Preparing For a Freeze

It is already a busy day, today, and going to get busier as I go. They are predicting a HARD freeze tonight, so there is much to do. I have about a quarter of an acre of garden that is growing and producing beautifully! I am so not happy about this freeze! Most of my winter squash aren't nearly ready to pick. Now to decide which veggies to try to cover in the hopes of saving, and which to go ahead and pick. I don't have near enough blankets for it all, but I sure wish I did.

The corn is about head high, but is just now getting ready to start making. It certainly won't have time to make into ears before winter so it will get cut today and fed to the goats. The extra will be brought in to dry for their next feedings.

Then the sweet potatoes have to be dug. Although some better, my lower back is still out and has been for the past couple of weeks. This will be interesting, to say the least. This was my first time growing sweet potatoes, so I sure hope they made a good mess of potatoes.

Somewhere in there I need to bake something to warm the house up, probably as the sun goes down. I wasn't expecting this much cold this early and my wood stove isn't ready to use, yet. I will have to get the stove pipe cleaned and rearrange the front room. Last year I didn't even need to use it until about the first of December! But my house is well insulated (for the most part) so when I bake something, it usually takes the chill out and keeps it out until the sun comes up and warms it. At least, on these mildly cold days. It will get really cold in here later on.

My Honey will be here tonight so I will get him to help me carry in all of my pots of herbs. I am sure hoping to keep them growing a bit longer. The ones that survived the heat are really looking nice! I am still hoping they have missed and it will stay just above freezing, but it is also suppose to be a very clear night so it could get down really low. Right now the wind is blowing HARD. It would really help to keep the temps up if it would continue to do that on through the night. It just may make it hard to stand up while I am digging, lol.

Well, I better run for now. I have lots, and lots, and lots to do to prepare for the freeze tonight, and dark will get her quicker than I want it to. I think I will go fix me that Cottage Cheese and Peaches for lunch, first, I am going to need some energy, today!

Cottage Cheese for Dinner

Wow! It really has been a long time since I last posted! Since my last post, we have been through two more summers of extreme heat and extreme drought, this season's being even worse than the last. Now, here it is October and the strange weather continues. A couple of weeks ago we had our first frost. My garden veggies, though a little bitten, came back out in the warmth that followed and have burst into bloom and production. Yesterday (the 24th) we had a near record high. Now tonight we are going to have a near record low, just above freezing (I hope). The next three nights after that are suppose to be just below freezing, brrrrrrrrr.....

I picked most of my summer squash today (green zucchini, cocozelle zucchini, and yellow straight neck squash). I picked an egg plant a couple of other things, and surveyed it all as I laid out my plan of what to pick and what to try and cover up to save over the next few days. I sure wish I could cover it all, but there is just too much.

 My microwave is on the fritz. Oh, how I am missing it! You know, there was actually life before those dangerous things. Now I am lost without it. Took a little extra work to make my hot chocolate this evening, but I got it done and oh how good it tasted after I came in from that cold! The day had started out pretty warm, then all of a sudden that front hit... whoosh!!!! The wind howled and the cold air came swooping in. The dogs and cats sure didn't like it much!

For dinner tonight I had cottage cheese and green onions (from my garden). I kind of have a system with it. I take one carton of cottage cheese, take half of it out and chop up some green onions in it for my dinner. It is even better if it can set for awhile and let the green onion flavor permeate all that cottage cheese (large curd, of course). Then the next day I add canned peaches to the other half of the carton, pouring the peach juice in over all, then eat.... mmmmmmmm.....

Well, that's it for today. It is late, I have a BIG day tomorrow preparing for the freeze tomorrow night, so I am heading on to bed. Good night, all ... and sweet dreams . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sizzling Heat

It's Friday night and it is sizzling hot, inside and out. It has only been a few days, maybe a week, since it last rained, yet it is so dry out there, even my weeds are wilted! I will start watering veggies in a few minutes. It just seems to be frying them, but I will water them any way.

I have lost count as to how many days we have been under an Extreme Heat Warning. The heat seems to have no end, yet, in just a few weeks, I am sure we will be complaining that it is cold. I tried to take a nap this afternoon, but it was so hot I couldn't breathe. So I gave up and went outside to cool off.

Just a few minutes ago I heard a loud explosion in the not too far off distance, shook my slab floor slightly. It sounded like it was South of me. I imagine a transformer blew in this heat and off somewhere in that direction there are probably a handful of people now without any power, sweltering without even any electric fans. I have been noticing that this ongoing heat seems to be really playing on people's tempers, too. I sure hope we get some relief soon.