A Merry Little Christmas

Christmas eve was quiet and lovely.




We stuffed our stockings and curled up contentedly. Except for Ranger, who was immediately transfixed and would not give up his sentinel in the family room...
We finally had to put the stocking in the garage so the excited little guy could get some sleep.



In the morning he woke us early, and eagerly tore into it with gusto.
Scott and I opened our stockings at a more leisurely pace.



Our tree was a fond pleasure this year. We had not put one up for quiet a few years.



In between mimosas we made a wonderful lamb stew, a couple of loaves of bread, had some fantastic Texas grapefruit, and baked a lovely pineapple upside down cake.

Scenes From Our Tree...

Holiday Rush...

Ranger was a tremendous help when it came to the wrapping and packaging. He's pretty sure we couldn't have done it without him.

Happy Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving morning started with a lovely sunrise.



This is the thin layer of icing on our view in the mornings. We're awestruck and appreciative every day.



Scott and I agreed that if we were going to have our first ever restaurant Thanksgiving dinner, (at an establishment that is questionable on non-holidays) we'd better fortify ourselves with a good brunch.



This was the potato pancake benedict with spinach and avocado.
What dinner?

A Week of Happies...

We're having a lovely week. When the sun did break through, it did not disappoint.



Ranger has sought out each spot of warmth he could find.





I found this little guy in a warm blanket of dirt beneath a tomato canopy. He did not seem so happy to be roused from his slumber. Since the tomatoes were going away today, I tried to tuck him back in amid the lettuces. I have a feeling it was a poor substitute.



There's some radish,onion, lettuce, and a couple of hardy broccoli and brussel sprouts lingering. My thoughts are already on Spring. I'm mapping it out daily.




This is the newest addition to our household. We needed iphones for work of course. Scott's previous windows based smartphone got sick, so he opted for one of these. Luckily he made a pledge to me long ago that if one of us got an iphone, we both got an iphone. I've given her lots of attention and love, and I'm so smitten, I'm tempted to start sewing her little dresses and outfits.

A Quiet Start to Fall

It's been a quiet week around here. There seems to be a higher than average level of H1N1 Virus in the Rogue Valley, and we know several acquaintances that have succumb. I began to get the creepy scalp, sore throat and hot eye socket feeling on Tuesday. I promptly went home and downed vast quantities of tea, chicken broth, and immune defense fizzy, with some cheesy television show DVDs that shall remain unnamed.
I would say I have been successful thus far.
Scott seems to have won the battle as well, he just does it by pretending that he feels fine.

We've had some welcome cloudy mornings with rain. I'm not around the garden has much these days. The broccoli and lettuce seem pretty self-sufficient.
I used my vast quantity of green tomatoes for a fantastic enchilada sauce. I may make another batch for some chili verde before I take them out for good.
The peppers seem to be making their last fall push. It's as if they get panicked with the cool weather and make all the fruit they can. If you know anyone who needs some habeneros...

I Brake for ... Snakes

This morning was reported to be "the last beautiful day" by local weather authorities. We figured we had better take advantage. Scott and I set out from the house at a brisk clip, and headed down the Bear Creek Greenway for a late morning leisurely peddle, headed for tacos.
The bike corridor has some lovely areas, and the light was textbook early October.
Our chicken tacos and ceviche tostada were much loved after the thirteen mile trek.
In the back of our minds, we knew it was all uphill after lunch.

On the way home, somewhere around Talent, I passed chilly snake lounging in the middle of the bike path. Not wanting it to be run over, felt I should intervene.




I was much warmer than the shaded pavement, so we had a bonding moment while I tried to raise his body temperature. He was released safely on the side of the path and twitched his tail in thanks as he headed toward the shelter of the creek.






When stopping to fulfill my reptile good samaritanship, I rather forgot that I was physically attached to by bike via my toe clips.






I guess every good story needs a tumble.

Where There's Smoke...

This week has been all about the smoke. Monday the 21st began with a large plume that seemed close to home, only to find it was about 1500 feet from our backyard.We'd have taken pictures, but hosing down the house and shoving prized possessions in the cars took precedence. The winds were at about 20 mph that day, and we were asked to evacuate. Residents were allowed home around 8:00 pm. We smelled as if we had been on the firelines ourselves, and the neighborhood smelled like a wet campfire. Shaky, but relieved, we were definitely feeling blessed with the best case scenario. Unpacking your favorite things never felt so good.
Thursday brought us the smoke from Oakridge and Douglas County. The air quality can only be described as poor.

The garden is in its 20th week. The broccoli is beginning to mature.

It looks like I will get exactly two ears of baby cornichons. Watching their frousy little silky heads has been fulfilling enough.

When I was buying the happy chickens from the chicken people at Rogue Valley Brambles farm, where the chickens eat "mostly bugs and grass", I was asked if I would like a complimentary bag of chicken feet with my purchase. (They had quite a few). I responded with my typical culinary enthusiasm. "Of course! I'll make stock." It seems I was a little nonchalant about this. Somehow the bag of chicken feet was much less disconcerting than they were bubbling away on the stove.

