My Everything Corner

I have truly been enjoying my yard this year, especially now when the garden is paying me back in full.  I'm sure you all must think that all I grow are various types of squash, but cucumbers, corn, potatoes, corn, carrots, beans, peas and lettuce have all been plentiful this year and enjoyed by everyone.   It makes all kinds of sense to grow your own food if you can, but why do I spend so much energy on pumpkins and gourds? I have been asked this question many times, and have even been accused of being off my rocker. I'm not sure that I can articulate a clear answer here and I don't really think there is a need to, but I'll give it a go.   With the gourds and pumpkins that I adorn my yard with, it is about making our ordinary fall, extraordinary. To add colour and texture and of course with anything that grows, there is that element of magic. How all of these seeds that pretty much look identical can produce so many various types of squash is fascinating. ...

Harvest has been going very well here and has actually felt like it has been running at a fairly relaxed pace, but that feeling was swept away this morning by the new forecast of imminent rains. We may not get done what we would like to before the skies cloud over, but we can hardly complain when we think about what our neighbours are going through with Hurricane Irma.   Love and prayers to our Southern friends.   There are still plenty of blooms out in the fading garden.  Cosmos mix with marigolds, and the bees are still humming. My mixed gourd patch always has a surprise for me.  This year it is in the form of a min-gourd.  They are grit-your-teeth-together cute.  

It is warm and dry and our normal winds seem to have returned. There was not even a drop of dew on the lawn this morning.  Perfect harvest weather -yep, just how the farmers like it.   Mainly the fields in this area are seeded with wheat and canola.  But you will also find oats, barley, peas, fava beans and flax, although I've heard that our family is the only one in the area to grow flax.    Growing up, my Grandpa and Dad only ever grew wheat.  At least, that's all I can remember and it is my favourite crop through every season.  I'm especially fond of the bearded varieties. It's the texture and the way it moves with the wind, and in the fall, it's the colour. Nothing beats that golden hue, especially in the right sunset. It moves me every time.  I find it amusing, how the right colour can stir the soul.    

I've always been a collector. I had all sorts of items squirreled away in different parts of the yard I grew up in. It was a sad day when I had to give up part of my hoard.   I was about 7 years old, wandering around the yard like usual, I stumbled upon a beauty of a feather;  jet black and shiny, a perfect specimen and I couldn't resist. I was holding it for several seconds when I felt something crawling on the back of my fingers. Startled, I turned my hand over to reveal a huge black beetle, not unlike the colour of the feather, clinging to my skin. Several hard shakes and it would not let go.  I used my other hand to get rid of it and ran in the opposite direction.   Now, here is the interesting part - my mind decided that somehow this beautiful feather that I was still holding had somehow magically produced the little monster that had scared the wits out of me. And being witless as I was, became convinced of it.  I dropped the feather, wen...

Yesterday, I noticed the leaves on the pumpkin vines wilting.  I really thought I was done watering this year, and if frost looked to be imminent, I would be.  But instead, it looks like we're in for a heat wave. This is very good news for the underdeveloped pumpkins.   Actually, I didn't think there was all that much on those vines.  But the wilted leaves revealed that there is plenty of treasure to be had.  So I was watering last night and early this morning and I'll be out there again this evening giving everyone a good dose. Those leaves perked up almost immediately!   During the hot parts of the day though, there is time for some crafting and decorating.  The fabric pumpkins below are especially dear to me.  They are made from a worn loved one's sweater.  The stems are dried from last year's pumpkin crop and I just love the acorn dangle. The other is just a bit of décor.  I have so much fun decorating this hutch for every s...

It's my favourite time of year again! I have been going into my patch daily and enjoying my "pumpkin hunts." It is so much fun digging around, looking for treasure and decorating the yard.   This is it, what it's all been for - the planting, the weeding, the watering. At times I wondered if I might be crazy doing all that work. I was ready to sell my acreage and move into a condo on some of those hot days when I couldn't put the work off any longer.   I don't think it will as bountiful a year as 2016, but I'm still having so much fun.  Here are a few pictures of what's going on in my yard.

It happens every summer, time moves beyond fast and I'm left wondering where a month has gone. The weather has been so kind this year, warm temperatures and hardly any wind. I mention the wind because I live on the prairies and so wind is just something I've come to accept, but what a marvelous break we've had from it. I've been taking pictures like crazy since getting a new camera at the beginning of July and so you'd think I would have been blogging a lot, but... Instagram. Yep, that's where my photos have been going. A few you of have found me there and so know that I am still alive, but the rest of you, I have not been fair to.  I'm not sure I'm in love with Instagram.  I was at first, but then I discovered that a lot of people are using it to build up a false sense of popularity. Normally, this sort of thing would not bother me, except that I'm looking for a genuine community. Here's the problem - I post a photo, I get a bunch of ...