Friday, August 15, 2014

Gardening, knitting, books, and hints of fall

Hello, dear readers. I’m finishing up the week with a hodgepodge of things that I’ve been doing and observing:

Our garden is just about over for the summer. Larry picked these cucumbers and peppers Thursday morning.



We were disappointed that the tomatoes didn’t do well. We also didn’t get any broccoli or fully-grown carrots. But we learned some things that we’ll put to good use next year.

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The scarf I started knitting has morphed into a kitty blanket. I started out with a width that I thought was manageable and suitable for a scarf. But I quickly found that it’s almost too wide to keep on my needles.


I also discovered that it’s the right width for Chase Bird’s kitty bed that sits under the sofa table in the living room.
So it will be a soft blanket for Chase Bird to lie on.

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Last weekend I read an excellent book by Elyn Saks: The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness.
Saks is a law professor at the University of Southern California and has many more professional accomplishments.
In her book, she writes about her life with schizophrenia and how she built a life with work, friends, and love while battling it.
I didn’t want to put the book down. It was hard to read in places—she describes her psychosis with honesty and detail—but the way she fought through it to a good life is amazing and inspirational.
If you enjoy memoirs, you will enjoy this book.

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We’re already seeing some acorns from the oak trees in the front yard. I’m so glad to see them. I hope we have a good crop this year for the animals. And I hope fall weather is not too far away.



This week’s weather in Central Virginia gave us a taste of fall—daytime temperatures in the 70s and low-mid 80s and some of the nights dipping into the 50s. I love fall, and I can’t wait for it to arrive.
But hotter weather is returning next week. Oh, well. Soon.
One thing about this time of year I don’t enjoy: allergies. I’m allergic to ragweed, and apparently, it has arrived. Itchy eyes, sneezing, sniffling—you get the idea.


Are there any signs of fall where you live? Do you even want to think about it? And what have you been up to this week?


15 comments:

  1. It's still summer! Don't speak of fall, yet!
    That's a good haul of peppers. Your carrots should be able to keep growing, I think. One thing I heard a long time ago is that if you want carrots to grow down you have to not water them very often so that their roots go searching for deeper water. Otherwise, they'll grow but they'll be short and fat. I'm no gardening expert though.

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  2. Fall is the worst time for me for allergies. I carry a bottle of Visine Allergy with me. I also think your carrots will keep growing too. Have you thinned them out?

    Yes, it is the end of the year for gardens. *sigh* There is always a winter garden where we live. It doesn't get very cold, just a lot of rain.

    I ordered the book you recommended from the library. Thanks for the info! :-)

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  3. I'm sure Chase Bird is quite thankful for his new kitty bed :) I can just picture him all snuggled up on it. And yes I am noticing some very subtle signs of fall her as well. The air in the evening is having a coolness to it and you can just feel the crispness beginning to slowly creep in :)

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  4. Oh I love the new blanket:) my first scarf turned out to be the same thing but for My Heros head since I don't have a Chase Bird:)
    Oh it feels like fall here I was thinking about the no wood in the woodhouse today so yes fall is coming. I wonder what a wedding dress with a heavy parka will look like:(:) Love fall but it can wait a bit for my taste at least this year. HUG B

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  5. cold days have been around here lately, it has been so so nice ... they do say it is suppose to get warmer again though? we will see. i love fall!! ( :

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  6. love that acorn shot! so pretty against the lichen-covered bricks. :) chasebird will be pleased with his blanket. we had a 2-day cool down this week, but back to 100s and high humidity for the weekend. :)

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  7. Yes, bring on fall. I don't like hot weather. Besides fall is a beautiful time of year.

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  8. the scarf/blanket looks amazing and chase will appreciate it more then most humans!! and that's awesome practice for you!!!

    i got 3 tomatoes that $ucked....i MAY get one more. my eggplant is amazing, i have 9 comming. i get a cuc a day and they have tasted amazing!!!

    i LOVE autumn!!! i saw a clump of orange leaves the other day and my heart skipped a beat!! YaH!!!!

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  9. Tomatoes are doing well here, finally, just late given our cool summer. Last year I learned a lot of green tomato recipes!

    I love your scarf-turned-blanket. Lovely!

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  10. Ooooh, Chase Bird is going to love that blanket!

    Fall is slowly arriving over here, mainly leaves are starting to fall and the wildlife (except the urban deer) are disappearing. The urban deer are in velvet right now, so that's definitely a sure sign that colder weather is a-coming (and my endless complaining about said colder weather...)

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  11. A slight hint of fall in the air today..........I love fall too, but am not quite ready for it. Time flies by way too quickly these days.

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  12. The other day, it was as if someone turned off a switch. The previous day had been hot (for here, anyway, but it really did feel hot to me). The next day was cloudy and cool, and there was a tinge of autumn in the air. I try to keep the tomatoes going until Labor Day, but it may not happen this year.

    Congratulations on completing your first year in the garden! It's definitely a learning process. I've been at it for just four years, and I still feel like a newbie, but I get enough food to keep me excited about it.

    This week my sisters left after a two-week visit, and I am getting back into my routine bit by bit. It's nice to see family, but I'm enjoying the return to my normal life.

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  13. acorns, already??? golly. i was just noticing the days are shorter already . . where did summer go??
    school has begun . . . oh my - it seems to be rushing by this year.

    love & love to you!

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  14. I love Fall, so I'm very excited to see the "hints" that it's coming! I don't know if others can see it, but I can...the heat feels a bit more mellow, somehow.

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  15. Your garden veggies look awesome!

    I think I may have read that book :-)

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