merry merry

Well, I am having so much fun making sorbet and ice cream with my new ice cream maker! Santa didn't bring it, but Samuel did! He called up Grandpa and between the two of them, one certified ice cream maker was here for me to open on Christmas. What a fun surprise. I must say that he is reaping the benefits heartily as we have gone through nearly two rounds of sorbet (raspberry-boysenberry) and one of vanilla ice cream. What better way to perk up the days after Christmas)2!

And I am so happy to say that I can still pogo stick! Santa brought me and the kids pogo sticks. What fun! Each day my pogo-ing gets a little better. I still can't rival my childhood records, but I am having a blast trying it all out.

Christmas was extra fun because it snowed here as well. It did not stay around but it sure was pretty coming down. It started to do some pretty crazy Portland weathering with a little mix of rain and large snow flakes. The day before there was a big beautiful rainbow across the sky. Such a great way to celebrate the winter holidays!

Here are the kids "ice skating" out in the back yard. There was quite a bit of ice and frozen slush out there. Fun!

A close up photo of Eva's new talking baby; Ellen and Eva with their custom tattoos deluxe!

Everyone got custom tattoos and stickers, even Jack; Eva and talking baby in the sling. Eva said, "momma, this baby nurses too!"

Fun patterns for everyone with our new pattern blocks, one of my favorites!

Samuel just showed us this funny song "What do you get a Wookie for Christmas when he already has a comb". Any Star Wars fans out there? Bob? Adrian? This is for you!

It's Christmas Eve

It is indeed Christmas Eve and as Samuel would say, or has been saying all day long, "Does there have to be a day before Christmas? Why? Why? Why?" Needless to say, we have not had the most um shall we say joyous Day before Christmas, but it has been intense. We feel our intensity very intensely around here and today was no exception.

Here is some fun!



Jack asleep on some books. Need I say more?



Oh and I am so excited! One of my giant spider ladies that I kept track of during the summer and fall is still living! She found a little warm spot with a leaf near our front door and allowed me to take this photo, albeit hesitatingly. She is suspicious of me if I stay too long.



And here is my Pulla! It is a lot of fun.



Samuel and Eva with the big plate of cookies; Santa's cookies and eggnog (see the Santa cookie Samuel made!) Eva is sampling a big piece of Pulla in the first photo.

We made chocolate chip, oatmeal scotchies, sugar cookies with icing and brownies. Plus our neighbor brought us this big plate of assorted Christmas cookies she made. So that is a lot of cookies.



And this is what Charlie does when you come over near his cage. He really likes snacks and will eat most anything you suggest. He is an avid eater, to say the least.




And here are all of the babies all fancy for Christmas.

sweater project

I finally picked up that sweater that I wanted to lengthen while everyone around here has been sick. Nothing like a house full of sick people and all the dishes done to open up an opportunity to do a much-put-off-task that I really wanted to do...



Here is the sweater, not quite long enough. Here it is with the scissors and part of the cast-on row cut off.



Here are the live stitches to pick up. And finally, here are the needles on the stitches.

The most challenging and tedious part by far was finding the actual row to pick up. My initial cutting was not quite straight enough and I took off far too much at some points so I had to go down two or three rows to find a full row to pick up. If I have to do it again I now know to cut on the cast-on row, not below it. Now that it is done with, though, the knitting is going smoothly. At first I was worried that the pattern would be slightly off because the knitting is in the opposite direction than the original knitting (so below where the cast-on row would have been) but whatever discrepancy there might be is so slight and easily covered by the pattern (k1, p3, k1...). What may actually turn out to be more of a concern is the color of the yarn. This yarn is individually hand dyed and each skein is different and the skeins I bought are slightly darker than any of the other ones I used for the rest of the sweater. This is also probably a minor concern and nothing compared to how fun it will be to have it the right length for wearing!

new blog site

Hey, I started up a new blog all about eating local here in the Pacific Northwest. I am having a lot of fun with it thus far. I have its link listed under blogs with all of the others!

Winter Solstice

I had several plans for us today to celebrate Winter Solstice but Eva is sick again! (that's twice for both Samuel and Eva in a little over a week and a half). I am hoping to get us outside for a walk in the woods as soon as she is up for it. It is such a lovely time of year to be in the woods. There is a ton of moss and lichen everywhere and this time of year the evergreens really shine!