Ranger has been feeling the approach of fall most acutely, he's not sure why his sunny spots just aren't as warm as they used to be.

"Try to remember the kind of September..."

The light is changing so quickly. Thoughts of canning change to ideas about sewing. Afternoon naps sound cozier. It's easier to let yourself be distracted by the current good read.

We have another burst of warm weather on the way. We'll make sure we grill and enjoy it. Hopefully it will help those reluctant green tomatoes ripen. We unearthed the American Harvest food dehydrator, it has been purring away on the counter making raisins out of our over-abundance of cherry tomatoes.

We made an bang-up Virgo dinner with friends this week. We were too modest to take pictures of the food while we had company, but the menu was a killer.

Roasted figs stuffed with black pepper goat cheese, drizzled with a balsamic reduction for an appetizer. For dinner, a saute of golden beets and haricot verts, green herbed risotto, roasted rosemary and garlic pork chops with an onion marmaletta on top. Mmmm....

The garden is in it's 18th week. I love the subtle changes. The corn's going to try. It's starting to tassle. The eggplant is just about done. Little lettuces are springing up from seed here and there. Kombucha squash got it's second wind and is insuring we'll be blessing my garden neighbors with squash gifts soon.

Of Naps and Omlettes

A visit to the garden on a cool Sunday morning.


I was greeted by little brussel sprouts enjoying the morning chill.




The view from the garden...

We braved the holiday crowds for a rock shrimp and bacon omlette at Morning Glory, and were rewarded with a table for two. The people who had been waiting an hour looked on with envy. We added a mimosa, a bloody mary, and the Sunday paper to make a perfect morning.
We ventured home for naps and some play with Ranger.





He was ready.

Late August Happies...

In the blur of everything that must be done...we're finding the little happies.

Changing light on the kite-shaped garden.

The dahlias in the squash.

The funny doe with the silly fawns that are literally milking her dry.

The dahlias from the growers market, picked out with our parents, that look like fireworks in a vase.
Texts and phone calls from Sirena.
The dried apples the neighbor shared for watering her garden...

A Quiet Weekend

Some of the squash foliage did the best it could, but despite all efforts, the powdery mildew was winning. The week of cool weather helped it along. It is a skeleton of its former self, waiting for the last few to mature. In its place, fledgling broccoli and brussel sprouts.

Vulnerable little melons peek out here and there.

A beautiful tart. I love it when my baking doesn't look like a second grade art project.

Early Squash, Punctual Eggplant

This Sunday marked the first squash from the garden. An eager little Kabocha squash, that couldn't wait to grow up fast. It is being admired until a debut with roasted chicken from Willow Witt farms this weekend. The Japanese eggplant moved out of the garden and right into a batch of ratatouille.

And just to prove that no vegetable is safe...a round of jardiniere was in the works. Shown here with some very playful tomato jam. The kitchen smelled like vinegar and tequila.

Good Sunday

The heat gave a small reprieve today. We woke to cloudy cool skies and a hint of a breeze through the screen. The garden was rinsed from the thundershowers. A perfect day for canning, and a farm dinner in Grant's Pass.

Heat Wave...

It's week 11.
Eggplant and squash abound. Beans are fizzling like
bunk sparklers, here come the tomatoes.

Sometimes, You Just Want To Bottle July

It was a fabulous week. We had joy, we had fun, we had young ones, Powell's, Baseball, and Pho.
We canned, we laughed, we made bees happy.

Now It Feel Like Summer...

Will We Eat From Our Garden?

Or will it eat us?

1500 Ladybugs - 10 Beans

I bought some ladybugs that needed to be liberated.

A snack size portion of our first yellow wax beans.

And the kitty who keeps me company.

I Trimmed The Tomatoes...

And found a cute little pepper.

Changing Every Day

Now it's starting to get exciting. It's that time of year you remind yourself how quickly a plant can generate foliage. One moment it looks like everyone is keeping their hands to themselves, and the next, your coaxing the cucumber's death grip off the habenero. No spaghetti squash, Mr. Edaname is not for you, don't hold so tight. Even the okra, missing its necessary heat this last week has made a growth spurt. The tomatoes are all shoulder to shoulder, but in a happy sisterly way.
I think I even saw the tiny beginnings of a bean...

Go Squash Go...

And the squash is in the lead, followed in a close second by the tomatoes. (Although they seem a bit more casual about their growth). There was a cucumber injury which slowed them down a bit, but they seem to be recovering and ready to compete. There's 110 earthworms down there quietly cheering them on.

I Stopped for Anchovy Paste...

And found a butterfly. She was floundering on the pavement in front of the Shop-N-Cart in the path of an oncoming Prius. I gently scooped her up and we hung out for a bit. I think she was a bit stunned from the heat and the asphalt.
I bid her a gentle adieu on some marigolds in the plant section at Bi-Mart. I hope she's O.K. after some shade and a respite.