Fall in the Foothills

Greetings, Y'all!

 My pink verbena is still blooming.

 I heard they are loved by hummingbirds, but the hummers we have haven't figured that out yet. O.o

 I've watched this Eastern Kingbird catch insects all summer long. He's very wary so this is as close as I could get. Click his name to hear the different songs he sings.

 In other bird news, I had arranged to get a new flock of chickens, but sadly it didn't work out.

 Goodman and I will have to make do with these two gals until spring unless I find someone locally with hens for sale. That's not likely this time of year.

Our burning bushes are beginning to show a little color. It's still warm here and we're having wonderful fall temperatures daily.

 I've been busy gathering walnuts from our tree that grows along the fence line in the pasture.

My workstation isn't very glamorous...I stand under the deck and place the walnuts, one-at-a-time on a brick then give them a few good whacks with the rubber mallet to loosen the hulls.

Then lay them out to dry for a few weeks before the real cracking of the hard shell begins. O.o They are a bit of work, but the flavor is unmatched in the nut world for me.

Yes, it's a messy business but rewarding in every aspect. I'm saving the hulls to make a stain for baskets and furniture. Works great.

Our bluebird family of five shows up every day around 5 o'clock for a bath, usually about the time we sit down to supper. I call that great dinner theater.

 Yesterday I made Hungarian Cabbage Rolls. The roll (green) is under the chopped cabbage, sauerkraut and tomatoes. It was so I good I, actually, had a bowl of the vegetables with broth earlier for breakfast. O.O That. Was. Good.

Wildcrafting Wednesday,  The Art of Home-Making Mondays

October Medley

Hope you're havin' a great fall, y'all! The weather has been really nice here in the foothills for a couple of months now. As a matter-o'-fact all our plants are doing better than back in the summer. This pineapple sage in my herb bed has gone wild. It's the first time I've grown this plant, and it really does smell like pineapples, but a tea made from it is reminiscent of weeds, for sure....bleah

These are my newest gal chickens. At the time I took this picture they were shyin' away from a li'l commotion in the chicken coop....

A swarm of three-band Italian honey bees showed up one afternoon and stayed around for several hours. There was a queen bee in the center there attached to the roof of the coop, and her subjects and were following wherever she decided to take up residence. They were gone by evening and nobody got stung so no harm. We've kept bees before so we weren't too surprised by them.

I knew when I ran across this pattern that I'd be makin' one for Goodman. He says it's toasty warm and will make workin' around the place warmer in the winter. The hat is Wool-Ease in avocado, and the beard is a strand of  gray Wool-Ease and a strand of eyelash fun fur.

These flower and leaf washcloths were loads of fun to knit...reminds me of all the flower power stuff back in the '70s. ;)

The blue potholder I showed you a few posts back was so much fun I had to make another one.

I'll leave you with a picture from our fall garden - brussel sprouts. I think I like fall gardening way better than summer. The bugs aren't nearly as thick and neither are the weeds.

See you in a week or two or three or four, y'all - the Good Lord willin'. :)

Sweet September

Feel that cool in the air! Thank the Lord!!!
Flower of the month...sorta.
Mmmm...roasted red peppers fresh from the garden.

This li'l dishrag was a mindless (from my li'l mind ;) knit with bobbles at each corner. Sugar and Cream yarn in Vintage Rose colorway.
Frosted Diamonds is slowly taking shape.
Have you heard there's a new hen house in town? There is. chuckles It's portable, and it's mine! It's been six years since I kept chickens. Goodman missed farm eggs. Did you know lots of cities have changed their ordinances so that folks can have their own fresh eggs. Folks are realizing that big business is not to chickens what chocolate is to cookies. o.O Nope, they're not. We found this little coop on Craigslist. It's perfect for up to six hens. (If the house sells we'll load up the truck and move it to ....where ever.) I promise I won't ride on top, stop worryin'. rofl
There's no door on the yard part nor a walkin' plank so we're in the process of modifying that before we put chickens in it. The girls are in the barn. I'll introduce them next time. Meantime, I'm happy as a chicken with a junebug to be back in the chicken business.