Thursday, August 31, 2023

Endings, Beginnings, and a Holiday

 Good golly Miss Molly it is the last day of August!  It has flown by.
Here in the U.S. this coming weekend is Labor Day - celebrated on Monday.  It is usually looked at as the last hoorah of summer.  People go camping, boating swimming, do cookouts, etc.  Generally, the public pools shut down right after the holiday for the year.  
THEN comes all things fall - everywhere!  Festivals, craft shows, pumpkin patches, hayrides, apples, you name it.
So as one 'party' ends another starts!!!!!!

I am not sure what I plan to do today and tomorrow.  We are still having just fantastic weather - so I have done MUCH outside this week.  It has been wonderful.
The moon this morning was glorious to say the least.  Huge, bright and full.
I have no plans for the holiday at all - it is just another day in my book.  I get '7' day weekends now - so those '3' day ones mean little!!!!!!!  LOL

It will be warming up again by the weekend.  Back in the 90's much of next week.  Summer isn't letting go quite yet.  No rain at all this week, and none projected for next week.  Just sun!  Rain barrels will be used - which is good - this late in the season, I hate to see that water just get dumped before freezing time.

Still getting produce from the garden, but not nearly as much.  Many of the plants are winding down.  Tomatoes may go on for a long while - other stuff not as much.  I have surely enjoyed it all though.

I know the hummingbirds will be departing sometime soon.  Usually when one is drinking another flies up and runs it off, so #2 can drink.  This morning at stood at the kitchen window and watched 2 eat together.  The feeder is right outside the window - I can almost touch them!  Finally, a third flew up and chased those two away.  What an absolute joy to watch.  My little flying jewels.

As a new month starts, I wish you only good things.  I hope you all get to have a lovely weekend with family or friends or just enjoying nature.  May it be peaceful and safe.
Hoping the new month brings you great joys and good health.
Have a wonderful weekend my friends. 


37 comments:

  1. Gotta love those 7-day weekends. Soon after retirement, a quadding trip was rained out. My friend & I checked our calendars for another date. This w/e was this; that w/e was that. I asked, "Why are we just looking at Sat & Sun? What about Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri?" We laughed, knowing we were truly retired. Carrots & onions still in the ground. There will be some spaghetti squash to harvest & tomatoes when ready. Dilled a few qts of cucumbers this week. The full moon was obscured with clouds here. Like I tell my cousin in TX, we're under the same blue moon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trust me - the moon was something to see. Yep - same moon, same stars and same sun.
      That is funny - but oh, so true. No need to just plan on weekends anymore. Sis was talking last year about what weekend should we do our Christmas. I said why the weekend? Any day will work - we are all retired. She laughed and agreed.
      Happy harvesting!

      Delete
  2. There were times when I thought the summer would never end and poof, it's gone. We have quite a few red and yellow leaves down.

    The Farmer harvested the sweet potatoes yesterday and another hill of French fingerlings. The new zucchini he planted has blooms so I hope we have some late zukes. I canned beets yesterday. Only got four pints. It sure looked like more than that. We had eaten quite a few and we decided to plant more for next year. That's the thing about gardening. You get to start all over next spring. Just like the sweet potatoes. They vined everywhere, kinda like kudzu. ha! The Farmer found some that are a bush type.

    Erin asked what we were going to do on Monday. We used to make a big deal out of Labor Day when we were both working. Now life is a seven day weekend! ha!

    Enjoy this beautiful day! We are headed to the Indiana Joint Replacement Center on south Kentucky Avenue. Better than going to Fishers, for sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes - poof and time flies!
      Yum on all the harvest. Sorry your beets weren't more. It is neat to think about - get to start all over again next spring!!!
      Those 7 day weekends are kind of nice - don't ya think???
      Much better than Fishers - can't remember the last time I was up that way.

      Delete
  3. I'm going to miss the summer fruits, veggies and herbs but September thru January is my favorite time of year so I'm excited. I'm going to roast a lot of peppers on the grill this weekend to store up for the winter. We'll have a BBQ type meal on Sunday and Monday. Other than that we'll be at home doing a few odd jobs and taking some time to relax. Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will miss all the fresh goodies too. Those peppers will be so good this winter.
      Enjoy your meals and have a lovely relaxing weekend.

      Delete
  4. Hard to believe we're just one day away from Sept., and more autumn decor and foods will appear. I still have peppers on the plants and plenty of tomatoes, though I'm getting 2 to 3 ripe ones each day. Chives are ready for another "haircut" and my other herbs are continuing to produce. I cut down the tall stalks of romaine that had gotten too tough to eat and had flowered, and yesterday there were new leaves coming out fro 5 of the 6 cut stems. So, perhaps in a week or so, I'll be back eating fresh lettuce from the deck planters. Leeks and my lone hitch-hiker rutabaga will be harvested after the first frost.

