It's very cool and fall-ish here!
I'm enjoying exercising outside SO MUCH! I know it won't be long before it's below 40 and I won't be able to breath well enough to exercise outside so I'm really taking advantage of it.
My fall decorating is done except a wreath and a garland that drapes over a miniature spinning wheel made by dh's grandpap. I keep getting more little bits though. Today it was another small scarecrow for down in front of the property, next to the old plow. I'll put a hay bale there tomorrow and corn shocks. Today I got one bunch of corn stalks for a dollar, a LARGE bunch! Should have bought 2 but I'll get another tomorrow. I also bought just a few colorful squash, for a dollar or less each. They'll replace gourds this year and then we'll eat them for Thanksgiving. I want pumpkin too, several for around the plow. But the lady who raises them here told me they are really bad all around the area, and none are even ready yet. She says she doesn't even know if she'll have any nice enough to sell.
SHEESH! Who ever heard of a PUMPKIN shortage?????
There are some odd growing patterns locally this year, especially for vegetables.
- A friend's green bean plants grew so slowly that many are just now in bloom.
- My cucumber supply man says his tomatoes still aren't ready to pick, and normally people have already done most of their canning by now.
- The grasses and wild plants that I usually cut from ditches and abandoned fields this time of year are just not there, or the seedheads haven't developed yet.
I wonder if it's like this everywhere of if western Michigan just had a bad year?
Thankfully, not everything has grown badly this year. I have twice as many Concord grapes this year, though not enough to use for anything but eating fresh. YUM!
And it is now Hop picking time again; and again I have about double the crop I had last year. I plan to make a few hop sleep pillows for myself and the girls. Here are links to last year's hops blog. http://agardenvariety.blogspot.com/2007/09/ah-tradition.html and
