Fall Gardening Chores

The soft wind and the yellow leaves
Are having their last dance together.

–Harriet Eleanor Hamilton-King (1840–1920

Fall Gardening Chores
The Farmer's Almanac

Apples keep well for about six months at temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees F.

A Styrofoam chest or a double cardboard box in a cool mudroom or cellar can approximate root cellar conditions. Remember to give your apples an occasional change of air. Apple cider may be frozen after first pouring off a small amount to allow for expansion.

Store beans in a moisture-proof, airtight container. Beans will stale and toughen over time even when stored properly.

Onions and garlic: mature, dry-skinned bulbs like it cool and dry, so don't store them with apples or potatoes. French-braided onions and garlic are handy and free to get some ventilation as well.

Brush your root crops clean of any soil and store in a cool, dark place. Never refrigerate potatoes and apples together; the apples give off ethylene gas, which will spoil the potatoes. Clipping the tops of parsnips, carrots, beets, and turnips will keep them fresher longer.

Squash don't like to be quite as cool as root crops do. If you have a coolish bedroom, stashing them under the bed works well. They like a temperature of about 50 to 65 degrees F.

Put some parsley plants in a box and place the box in a light cellar or shed.

Put some frozen rhubarb roots in a barrel of dirt in the cellar, where they will produce stalks for winter use.

Dig up and store dahlias, gladioli, and other tender plants.

Plant hardy spring-flowering bulbs.

Clumps of sensitive chrysanthemums can be set in a cold frame for the winter. They will yield many divisions in the spring.

Clean, oil, and store lawn mowers.

Paint any garden structures that need it.

Clean up and burn diseased plants, spread manure, and plow the garden.

Rake up the fallen leaves and use them as mulch for flowers and shrubs. Hardwood leaves such as oak and chestnut contain more plant food than those from softwood trees.

To balance all the harvesting, do a little indoor planting, which will liven up the house later. Calla lilies and begonias can be planted now, and paperwhite narcissi can be started

Candlelight on Cool Autumn Nights

Photo by Sparkle of Nature

To me, there is nothing more beautiful than candlelight.  Any season of the year, it makes an evening more special by bringing a feeling of intimacy to a room.  I love candlelight the most on cool Autumn and Winter nights.  The light from the tiny fire invites one to speak in more subdued voices.  It draws loved ones together and casts a softening light on one's surroundings.  It rests the eyes from the glare of artificial lighting and promises warmth and coziness.  It sets evening apart from day as a special time, as perhaps the highlight of the day.

We rush around so much from one thing to another that often we just feel happy that we can serve our families any meal at all at night.  Rarely do we give a thought to setting the mood.  But when we remember that as homemakers, we are responsible for not only nourishing the body, but also the soul, then setting a mood for the sacred time when our family gathers together at table becomes truly important.  Candlelit meals can be an integral part of that.  It signals to our family that the cares and stresses of the day are to be left behind and we can now relax and enjoy each other's company.

Let's recapture the evening as a special time set apart for the family, even if that feeling only lasts as long as mealtime.  To that end, light some beautiful candles table top, turn off the lights and let the magic begin.

Have a great day!

Elizabeth

Ten Things I Love about Early Autumn!

Picture by Oana M.

Ten Things I Love About Early Autumn

1.  It is warm, but not hot; cool but not cold.  Perfect weather.

2.  I look up towards the mountains, searching, and finally see autumn rusts here and there.

3.  Cornstalks and Pumpkins for sale, everywhere

4.  Re-aquainting myself with my recipes for soups, stews and chilis.

5.  Leaving the windows open and airing out the house with cool breezes.

6.  Fall cleaning and decorating.

7.  Sunflowers brightening up roadsides.

8.  Corn Mazes and hayrides

9.  Fresh apple cider from local farms.

10. Bringing out the quilts and blankets, we will need them soon!

Stop and savor the season, my friends.  It is fleeting!

Elizabeth

A Simple Woman's Daybook, October 12th

Outside my window... a brilliant sun shines down on our first real chilly morning. There was ice on the windshield when I went outside, but my tomato plants are okay.

I am thinking... ~ about my long list of chores and hoping that I will have the time and ability to complete them all.