    The facility where my mom is living (senior living with graduated care for her progressing dementia) is hosting a family BBQ on Saturday. I'll make the trip over to Michigan for that, and will then get another box of tomatoes for my canning buddy, to finish off his case of jars, and will also pick up other produce that will be good to have on hand. I need to find somewhere that has red peppers (my plant has produced only 1) so I can make a small batch of copycat Harry & David's pepper relish. Will see if I can find a small cantaloupe, and will see what else is available. Maybe a few zucchini for another batch of bread ... I missed the first picking of raspberries, not sure if any late crop is available. Will check my favorite produce spots and take my clue from there. And, I'll also ask about when hard squash is expected, so I can time my Fall visits. Butternut and Acorn are starting to call my name!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes mam, it is hard to believe. My herbs are still doing good as well. Thanks for the reminder on chives. I need to do that too.
      That will be lovely to spend the day with your mom and other residents. Be safe traveling. You are sure getting a lot of great veggies on your trips. Nice thing about winter squash - is that it can be kept over most of the winter. I love a stuffed acorn squash.
      Be safe!!!!

      Delete
  5. My favorite season is the warm season! Lol So spring & summer. Today's our wedding anniversary. I was determined our wedding would be in the summer! Lol....
    ~margaret

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy Anniversary! You just barely made summer!!!!!
      I like spring and summer best too - although fall is close in my favor.
      Have a wonderful day and celebrate!!!!!! Many more!

      Delete
    2. Happy anniversary to you and hubby. Cookir

      Delete
  6. It is Labour Day this weekend too, for we Canadians. That means football. I'll watch some but the teams have, for the most part, played poorly this year so the games aren't as interesting.
    Other than that, I plan to relax and putter around the house. We won't be having any showings and the contract remains on hold. I've got some knitting to do, and I may pick up the crocheting I started earlier this year and dropped when the house was listed.
    I totally agree, retirement means 7 day weekends! Enjoy your weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't realize it was a holiday in Canada as well. I learned something today!
      It is nice to just putter and relax - so much to be said for it!
      Enjoy your sports and crocheting.
      Hope things happen soon with the house!

      Delete
  7. I think I will be nursing a cold. But also need to make Lil sis her favorite chocolate birthday cake!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Girl, you just wear yourself out and get sick. You need to take better care.
      Chocolate cake - yum!
      Feel better!!!!!!!

      Delete
  8. Hard to believe it's the begining of September! I've spent much of my free time this week walking the neighborhood looking for Blackie. He had supper on Monday night and that's the last I've seen of him. :( Asked some neighbors if they'd seen the remains of a thin black cat, and the answers are "no, but they'll keep an eye out".
    Gloom, doom. Coyote? Dogs? Cars? Hawks? Snakebite? I want some closure on this! :(
    MaryB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sorry your boy is missing. My Blackie does that from time to time and scare the daylights out of me. He has been gone for 4-5 days before - then returns all starving. I think they still believe they can 'compete' with the other boys when a female is around. I sure hope your baby comes back in the next day or so. HUGS

      Delete
  9. Same here Cheryl, weekends or weekdays or holidays make no real difference to us anymore.
    This year the only real success I have had is with my herb garden. I have parsley coming out my ears, I will freeze a lot individually and then make some mixes of parsley, basil, oregano and chives for pasta sauce. My dehydrator gave up a few seasons ago and I haven’t felt the need to replace it but I may have to now to cope with the herb bounty.
    Yesterday I made a small batch of tomato soup to use up some of the misshapen fruit and served it with toast with herb butter. It was lovely, so I may grab some butter today and freeze some pats to enjoy in winter.
    I have decided to embrace my inability to sleep, and have started to crochet a blanket. I don’t need one, but can always donate it. My skills are rusty but it’s better than tossing and turning and getting stressed over it.
    Enjoy today, and those little flying jewels until they leave, birds are such a blessing. Louise

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you have had success with herbs. I still sometime hang mine or dry is a warm oven - if I have used it for something else. You can dry them in a hot car too - sure makes the car smell yummy as well!
      Your soup sounds yummy. I have been deciding what to do with several tomatoes that need used - I was thinking juicing them. Soup sounds tasty too.
      Good deal. Make something until you get back in sleep mode. Smart thinking.
      I love the hummies so much - they are sure active and hungry right now.

      Delete
    2. I think my soup was essentially juice with some chicken stockand lots of pepper. It wasn’t a thick heavy winter soup. I also served a cheese board which went well, of course this was all by chance to feed and extra mouth and what I had planned just would not stretch.
      Thank you for reminding me about the warm oven to dry out herbs, I will give that a go. As this seems to be a very hardy plant I am also going to try to let it go to seed and see if I can save any.

