Diary 11/28/11

Clear days are making for some pretty sunsets.  Fog in the valley will be cold and dreary for the next week or so.  Need to winterize some faucets. Will pick vegies tomorrow for a couple bags and salsa making.  Enjoying the last fruits of our 2011 labor. Shopping tomorrow and then home for awhile.  Visitors, Water Boy, a 1 year old birthday, football and such on tap for this weekend.

Diary 11/28/11

More clean up around our first home, the old cabin, which is slowly, but surely being disassembled. Two leaning oak trees are gone opening up the area and giving the orchard across the road better sun and air flow.  Cut up two shoulders, the backstrap (filet mignon) of two elk, and a ham of one elk today.  More meat cutting and wrapping tomorrow.

Diary 11/27/11

We hung out some today.  Did a little clean up in one greenhouse, burned a couple brush piles, and  finished unpacking. Started cutting up and packaging our elk.  Serious effort in that direction tomorrow.

Diary 11/26

Red Rocks

Two good reasons

Goodies in the greenhouses

Sorry I have missed so many days blogging.  I am home from Denver to lots of goodies in the greenhouses, lots of loose ends to tie up before winter, a resolve to get into the Christmas spirit by getting some decorations out sooner than later.  I leave behind Red Rocks and two very important reasons to be too busy to blog.

Diary 11/18/11

I thought Denver was in the Rocky mts., but really it is in the flatlands on the other side and thus in the rain shadow. It has been sunny and dry the entire time. No baby yet,but it is inevitable as the telltale sign of a large belly would indicate. Meanwhile enjoying being Prince, painting, and telling stories to a three year old Princess.

Diary 11/15/11

I am off to Denver to await the arrival of a new grand daughter. I
will be granny nanny for my three year old grand daughter there. I consider the appointment a privilege. I will blog as I can,but it may have nothing to do with gardening or the PAcific Northwest. Excuse the errors as I am finger challenged on this small phone keyboard. It is all quite amazing to me ! Now to learn how to upload a picture!

Diary 11/13/11

My husband and one other hunter harvested elk yesterday.  My husband's was way down in a steep draw, so they parted it out into 6 pieces to haul from the woods.  Luckily there was plenty of help as that is how this group works, all pitching in together. The other elk was brought out whole using a chain saw winch, slowly pulling it on the snow from the woods to the road.  Then it was taken apart here and hung in the cooler where it will hang for a week or more and then we cut and wrap it for the year's meat. No pictures, yet, though I may post one later.  Meanwhile, I am transplanting choi, lettuce, cabbage, kale, and broccoli plants for late winter greens.  The last of the tomatoes are ripening and I have a few more peppers to pick. 

Diary 11/11/11

Tomorrow is opening day of the week-long black powder muzzle loader elk season.  If you are anti-hunting, you may not wish to visit my blog for a few days.  For us it is all part of the life here.  Elk are prolific and they are excellent food, low cholesterol, tastes like rich beef, and though alot of work to harvest, somewhat inexpensive to gather.  Much skill is involved in both the hunt and the shot placement, and subsequently the processing of the meat until it is in nice white paper-wrapped packages in the freezer. We are lucky to have this food source and we honor that privilege by wasting as little as possible. Even the scraps go to the dog and cat who are always appreciative. Best of luck to the hunters.

Diary 11/10/11

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.
Red sky at night, sailor's delight.

Red sunset last night gave way to a mild mostly sunny day today.  No color tonight and I think we are in for some rain over the weekend.

Diary 11/9/11

The onions did not all finish, especially the  ones at the one end of the beds which must have received less sun than the rest of the row.  Plenty of green onions.  I can harvest them slowly through the winter though the bulbs will get slimy.  I am going to mulch a few in hopes that they will still be usable.

Diary 11/8/11

Back from Eugene to a busy household.  Had a great time hanging out with the super Tunnel Master and Thomas Train Buff while there.  Water Boy has grown up so much in a short time.

Diary 11/6/11

Off to Eugene for a break to see my favorite (two year old) train conductor.  A skiff of snow on the deck and oak leaves this morning was a surprise when I first looked out. Cold the entire day, I saw 37.4 as the highest temperature. The only time I went outside was to feed the chickens and collect eggs.  Visitors and football taking up the rest of a lazy day.  Garden is fine coasting along until I get back.

Diary 11/3/11

The freeze has definitely nipped on the tomatoes in the greenhouse, but amazingly they have not gotten wet enough to get black spot or split.  Garden Girl helped pick figs and tomatoes in one greenhouse and green peppers which she ate one half of and some strawberries in another greenhouse. Just to show she was a true lover of the garden, she took a bite of a dirt clot.  I am not sure why and tried not to react in case that was what it was all about.  I have heard of those children that eat random things, but this was the first instance I have seen with this two year old.  I think she got over it when I didn't cry out in horror, but just calmly asked  if she wanted a a drink of water with her dirt.

Diary 11/2/11

Garden Girl helped with chores today such as collecting the eggs.  Not sure what the peace sign is about.  We were looking at a book and there was a picture of an owl and some cactus.  I asked her "What animal is that?" Without replying, she touched the picture of the cactus with her finger and withdrew her finger saying "Ouch!". It was obvious she knew exactly what a cactus was, perhaps from personal experience.

11/2/11

Garden Girl is here for a few days.  It will be interesting to see how much blogging I can do!  Hopefully she will help me pick the last of the cherry tomatoes, onions, well, maybe, and raspberries.  Nice day today and then rain, rain, and low snow levels.