It's an Iowa thang

In California, you get your name engraved in a piece of wood and hang it above your front door. In Iowa, you get your name/initials engraved in to a granite boulder and place it at the end of the drive by the dirt road.

Garden Update - late September

Another month has quickly whizzed by and before I know it, the summer garden is waning and I have no time to plant seedlings for a winter garden this week. Perhaps this weekend I can spend some time at the potting bench, even though the lunar guide says it's not a great time for planting seeds. I best spend Friday picking out what seeds to plant.
Yesterday I ordered 1 1/2 lbs of organic garlic to plant, both softneck varieties from Seeds of Change; Inchelium Red and Transylvanian. I'll plant that out as soon as it arrives; I just have to come up with a garden plan and figure out where it can go for 10 months without interupting my spring/summer garden. I have taken to making my own garlic powder. Not only is the store bought stuff too expensive but the flavor of my own powder is far superior, if I do say so myself.
Saturday was the first day of Autumn and boy, did Mother Nature bring it in with style! She took that hot, dry, boring summer and burst it with a couple of really good downpours of rain mixed with a flash of lightening here and there. Mind you, Northern California doesn't get true lightening storms, we only get the imagery of a very large camera flashbulb going off. But the sentiment was there and it was much appreciated. Sunday afternoon it warmed up enough to bring the crickets back that evening and that is the sound I fell asleep to.

Tis the reddest red I ever did red

Baby ladybugs morphed in our yard the other day. No spots nor markings; just the shiniest, redest, tiniest, beautifully simple creatures I've ever seen.

What shall I do with my leftover olive oil tins?

Meow says the weather is getting cooler

Meow is crafty and conniving. When we went to the living room, this blanket was neatly place on the bed. Apparently it needed ruffling, after Meow put it on the floor.

How many kitties do you see?

Look what's in the punkin' patch

Pot O' Bubblin' Love

Tomato sauce, made from my garden tomatoes.

Best friends share the prettiest flowers

Do you see what I see?

Cotton update 09-05-07

Cotton flower about to bloom

Blooming complete - this "fruit" is what comes next.

Another image of the blooming fruit. :)

Click here for the July 6th entry and see the cotton seedlings (at the bottom).

Click here for the July 30th update

Click here for the August 17th update (bloomin' cotton!)

Laundry day at Meow's house

I swear this isn't a set up photo. She burrows all on her own, which is not surprising in the cool weather months, but considering it has been in the 90's for the last week I was a little surprised to find her buried under bf's work pants on laundry day...