      Delete
  10. Time sure flies. Yup, doesn't matter what day it is to us either. No special plans for the weekend. Hubs will probably watch some college football games on Saturday. I'll probably be in my craft room playing while he's doing that. It was absolutely gorgeous here today and we harvested more green beans, carrots, basil, peppers chard and the first butternut squash. We've spent the rest of the day blanching what needed to be blanched and packed things up for the freezer. But the extreme heat comes back for the weekend. Mixed a tad of caffinated coffee in with my decaf so I could power through the day. Meals ready to eat from the freezer tonight. Cookie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is nice being retired!!!!!! Hope you both enjoy whatever you do.
      Great harvest. Sounds like you kept busy.
      It is beautiful here as well. No AC today - windows open and lots of breeze. We get to 90+ come Sunday - for a few days next week. The last hoorah I imagine!
      Enjoy it - snow and ice will be here before we know it.

      Delete
  11. It's been rather cool here this last week but next week we get a taste of summer back. Beans and potatoes are still out in my garden. Tomatoes are ripening. They had better get a move on-there was a frost warning further up north a couple of days ago. We cover up at night.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a cooler week as well. Going to be hot all next week. I hope you still have plenty of time yet! I have tons of green tomatoes out there still. Frost - yikes!

      Delete
  12. Come on fall!!! I'm having visions of Snoopy playing in the leaves!

    I'm hoping our poor little garden will rebound a bit with some somewhat cool air. We'll be glad to just get things in the 80s and 90s! lol It's been too hot to even try to plant anything.

    Have a great weekend! ~Amelia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know it is hot - when you say you will be glad for 80's and 90's!!!!!! We have had a wonderful week - but the mid 90's come back for the next week or so at least.
      Hope your garden rebounds! Thank you!!!!

      Delete
  13. I am glad that we will be warming up for the next ten days. It sure beats frost and my squash need the extra time to develop.
    We'll be hosting our first campfire of the season tomorrow. Most of the summer a fire ban was in effect. So this may also be the LAST campfire of the season!
    I am also enjoying watching the hummingbirds. I have a very tall teepee which is loaded with scarlett runner bean plants. There is always food for the birds and the beans are good to eat as well.
    Hope everyone enjoys a drama free weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would rather have the heat again, as the cold and frost too!
      First and last all at once! Well, at least you get to have one. I can't remember the last day we had that wasn't windy! I has been dry here for the past week or so, and more to come.
      Have a glorious time and enjoy every moment of that campfire and get together!!!!!!!

      Delete
  14. After four appts this week, we are glad to get three days off. No special plans, just catching up on things around the house.
    Beautiful weather the past few days, but heat (90sF) and humidity are back starting tomorrow. No rain forecast, either.
    We are down to the last few juvenile hummingbirds at the feeder. I'll probably take it down in a few days. Will be putting up the finch feeder (niger seed) for our Bird TV entertainment.
    I'm going to try to treat a large yellow jacket nest in the back of the yard tonight. I can't mow or hang out clothes until it is gone. There are yellow jackets all over the yard. I'm hoping the foaming spray I bought this morning will do the trick.
    Picked 19 large tomatoes this week; gave nearly all of them away. Still more on the plants. Cherry tomatoes are slowing down, and I'm having to water them.

    --Frances in the Trailer Park

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your forecast sounds like mine. I have had 3-4 all summer and they are still here and drinking like crazy.
      Be so very careful treating for the yellow jackets. That is scary.
      My cherry tomatoes are about done - look pretty sparse. The regular tomatoes are done with red for the moment , but there sure are a lot of green ones.
      Do not over do it and get rest and enjoy each others company!!!!!!

      Delete
  15. Surgery was successful, however, the nerve blocker wasn't. Lots of pain and NO sleep since getting home yesterday. Prayers appreciated. I've just got to get past these first days. Obviously no Labor Day plans for us. --Elise

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have been on my mind and in my prayers. You can do it kiddo. Just think of what you have been through for ages now - and a few more days and you will be on the mend!!!!
      Gentle hugs and prayers. Hope you get some relief and rest!

      Delete
    2. Been praying and still praying.
      --Frances

      Delete
    3. Elise you have been on my mind also. Praying for the pain to get better and you can get some rest. Giving you my hugs and prayers.

      Delete
    4. I've been praying Elise, and will continue to pray specifically! Thank you for the update.

      ((((hugs))))

      Delete
  16. We try to do one thing for each holiday, even if it is a shamrock on the door or a flag in the flowers. But, the eating can happen anytime or day. Yes, seven-day weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Finally got some sleep last night. Hurray!! --Elise

    ReplyDelete