The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Sadie's first toy

While Frank and I were away on the weekend for my high school reunion in Phoenix and a lunch out on Sunday, Lance combed the fields for the last of many of the veggies. But he also said that if we don't get another freeze for a week or so, we could have a few more. And some of them actually like cold weather. We had a freeze Friday night which wiped out the last of all the squash and okra. It also damaged tomato plants but they're about done anyway. Today he'll get the remaining cherry tomatoes and large green tomatoes off. The peppers are done.

End of season ugly cabbage

These final harvested veggies aren't pretty. They're survivors, and I'm sure they still have plenty of nutrition.

We might see more cabbage and broccoli. The Brussels sprouts are just now sprouting. In fact, I'd forgotten we had planted them. I walk by them all the time but they look a lot like cabbage plants. I thought they were duds - no heads forming. Now I find out I should've pinched them back from the beginning to encourage side chutes. They have one main trunk with lots of little nubs showing, so here's hoping.

Relish, pickles, peppers, green sauce

Our freezer is full and the canned food has spilled out of the pantry and now lines the tops of the kitchen cabinets. This winter will be fun every time we try a new jar!
We bought a flame throwing thing to help with clean up and weeding. With Frank's discount at Home Depot, it was only $45 and will be well worth the expense. Some of our weeds are small trees. We'll scorch some of them then Lance will till back into the soil. Compost!

The high school reunion was fun. My closest friends from those days were not there; two of them are deceased. But I recognized a lot of faces - although some I had to look at the faces on their name tags. I had a lot of acquaintances in high school, never fit with any one group, so I knew a few people from all the different clicks. Although I enjoyed those years, I would NEVER want to go back. We stayed at my mom's in Sun City. Friends took us to lunch on Sunday for Frank's birthday next weekend. It was beautiful eating on the patio of Dillon's on Lake Pleasant. Great weekend.

The clutch on the chevy is shot. We have an appointment to take it in on Wednesday. $700. I practically cried. Lance and Christie sold their old clunker a few weeks ago so we are sharing our two vehicles until they get another. Which means they will pay half the clutch cost, but still... A bit of a set back for some other needed things around here.

Have you ever sold gold? I just did. I have, no had now, a gold charm bracelet that my mother-in-law put together for me of all the highlights of my life at that point in time. But I never wear it, and she is gone. So I sold it. I can't use the money to fix the car. We already had it earmarked for the back up pump on our well which is even more expensive than the car expense. If we were to lose electricity for any length of time, we wouldn't have water. Hate spending money on something 'just in case' but farmer Lance is pretty adamant about this.

On the brightest side - Christie's tummy is growing. My granddaughter is now active and making herself known. They're calling her Sadie Belladonna. Sadie Bell for short. I saw a rocking horse that makes noises when you touch the ear. I wanted to buy it so bad but seemed foolish to buy something that wouldn't get used for about three years, so I walked away from it. Ha. Went back the next day and got it. It'll look great just sitting in a corner of the nursery waiting for Sadie Bell to climb on. Next year will be a ton of fun!