I am still hoping to make a soup- a lovely orange-y colored soup for the sun- and to light some candles. I also have some fireworks I set aside but we may have to wait for another day for those as well. And Samuel wanted to have a fire outside to roast marshmallows! Lots of fun planned for the longest night of the year. Darkness starts pretty early here. The official sunset today is 4:30 pm and that gives us 8 hours and 42 minutes and 3 seconds of daylight. Tomorrow there will be an added 1 second of daylight and the day after an added 5 seconds...

Dec 21, 2007

7:48 AM

4:30 PM

8h 42m 03s

I actually really like this time of year and although it can take a little time to adjust after day light savings time ends (don't get me started!), I find it to be a very calming time of year. I love the summer as well but it can be a little frenetic for me at times and no one in the house gets enough rest for months on end. Each time has a place, which I suppose is one of the points of the original solstice and equinox celebrations. I like to blur the lines of our Christmas celebration with the Solstice and remember the time of year and the traditions behind bringing trees and holly inside and hanging lights and giving warm gifts. It has given added meaning to me for the holiday season.

A fun little ditty (and we happen to have both holly and oak growing in our yard right now!)-

"The myth of the Holly King/Oak King probably originated from the Druids to whom these two trees were highly sacred. The Oak King (God of the Waxing Year) kills the Holly King (God of the Waning Year) at Yule (the Winter Solstice). The Oak King then reigns supreme until Litha (the Summer Solstice) when the two battle again, this time with the Holly King victorious. Examples of the Holly King's image can be seen in our modern Santa Claus. He dons a sprig of holly in his hat, wears red clothing, and drives a team of eight (total number of Solar Sabbats) reindeer, an animal sacred to the Celtic Gods (deer). Mistletoe and holly came into modern Christmas celebrations through the memorializing of this battle. The holly with berries are hung in honor of the Holly King and mistletoe in honor of the Oak King. Although the Holly King and Oak King are mortal enemies at the two Solstices - Yule and Litha - it should be remembered that they are actually two sides of one whole, and neither would exist without the other."

Around the house with Eva...


Jack, a slice of our Christmas tree, Charlie in his little egg carton house.

Here is a funny little story. Jack really enjoys getting treats and snacks from us. So does Charlie. These days Jack goes over to inspect what food tidbits are being given to Charlie. Frequently, he is not interested and gives Charlie a sniff in his cage and then wanders off, not really wanting a bit of egg or apple, for instance. Sometimes, however, he is interested in the food Charlie is given. On these occasions he usually gets a little bit for himself as well. The other day I gave both Jack and Charlie a little piece of banana muffin and Jack gobbled his up and then looked over at Charlie who was munching away on his piece of muffin. Jack decided to wait it out and sat down to beg for a little muffin from Charlie! It was very cute. Needless to say, Charlie did not give Jack a last bite of muffin before he finished like we usually do.

The kids have both been sick, one and then the other. Eva is moving toward wellness right now. Here is the tea she has been enjoying-

spearmint
chamomile
ginger root
(maybe red clover)
Mix the herbs and root together and steep in hot water until it is strong enough for you. This is great for your stomach and immune system.

A couple of links...

Here's a little ditty about the story of stuff from those who brought us the Meatrix. I eat meat (sometimes) and I buy stuff (more often than not, but surely with a conscience or at least conscientiously, as with most things...) and it is still good to keep this stuff in mind when you are out getting more stuff (or, in, as the case may be).

And here is this great link to some online pattern blocks. I stumbled across it when I was shopping! for pattern blocks for Christmas. We have really been enjoying this site and it is fun to see what patterns you can put together.

We also finished this extraordinarily fun book last night called The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith. We have been reading his books (including Babe the Gallant Pig and A Mouse Called Wolf) and came across this one and we really enjoyed it. Imagine my surprise when I went searching for his name and came across a movie! for this book that is coming out in a matter of weeks. I pay such little attention to goings on like this that it is a wonderful synchronicity for me to find this out! It is really one of the things that makes life so much fun!

Charlie

We have been enjoying spending our time with Charlie, the rat who has come to share a home with us. We adopted him on Thursday and have been learning about all things ratty ever since. As it turns out, rats like to ride around on your shoulder. I had read about this before we adopted Charlie but I didn't realize how important it was. Samuel is working on figuring out a comfortable way to have Charlie ride around on his shoulder because his little claws tickle and scratch so. Eva is bypassing holding Charlie altogether and has decided to bond with him by feeding him little bits of everything she eats. This little rat has quite a varied diet and really enjoys his snacks. He will come out from sleeping when he hears us and let us know he would like a little nibble of something. Apple, almond, brussel sprout, squash, salmon, pumpkin bread, you name it, he is interested.

