Bake Sales!

I don't do much baking any more. I try not to eat too many desserts.

So I love community bake sales at church bazaars or even at Starwood, my mother's nursing home. They're fund-raisers - so it would be wrong not to buy something!








 

I recently got a phone call inviting me to contribute baking as well! So I got down to work, preparing chocolate chip cookies and cranberry-oatmeal muffins.







  

I dropped them off...

But for someone like me, who loves baked goods, just stepping in the door is an invitation to buy as well!

I always end up bringing home more than I brought!

Fortunately I was attending a "pot luck" supper that evening... When others complemented me on the delicious cake I had brought, I didn't mention that I hadn't actually made it... I just smiled and nodded - I did bring it!

Fantastic Fall Flowers!

My garden is pretty subdued these days...

Not much color there.

So I'm always delighted to come across bright flowers in bloom, like these outside a shopping center!

I think they're annuals. Maybe I should invest in a few next year. They keep blooming until the first frost.

After reading this blog post, a friend commented: The plants you saw are plumed cockscombs, I think, an annual that quite easy to grow. They do make a vivid display, especially in the fall when the flowers of other plants begin to fade - somewhat the way chrysanthemums do in the fall. Check this Web site for info on this plumed form of cockscomb http://www.onlineplantguide.com/Plant-Details/486/

Appreciating Antiquities

My mother did a lot of travel in her younger years, visiting Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Egypt - and even Syria. As I go through her stuff, I've come across many souvenirs.

Somewhere in her travels, she bought this book that shows excavated ruins in various parts of the world.

To keep it? Or give it away to a used book sale?

I think I'll keep it. With all the destruction of priceless historic artifacts in Syria, I may never see them any other way...

Market Meal ... and More!

Occasionally one of our sons gives Terry and me a restaurant gift card, to encourage us to try new places to eat.

Recently we headed to ByWard Market to try a new restaurant there - gift card in hand.

The day was lovely! We were seated by an open window where we could enjoy the view.

Popcorn was on every table - a nice touch.

We ordered fajitas. Delicious!

After eating, we wandered around nearby market stalls, buying a few vegetables to take home.

On the way to the car, we stopped in at a chocolate shop... What to buy?! I ended up getting a chocolate gelato... a perfect dessert to complete the day!

Autumn Yard Work

Autumn is my main gardening season... In spring, I clean up winter debris and wait for my perennials to pop up! In summer, I enjoy the flowers... and in winter I do nothing but wait for spring to arrive!

Autumn is my busy time. With milder weather, working outdoors isn't as hard as in the heat of summer. So I plan my garden for the coming year, dividing and moving plants that have grown too big - like this hosta I've put into a new garden bed where trees were recently cut down.

New soil is needed to fill in the many new holes... which is where my compost comes in...


 

It has to be dug up, too.

Dead plants that have been composting for two years are ready to be mixed with the garden soil. I dug up 10 wheelbarrow loads last week - then Terry did the rest.

Until I need the compost when I transplant the flowers or build a new garden bed, the soft soil is covered with thick black plastic to prevent weeds from growing in it.

I'm always satisfied to see my compost bin empty and ready to receive fresh foliage - mainly flowers that have finished blooming.

Moving wheelbarrow loads of soil is hard physical labor... probably the hardest I do all year. But I love it! To avoid getting injured, I break it down into small tasks... working only an hour or two every day. Eventually - if the weather stays nice - it all gets done! Even then, it takes several weeks to do it.

Afghan Update

A few weeks ago I started a new afghan in basket weave crochet - a pattern I've never tried before.

It makes a tight woven texture...

I'm using two stands of yarn in different colors at the same time, so that transitions from one color to another are somewhat gradual. (Only one color changes at a time...)

Here's what it looks like at this point... still a ways to go.

I've managed to get this far using yarn I have on hand... but I'm running low, so I may have to buy more to finish it..

In the meantime, it is satisfying to see the bags of scrap yarn disappear.

Fall Flower Pruning

Summer is ending - I hate to see the flowers disappear!

So I've been trimming the dead ones...

It's a little work - but it lets me focus on the few still in bloom!