October 12-13, 2012

It was still warm, but fall is definitely knocking on the door. The Ash, Walnut, Persimmon, and Virginia Creeper were all in full color. We drove out in the rain, but it stopped by the time we got to Eureka Springs. There were two inches in the rain gauge, and then more fell with a line of storms that came through Saturday night after we left. Very nice, although the pond has yet to rise one bit.

Garden

It was muddy mucking around in the garden. Sally wanted the sweet potatoes dug up, so that was my job. I used the potato fork, but as careful as I could be I still speared a few of them. I was amazed to find more than 20, some very small but some huge, and some color variation in them. Most had splits in there skin, I presume from dry (drought) periods and then watering (or rain). Sally thinks the large ones will not be good, but I disagree. I made the mistake of washing them, a natural reaction after holding these huge muddy blobs. Later Sally said, oh yea the instructions said to just let them dry and then knock the dirt off. Hopefully they will still keep. We ate 3 (or more) of the ones I had injured for dinner sliced and baked with a little olive oil and salt. That was the whole of dinner, and it was good.

The weekend before we had received our first (light) frost. The only thing really affected was (sadly) the basil -- those nice tender new leaves on the top which have been perfect for making pesto the past months were blemished. Luckily we have lots of pesto frozen. The two jalapeno plants were so loaded we didn't even bother picking all of them, picked about 8 bell peppers (only 2 were beginning to turn yellow), about the same number of small tomatoes, and bunches of chard. The kale was up and growing but it is being decimated by some tiny worms we found on the back side of the leaves. After squashing all I could find Friday, more were back Saturday. Oh, the woes of the farmer.

Brush Hogged

Larry had been out and gotten everything brush hogged, so the fields were looking good. I didn't go back behind the pond to check where he stopped, but I should have. It still makes me sick thinking of all the pines I planted just to have them cut down. The survivors are now 15' tall. What could have been.

Pond

Sally and I took a walk to the pond, sans Tender. He is just not up to it any longer. He makes a fuss when we leave, but I think he is satisfied just snoozing in the house. The willow at the pond had a large mostly dead limb hanging out over the water that had actually put down roots into the water (the part keeping it alive). Since the pond was low, I knew this might be my only chance to cut it. I came back with my chain saw and cut it and another one hanging out over the water. I had to use the saw to cut through the thick mat of roots growing into the pond. (Apologies for the finger I got in front of the camera lens.) I just hope a new willow doesn't sprout out of there. (Hopefully the pond will come up and completely cover them and prevent that.) I sharpened the chain saw when back at the house, but it was really a pretty lazy weekend where I didn't get a lot accomplished -- bothersome to me.