I am thankful for... ~the strength and ability to work. The older that I get and the more health problems that plague me, the more that I marvel at the blessing of being able to stand up and balance on my legs and hips. It is a blessing to be able to work.

I am wearing... ~a gray, wrap top, long black pants, black boots and a scarf that ties in the colors and brightens things up a bit.

I am remembering... ~what I need to do..who I need to be.

I am going... ~outside right this moment and put food in the bird feeders. My little feathered friends are stopping by, finding nothing and casting accusing glances at the house (well, maybe not).

From the kitchen... ~Taco Soup for tonight, simmering tomatoes from the garden, much chopping of garden veggies for the freezer.

Around the house... ~I am creating order out of disorder, sense out of chaos, beauty in places and enjoying the quiet

From my camera...

For more Daybook entries, please visit a Simple Woman's Daybook HERE.

Have a beautiful, Autumn day!
Elizabeth

The Last Flowers of Fall

Well, we picked the last flowers in our yard while we were harvesting the rest of our garden's vegetables and fruit. It was bittersweet for us, because we loved our summer. But the first snowfall is coming tomorrow and the harvesting of flower and food had to be done now or never...

I thank any and all of you who offered prayers in behalf of our family this week. My husband and I have mostly stayed happy and positive, while re-thinking our lives. Currently, we are contemplating a complete change...Mark would like to leave sales of any kind. He is tired of the stress associated with those types of jobs, especially in a worsened economy. He is considering becoming a teacher. His degree in Sports Science/Exercise Physiology, as well as his experience as a national classed athlete, qualifies him to coach track & field at some nearby school. I think he would be very good at that. The pay would be small, but we could supplement it several different ways that we are still discussing.

We can still use prayers and we are deeply grateful for them.
God bless,
Elizabeth

Mark took me for a walk up at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, to Brighten. There is a lake there, called Silver Lake, that has one of my favorite walking trails.
Plaques have been set out along the trail, offering facts about the plants and animals who make their habitat in this wetland.
The day was overcast and easy on the eyes. The explosion of gold among the aspens was a brilliant contrast to the dark green of the pines.
Several small streams lead to the lake. Ducks and fish are bountiful.
The trail consists of part boardwalk, part dirt path.
A beautiful Stellers Jay followed us around part of the lake, hopping from limb to rock to branch just ahead of us. Was he looking for a hand-out?

A noisy squirrel descended a tree trunk and let us have it with all her wrath for disturbing her rest. Alas, she was too quick for me to take a picture of her.
Isn't it glorious?

With a happy, thankful heart,
Elizabeth

Show and Tell Friday

Well, it's October and time to get the Halloween decorations out! Above is my beloved little "Punkin Head". I rarely pay full price for anything - I am quite the bargain hunter. But she was an exception. I bought her last year for $13 and she is worth every penny! You can click on her to make her larger.
Isn't her pussycat cute?
Above is a sweet little, crow pail I found at my favorite thrift shop last week. I had been wanting something with crows on it. Cost? $1!
Have a very Happy October 3rd!!
Love,
Elizabeth

We made ourselves a castle
Once after school was out;
We raked the leaves together
To wall it all about.

We made a winding pathway
Down to the school-yard gate.
And there we worked with might and main
Until the day grew late;

Until one bright star twinkled
Above the maple tree
And lights shone down the village street
As far as we could see.

We planned that every recess
We'd come out there to play,
But in the night it blew so hard
Our castle blew away.
~ K. Pyle
("Winnie the Pooh - Autumn Leaves, by Ellenshaw
Courtesy: Allposter.com)

Mountain Color

I thought that you might like to see what the mountains look like on their highest Peaks, here in Northern Utah.















I love how the golden aspens are intermingled with the dark pines.

Have a gorgeous day!
Love,
Elizabeth

An Invitation

My husband called today from the road to tell me that the colors up Provo Canyon and over the pass from Brighton to Park City are beautiful. Then, he invited me to have a picnic lunch with him tomorrow to see the colors. What a nice husband!

I will be packing a picnic lunch. Any suggestions for what to bring that would be special?
I promise lots of pictures tomorrow!
Love,
Elizabeth