The Season Ends

Today's the 1st day of autumn and the garden looks sad. The tomatoes and corn have been pulled up, the white potatoes dug up. The summer squash has had it too. The beets are doing good, peppers are still flowering and are full of fruit. There are 8 eggplants, 2 butternut squash and 1 zucchini getting bigger every day. The lemon cucumbers (yes lemon) are still growing. The sweet potatoes vines have just started to dry up and will be ready to dig up in a few days. We've canned corn, potatoes, beets and tomatoes...when our tomatoes were wiped out by the blight in 2 days we picked over 2 bushels at a friend's and kept canning. Jeff has plans to enlarge and rearrange the garden next spring. He's been looking at seeds on line and plans to order early. He is a little disappointed with the crop size but the weather and our health caused some early problems. But, every time we cook and eat the veggies from our garden we are both proud of our efforts. Better luck next year! It has been fun!!!

I'm finishing up a couple knit-and-beaded necklaces for swapping and that's been fun. Thanks to some of the others in the swap I've learned how to use dental floss to thread beads and double -faced tape in plastic CD boxes to control the loose beads...sure beats picking up 6mm beads off the floor! The next batch of swaps I've signed up for are Holiday themed. Should be fun.

This weekend is the Pumpkin Fest in Cooperstown when the giant pumpkins (1000+ lbs) are in competition in the parking lot next to the shop. Attracts quite a crowd. Last Saturday when I worked in the shop I brought in a pumpkin hoodie (orange hood w/green stem and green sweater with pumpkin buttons) I had done with the hope it would sell this weekend. It sold the next day. Got another one just about finished so I guess I'll be going to Cooperstown in the morning.