He is a afraid of the cats and shrinks back when they come into the room or close to him when he is out of his cage. He and Jack have been sniffing each other through his cage frequently. Jack is a little put off that Charlie receives treats frequently and wants to know what we are giving him that we are not giving to Jack. When I show him bits of apple or almond he is very confused. When I show him salmon or bread, he suggests I give him a bit too. No reason Charlie should get all of the snacks. Who does this rat think he is, anyway? Oh, the other funny thing about Charlie is that, like Jack, he will lick your hands and fingers if he smells something yummy on them.

Here are some funny things he does:
He runs across the room to where his cage is when he wants to get back inside.
He does that funny scrunching back-up move that little rodents do when you block off his exit.
He pulls food through his cage bars with his hands!
He rides around on your shoulder and runs up your arm to get up there quick when he is afraid.
He makes little whisper scooching noises around your ear when he wants to get down.
These are just a few and will give you an idea of the fun we have been having!



On other fronts, we went to see an interesting art exhibit with mosaics last week, followed by a trip to the candy store. We also saw a play of Beauty and the Beast put on by a local children's theater. Samuel loved it and wanted to watch it again on video when we got home. Eva, unbeknownst to me at the time, did not enjoy the play (at least not much) and refused to watch it again at home. She said that while it did have a happy ending, the story was just too sad to watch and she could not bear it. So there you have it.

We are getting all set for Christmas. We got our tree this weekend and put it up. The cats always love this time of year, what with bringing a tree into the house and all. Maxwell just runs all over now, frisking about and jumping in bags and on papers. Charlie is also intrigued by the tree and rushes up to run inside and...I am not sure what he will do if he gets inside the tree because I have never seen a rat and a tree before. He thinks it looks grand. All shiny and bright and tree-like. And Jack found his Christmas bone and was quite upset when I hid it away again. So near yet so far.

Oh the rain came pouring down down down...

Well, no one would deny the rainy season is upon us. We are having a ton of rain and if you go outside it is pretty Weathery Weather. Lots and lots of rain and wind and it is still pretty warm, in the high '50's, so it isn't bitter or anything. And yet, as much as I admire the weather, we are spending quite a bit of time indoors. Samuel and Eva are ricocheting off of the ceilings at this point. The scooter was brought into the living room this morning and there is also a jump rope, evidence that some one(s) were feeling very active! The trampoline is ready for action.

Lots of games, lots of art projects, lots of puzzles, lots of videos. We watched a great Nature program last night about the wild horses of Mongolia. Right now the Care Bears Nutcracker! is on. I am hoping to watch Fiddler on the Roof later on.

I made an excellent carrot soup a couple of nights ago and then a tasty chicken and root vegetable soup with rutabagas, carrots, turnips and purple potatoes. Both were so good and I definitely feel a part of this fall vegetable season now. I am thinking of making some bread but am undecided. Maybe not. There is a request in for brownies which will probably happen later today after we go out again! Right now everyone is resting up from the big trip to the library we just went on. There isn't a lot of motivation from anyone except Jack to go out. And even Jack ducks his head when he heads outdoors!

Part of the restlessness is part of the season. Christmas and what this means is coming closer each day and Samuel is really wanting to DO something, anything, to show Christmas that he knows it is approaching. Last night we got out Christmas music and we have been reading Christmas Stories and Eva watched the Grinch this morning. Yes, it is coming. And yet, no matter what we do, it is coming at a frustratingly slow pace. Each morning the kids rush into the kitchen to eat their piece of chocolate from their advent calendars. Samuel suggested that if they ate them all, perhaps it would be Christmas finally! Next year he wants to make a Custom Advent Calendar with large chocolate Santas for each day so that you can eat the candy all day. And I am not sure how many boxes of candy canes they have gone through already.

I have been knitting a lot. My gloves are nearly done. I finished Samuel's hat. I quit the scarf I think I wrote about last because it was too scarfy. My sweater waits on.



