!

I know it comes every year...but this year it caught us off guard with such a large amount this early on.

Could this be a sign of the Winter ahead? 

We will hunker down and put another log on the fire!

Confussion is nothing new

Fall is here and this lovely lady is a little confused about the weather.

 Found this one and only lonely blossom.... In all her glory!

Her last little hoorah before winter arrives.

The good stuff

I love when you haven't checked the compost pile all Summer and find black gold for Fall amendments when you finally get around to it!

Abundance

Tiny but mighty....The grapes came on in full force after being severely pruned back from winter damage. The arbor is loaded and it's time for us to enjoy the abundance!

Drying out & Digging up

Our farm kitty "David" hard at it, as I harvested potatoes and battle the smoke filled air...We have been socked in with smoke this week from the Montana fires. Thank goodness no fires close to us at this time!

The garden just isn't as pretty as we let some of the varieties dry out for seed saving. We will be saving Dill, Peas, Broccoli and Bean seed this week

Sharing the Bounty

With two apple trees in the back yard, there is plenty of hungry wildlife that finds their way to the bounty. We have more than enough to share!

This year the branches are fully loaded bowing under the weight.

out of control

 I may have dropped the ball on picklers this year but these slicers are out of control!!!!

Bringing the sunshine in...

Harvesting dried Sunflower heads

Summer has brought so many changes for us this year. Our oldest son is engaged and our youngest son went away to college leaving us empty nesters for the first time in 20 years.

It's not a bad thing....I'm focused and happy about all of the positives of being a new empty nester but things around here just seem weird.... The house stays clean on its own 😉, the laundry basket isn't overflowing at the end of the day, the house has a new quiet that will take a little getting used to and we are learning how to shop and cook for just the two of us.

For the most part, our day jobs are keeping us pretty busy and preoccupied.

We were able to squeak away for a plane trip to Boise to celebrate our nieces vow renewal/wedding celebration earlier in the month. It's been so long since the two of us have been able to fly away together.

*Making a note to self: More trips will be in your future!

We moved and settled the youngest son in his new digs at the college dorm.

Plans for a new shop are underway here on the homestead...and excavation is about to begin. It is very much-needed space.

In the meantime, Summer has been hot and very dry... The garden has been hanging in there but has battled blossom end rot on the tomatoes and zucchini.

Summer has also thrown us a curveball as we discovered abandoned kitties under our chicken coop that took us a couple of days to catch. They were wild, scared, hungry and dehydrated!!!

Kitty number one went on to a loving home and kitty number two has wormed his way into our hearts and we have decided to make him a part of the family. Our mini Yorkie thinks that he is her new toy😺 it's really cute watching her try to make friends and kitty just isn't sure yet!

Now on the home stretch of Summer...we can feel the change in the cool morning air.

Going to have myself a good cry!!!

No, I'm not emotionally distraught....I'm just going to cut into my Ailsa Craig onions for a fresh Cucumber Onion Salad today 😋 and enjoy!

Seeing Purple

The Royal Purple bush beans have been in flower and just starting to show their pods.  I'm loving all that purple in the garden. Looks like a good harvest coming my way ;-)

Fading like a flower

Calendula is starting to buckle and faint in this heat, the Bee balm is on it's last leg. Enjoyed them while they lasted :-)

That's a mouthful

Love these cute little vintage kitchen scrub holders. I can remember my grandmas scrub holder from when I was little and helped her wash the dishes.. I recently found two of them at a thrift store and without hesitation knew what I would fill them with...

A garden fail

This is my Achillies heel this year...Pickling cukes!

First ones started were eaten by mice in the greenhouse. Round 2 isn't looking to swell either. I read somewhere in interenet land that companion planting cukes with sunflowers will sweeten up the cukes.

Well..it looks like an epic fail in my garden. These babies are on their last leg and it's not looking to good at this point!!! Guess I will be pickling wax beans instead.

On the brighter side...The slicers in the greenhouse are Rock stars!!!

Bulking up

Melons and Pumpkins are finally starting to put on some weight ;-)

Junk Truck

Filled my little Junk Trucks with some hens and chicks.  Now let's go play in the dirt 🙌

Leaf roll

It's getting Hot...and my little garden is starting to show signs of heat stroke.

Tomatoes are still looking ok for now but the leaves are starting to curl...Yikes! 

I 'm thinking it's Physiological Leaf Roll  

I 'll just have to keep an eye on them and see what I end up with. 

Working overtime

The ladies have been working overtime in the coop...

I always enjoy the simple chore of collecting eggs....unless one of the ladies has eaten her Wheaties and is in full blown "Broody Hen" mode. Some how it takes the fun out of it when they're testy.

Let the sunshine in...

Heating up here in the Northwest... with no rain in sight my garden welcomes in the morning light. The self-seeded sunflowers are standing proud and tall and are just beginning to smile upon my little spot of Heaven.

Spooning

This weekends fun find.... the cutest little hand carved Welsh Love Spoon.
A little history.... 
The carver of a love spoon would incorporate certain designs into his spoon, meant to convey a special meaning to the lucky recipient of the spoon. The spoon is symbolic and it tells the recipient that the he wishes to keep her and provide her with food and with everything else that she may need.

A heart told her that he was giving his heart to her. 

The links in a chain told her how many children he wanted. A chain could also indicate the linking of their lives together.

A diamond shape cut into the spoon expressed the hope of good fortune and wealth.

The keyhole told her that his home was hers.

How sweet is that?

Saving Seeds

Drying on the vine and saving pea seeds...I love how the sun shines through and illuminates the pods

The smallest Flower Garden

 Wish there were more hours to my day....The smallest flower garden at my day job get's the least of my attention! There are weeds, dry and parched conditions and sheer neglect yet still, musters up the energy to share it's beauty.  Little garden, thank you for your patience and believing in me when most times I struggle to believe in myself ❤

Cheyenne Spirit

The earliest coneflower to bloom in my  Garden...

Cheyenne Spirit

I love all the colors it throws.

Teenie Weenie's

Just a teenie weenie Zucchini harvest.

Trying to catch them before they grow out of control ;-)

Lavender a must!

My garden wouldn't be complete without the addition of Lavender....

Today's small harvest has scented the entire house. 

I like to place all the discarded leaves and broken stems in a pan of water,  to steep on the stovetop for a little while. The scent is amazing!!!!

The little bundles will be hung to dry.

Morning harvest

Finding peace within my soul as my hands quietly work and harvest berries in the early morning sunlight. I tune in and only think about the songs that the birds are singing and the humming of the bees as they begin their workday.

Any care, doubt or worry that I may have had is pushed to the farthest part of my mind. 

There is PEACE in my heart...there is PEACE in my soul....and there is PEACE in my garden!

Before I know it...the berries are picked and the Harvest for the day is done.