The Autumns of our Lives

I've always heard the "old timers" say that a lot of berries on the trees and shrubs mean a hard winter is ahead. If that's the case we have a cold one coming! I'm personally not a fan of very cold weather, I freeze, but there are some aspects of winter that I love. Sitting in front of the gas logs and looking at the incoming seed and garden catalogs is one of my all time favorite things to do. It's the time when you can dream of a perfectly weed free vegetable garden with rows and rows of heavily laden vines of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and whatever else your imagination plants. But we're not quite at the point of gas logs. Right now it's a damp cold that's causing the leaves to turn color quickly and fall overnight. Our adopted Honey Girl loves this weather and you can hear the leaves crunching as she chases squirrels and chipmunks. All the fosters seem to enjoy the break in the heat, we had a terribly hot summer. The chrysanthemums are loaded down with blooms and the dogwood trees have more berries than I ever remember. Soon the cedar waxwings will be flocking and devouring every red berry they see. I love their Lone Ranger masks and exotic looks as they strip the color from the trees.

So Thanksgiving just around the corner and the thought of Christmas right after that brings a moment of reflection--

a lull in the hectic pace that my life seems to have taken on. A time for thought about next year and what I want to change and what I want to accomplish. I think I plan more resolutions this time of year than New Year's Eve. 

Autumn has always seemed a bit bittersweet to me, the end of color and production in the gardens, the end of the Season of Life, so to speak. Yet I love this time of the year. It's restful. And heaven knows, I need some rest!

Our New Addition!

Mother and Daddy built this little house and we love living here. It's just the two of us and our dogs so it really is big enough however there has been no storage whatsoever. Tiny closets, no attic space, and so consequently everything goes under the bed. Until  now! We have enclosed the back porch and made a new utility/storage area with an extra small kitchen area! I am so happy with it! It's where I did all the canning for The CARE Cannery and I could look out at my foster babies while working. It's a sweet little space and I have enjoyed making it "mine".
Our brother Sam drew the plans and Greg Coulston did the work and helped re design a couple of things that made it even better. Sam and Greg are brilliant! This small area is currently my favorite place to be. Greg used old barn wood and planks that blended perfectly, plus he built in a great cabinet [above] for my constant collections of whatever and kept the original ceilings and beams intact.

My dear friend Kim rubbed down the top of an old red cabinet to get the desired finish as a topper for the reclaimed wood piece. The huge jar was once used for pickles and performs well with branches, berries, and hydrangeas. Grandmother's wooden bowl filled with mock oranges and a large dried sunflower head propped up against the turquoise pitcher complete the still life.

The new addition feels like it has always been here.

Ready for The CARE Cannery Tasting Event!

Well, the last time I blogged I was preparing for the CARE Cannery's First Annual Tasting Event. That's correct, I have now said the word "annual" which means we will be doing it again next year, folks! I am happy to report it was a huge success! I think we had 12 little jars left out of close to 450 and I am already searching for new canning recipes. The best seller hands down was the Salsa, probably the Black Bean and Corn. 2nd Winner was Pepper Jelly. But it all sold and I haven't received any bad reviews Yet. I also managed to be decorated for Fall although Barbara came and got the house cleaned for me! I'm not nearly as inclined to clean as I am to decorate! I love hydrangeas when they first start drying that fabulous apple green color and I added a little green paint to keep them from turning totally brown..

This is an old wooden bucket I purchased at an antique store years ago. Greenery, shed antlers, and Indian Corn were the finishing touches. [And there's Mother's little shovel by the front door ready and willing to help me plant fall bulbs which will be arriving soon.]

I made this Fall wreath a couple of years ago or so  and haven't done a thing to it since. I still love it just the way it is. I made several special orders this year for various customers and each one was different and bright and made me wonder if I wanted to "update". Then I would look at this one and think not! I'm a big fan of natural floral's, nests, and white pumpkins so for now this suits me perfectly. I coordinated the lamp posts using more green hydrangeas and burlap ribbon, although I did use some real orange pumpkins at the base for a "punch".

Pick a Peck of Pickled Peppers! [or Doing the Salsa!]

I've grown a variety of peppers, hot, mild, medium spicy, any pepper plant I found I planted! Rather strange considering John nor I either one like hot. But the plants were so tempting and the descriptions so enticing that I just bought all of them so now I have the challenge of deciding what to do with them. I'm like my mother, I can't waste them! After giving tons of them away I jumped on the salsa bandwagon and that's been the solution--Salsas of every description! Mild salsa, hot salsa, green tomato and lime salsa, ripe tomato salsa, even  "just pepper" salsa!

Southerners do love sweet pepper jelly for their cream cheese and crackers so I've got lots of little jars prepared and ready to sell. I made it in red and also green because I thought they would make great Christmas presents, hostess gifts, or just pretty to have on hand. I use my vegetables for my kitchen table centerpieces. Whatever I've picked that day ends up on a platter in the middle of the table. I'm really in the mood to make more green tomato and lime salsa today but I have to go to work, instead! So the tomatoes can get a bit larger, the peppers plumper, and they will be there when I can get to them!

The CARE Cannery has been born!

Hence The CARE Cannery has been born. Because you all know I get obsessive compulsive about things I like doing. And to my surprise I have LOVED canning! It's inconvenient, it's time consuming [and I have NO extra time as it is!], it's costly [I have spent a small fortune on jars, Sure Gel, pickling spices, and all the canning necessities], not to mention the planting, growing, and gathering! It was horribly hot and miserable cutting that prickly, tall okra in 100 plus degree weather, reaching in through the foliage to get the perfect pods for my endeavor. But still--I've loved it. It's been gratifying and comforting to know I will have something to contribute to the CARE Bake Sales that I feel will help our struggling bank account. However, I may have sabotaged my plan. Because Now I have decided we Must have a new event! The CARE "Tasting Event"! That I will host! At my house! Now I don't have time to make my bed much less plan on hosting an "event" but there I go. Oh, yes. I've advertised it on face book. It's a done deal now! October seems a lovely time for a nice gathering, don't you think? A little barbecue and perhaps a pot of black eyed peas to taste with the relishes, lots of jams and jellies to try on cream cheese, chips to taste with the salsas! Yes, I can just see it now. Chrysanthemums blooming, a crispness in the air encouraging potential buyers, charming Fall decorations! Yes, I can see it. Now, to just Do it!

Canning for CARE

So although we've had this unbearably hot summer my garden has performed magnificently! It still is. I had an unbelievable number of cucumbers, the okra is still going strong, early tomatoes, late tomatoes, squash, peppers, gorgeous eggplants, you name it! I've never considered my self much of a canner, I do a little picked asparagus and okra, but that's been about it. Not this year. I am canning for CARE! My Fall and Holiday schedule is crazy and our two good bake sales are before Thanksgiving and Christmas. I started canning thinking it would be something for me to sell without having to cook the whole week before the bake sales.

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