Eva's hat (mittens from last year); Eva's poncho; Samuel's hat (mittens from last year)

I would have loved to have posted a picture of Eva in her poncho and yet it was not meant to be- yet! Ever hopeful am I. I tried to take a picture of her in her poncho a couple of days ago and it turned into this really complicated photo of her with the poncho on and her stuffed animal Chickie on one shoulder and her stuffed animal Mom Cat on her other shoulder and her two arms up holding the animals onto her shoulders and me trying to kind of pull down the poncho so that you could see it better and how it drapes... and then Samuel wanted to be in the photo so he got a couple of his stuffed animals and put them on his shoulders and then they weren't really looking at Eva's the way he wanted them too so when I took the picture he was scowling. So then I took another photo and this time I was finally in the flow of the way things are and I was laughing and then Samuel was laughing and the animals fell and Eva was looking at Chickie and you couldn't really even tell that she had on a poncho. And I was going to post this photo, but just now when I uploaded it onto my computer, the computer and I misunderstood one another and I cannot find where the computer put it. So there is no longer a photo for me to post. So I posted just the naked poncho, with no body in it. And you see how it goes...

winnie the pooh

I know that someone has already written a book about this, but the kids and I have been reading Winnie the Pooh stories and we are really enjoying them (thanks Kerry!) and I am just so impressed with how funny the stories are, how enjoyable they are for all of us and how much fun wisdom there is in Pooh's Very Little Brain.

These quotes all come from The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne, the second book in the Pooh series. There are some real gems here and it is no wonder that someone wrote a book about the Tao and Pooh.

Many of the wisest comments surround Pooh's poetry and song writing-
"'And that's the whole poem,' he said. 'Do you like it, Piglet?'
'All except the shillings,' said Piglet. 'I don't think they ought to be there.'
'They wanted to come in after the pounds,' explained Pooh, 'so I let them. It is the best way to write poetry, letting things come.'"

"Because Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you."


And when a day goes from one way to the next Pooh muddles along, "Which makes it look like a bothering sort of day."

Frequently Pooh is pondering what to do-
"I could spend a happy morning
Seeing Roo,
I could spend a happy morning
Being Pooh,
For it doesn't seem to matter,
...What I do."

And sharing with others-
"Pooh began to feel a little more comfortable, because when you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it."


And listening to Rabbit, who likes to have things to do and plans to make-
"'Just what I feel,' said Rabbit. 'What do you say, Pooh?'
Pooh opened his eyes with a jerk and said, 'Extremely.'
'Extremely what?' asked Rabbit.
'What you were saying,' said Pooh. 'Undoubtedly.'
Piglet gave Pooh a stiffening sort of nudge, and Pooh, who felt more and more that he was somewhere else,got up slowly and began to look for himself."

"'Rabbit's clever,' said Pooh thoughtfully.
'Yes,' said Piglet, 'Rabbit's clever.'
'And he has Brain.'
'Yes,' said Piglet, 'Rabbit has Brain.'
There was a long silence.
'I suppose,' said Pooh, 'that that's why he never understands anything.'"

And alternative thinking-
"'Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?'
'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh after careful thought.
Piglet was comforted by this.."

So you can see Pooh is a lot of fun. We are off to get the next one from the library this afternoon.

more on snow globes and tents

One of the extras of making snow globes that I hadn't considered is that glitter tends to spread. There are little glitter pieces all over the house now and wherever you walk you see a little silver shimmer. If I know glitter the way I think I do, it means we will undoubtedly have little bits of glitter in the house for the next year or two! At least through Easter. And the next people who live here will occasionally find pieces and wonder about where the glitter came from.

The indoor-ness of winter really set in today and the kids and I got out the indoor tent making supplies- sheets, chairs, pillows. Our cat Maxwell, who also is not getting to spend as much time outside as he would like, joined in the fun with the tents. He found out that this kind of tent is not really the type to walk on. Poof. He went right through the ceiling. He spent some time hiding under different sheet angles and finally ended up taking a nap among them. The tents helped to diffuse some sibling tension as well. They had their own tents and could also visit one another. A nice part of tent making!

snow globes

The kids and I made homemade snow globes today. Here is a link to Martha's snow globes. Ellen gave me the idea when she saw some for sale in a little store in Portland, also handmade and local. So we gave it a shot and I have to say they turned out pretty well. Samuel and Eva were not, however, impressed. The main thing I would say is to make sure the little guys that you pick to put in the snow globes are tall enough to actually see. Some of our guys were too little to see properly. So it is basically just glitter. Also, on Martha's web page she suggests adding glycerin to slow the glitter's eventual fall. We did not do this because it would have meant a trip to the drug store, which I was not up for. So I cannot comment on that. It would be worth a try because the glitter does tend to clump.

The best part about making the snow globes was the shift in energy it caused. Both kids had been talking about boredom throughout the day and after the snow globe project they were refreshed and went off to play hitherto un-thought-of-games. A real re-fueler!

Thanksgiving and then some

Leaf raking and playing on Thanksgiving.



Lot's of leaves!



Dive right in!



Samuel basting the turkey.



Eva and Katherine playing.



Everyone feasting; Alexandra at the table; Samuel and Evan playing a chess match against Danny.



I asked Eva about this photo and she said she was showing Katherine photos of pumpkins and Katherine was putting the baby in the CD player.



Samuel and Eva using hammers to break up the ice yesterday.



Samuel preparing for ice breaking today; some lovely photos he took of the oak leaves in the ice. Eva didn't join him today and he brought some icy leaves inside for her. They are now in our freezer. When we take them out to look at them, they melt a little and we put them back in the freezer quickly!



Eva said these are the Buddha's meditating among the flowers, which help them communicate when they are not talking to one another. The snakes can help with this as well.

This was posted on a homeschooling list I am on and I liked it-

A Parent's Thanksgiving List
by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard
Friday, November 16, 2007

Thanksgiving usually inspires parents to start a diet. But if
you'll indulge with me for a while, I'd rather list a few things I'm
grateful for as a mother.

I'm grateful my children demand I talk to them when I don't feel
like talking, feed them when I'm not hungry, and change their
diapers even when I'm all dressed up and ready to go somewhere
special. I don't think I'd discover the world outside my own needs
without them.

I'm grateful my children haven't learned how to hold back their
tears when they're sad, laughter when they're happy, or screams when
they're frightened. They constantly remind me that emotions are for
sharing.

I'm grateful my children have broken nearly everything in my home
and used a crayon or ink marker on the rest. They've taught me that
things aren't important, but people are.

I'm grateful my children start out small and helpless so they don't
become aware of my incompetence until they're teenagers. By then,
we've both grown so accustomed to each other, we somehow manage to
make it through the rest of life together.

I'm grateful my children get their pants dirty, pick their noses,
burp without saying "excuse me," and quarrel in public so I'll never
be able to get too arrogant, proper, or judgmental of other people's
children.

I'm grateful my children sometimes call me names like "weird"
because sometimes I am "weird," and it helps keep a person humble to
be told they're "weird" when they're acting weird.

I'm grateful my children occasionally miss the bus at the precise
moment I've stepped out of the shower, contemplating the well-
planned, organized day ahead of me. Experiences like jumping into
the car after throwing on whatever's handy and racing to school have
a tendency to loosen rigid plans into something better known as
spontaneity.

I'm grateful my children always need new shoes, piano books,
prescriptions, haircuts, fieldtrip money, tuition, food, toothpaste,
and underwear. That way, I don't have to waste my time thinking
about a new sofa. It's difficult to get wealthy and think about
luxuries when you have to buy toilet paper and milk by the truckload
each week.

I'm grateful my children know how to play. My five-year-old asked me
to come downstairs so he could "teach me how to play" with his
plastic animals. While Jacob demonstrated the subtle techniques for
sinking a rhinoceros into couch cushions while pretending it was
quicksand, I realized my young son was right. I really do need
someone to "teach me how to play."

I'm grateful my children question my every command and giggle when I
get angry. It's difficult to feel too powerful or self-righteous
with kids around to remind you of how funny you look when you're
pointing your finger.

I'm grateful my children insist I hug, kiss, rock, or put my arms
around them often. Otherwise, I think I'd forget how the sense of
touch is so healing.

I'm grateful each of my children is unique when the same strange,
inexperienced mother raised them. Somehow they don't seem to let me
ruin them much.

And lastly, I'm grateful for the gift of children in my life. God
willing, I'd like to fill the rest of my days with those interesting
people who call me Mom (yes, and sometimes "weird") but
eventually "weird grandma."

From Families Who Laugh . . . Last by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard

stir crazy

Well, the kids have been sick and we have all been a little stir crazy. Or maybe it is just me. I have been spending a lot of time playing zoo tycoon with Eva and doing lots and lots of puzzles and every piece of laundry is done and I have picked up the house, every toy out of place, over and over in an effort, I suppose to move around a bit. Ah. Winter. So it is almost dark by 4:30 by now and completely dark for sure by 5:00. And I am remembering how long the time between getting up in the morning and the time we go to bed at night can seem when the kids can't spend a good bit of it in the evening outside and this is exacerbated when they are sick because we aren't even taking an evening walk, which can be great for everyone, particularly for all of us.

We are eagerly counting down the days to Thanksgiving, which is, as Samuel pointed out, just one day now. The day after tomorrow. It is finally here. We are having turkey and potatoes and stuffing and salad and squash ala Ellen and apple pie ala Ellen and pumpkin muffins and fruit like satsumas and pears and cranberries. Oh, and some kind of kale maybe. I like to stick it in when I can. Herbs from the backyard. Probably some kind of bread like rolls or I may make some artisan loaf if I am inspired tomorrow. My friend Sara and her family are going to join us this year as they are in town from New York and I think they will bring another pie or dessert of their choice.

I tried to get a local turkey but they were all sold out. I was even laughed at by a farmer at the market, "We sold out in September..." Gosh. I know I wasn't thinking about ordering a turkey in September, but now I know. I put it on the calendar for next year. Get turkey in September! So the turkey will be from a pretty good place but not entirely local and I will pick it up from New Seasons, which is, after all, doing pretty well to help us buy as local as possible. The produce is all local except those satsumas we all love so much. I got salad mix, squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts, celeriac (which was so neat looking that I thought about putting it into water so that it could maybe take root again. It looked like a pineapple when it showed up in the basket and that, with the brussel sprouts still on the stem, were stunning!) and then some from my produce basket this week and of course you all know how much kale we have in the garden and there are plenty of herbs still thriving back there and I found local cranberries and pears and apples at the market. As well as cider. I forgot to mention we will probably have brussel sprouts as well. So maybe no kale? Not sure. I do know that the little leaves and stalks on the celeriac are going into the stuffing. I still don't have definite plans for the celeriac root itself, although my guess is that it will fare better than the fennel, which is, by the way, still in there. And another was added this week. Maybe fennel for Thanksgiving? Probably not.

Eva and I just made some really delicious raspberry-blackberry sorbet (u-picked!) in Ellen's sorbet maker that we still have. She is, alas, taking it back tomorrow. Oh well. Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas? They have them at Macy's and they are quite reasonable, just in case he can't make one in his workshop.

It's funny, but for the last several days, including today, Eva has been very restless and we have done so many activities, puzzles, books, games, talks, puppet shows, baths, you name it. And there has been a hint of dissatisfaction surrounding her and the activities with her stomping her feet at me and wanting me to just sit wherever she is, irritation between the two of us at several points. Just now we made the sorbet together, both of us thoroughly enjoying ourselves and, just like that, we are connected again. Connection can sometimes be so elusive and other times right on. And it is, after all, one of the main processes of parenting and childing. Without it, people around here tend to run around yelling pell mell all over the house. Hmmm. Maybe it hasn't been stir craziness that has infected everyone around here. Nothing a little sorbet making can't fix. And sitting still doesn't hurt either. Just more parts to the process.

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.
-Albert Einstein

Garden

Well, the garden is going strong. We have a ton of broccoli and the kale is amazing. And the radishes I planted when? are doing really well. Also carrots and let me tell you the borage has really made a home for itself out there. The sweet peas are getting ready to flower! I didn't know if it would work planting them when I did but it turns out you really can treat this time of year as a sort of second spring out here in the Pacific Northwest, which is a maritime climate. Unfortunately, the pumpkin that was orange-ing out there molded before it fully ripened. It is a good meal for the slugs at this point and still pretty out there in the garden among the many borage plants. I am pleased the plant was able to produce a pumpkin at all as it was the first pumpkin plant I have planted in recent memory.

Here are some lovely shots of the fall garden!



Here are the year old broccoli plants I planted last fall. They are very tall. They don't give large heads of broccoli any more, but all of the little heads add up to quite a bit of broccoli. More, actually, than a larger head might. Not sure what they will do through this winter. All of the heads are trying to flower right now, making a last ditch effort, perhaps, and some of the leaves are actually yellowing. Ah, the life of a broccoli plant!



Little broccoli heads. Borage flowers in the background.



Garden bounty.



Samuel's garden, complete with chard.



Kale!



Radishes popping out of the Earth.



Radishes.