Gardening and Observing Life in SW Washington

Fall Madness

Posted by: BriarCraft, 11:20 PM GMT on September 16, 2011

OCTOBER 3:
I dug a few carrots today and it looks like a pretty good crop. Except for those needed for immediate use, I'll leave the rest until after a frost or two. While these Envy Carrots are exceptionally sweet and crispy, a frost seems to make them even sweeter. That's a 12 inch ruler to show you their respectable size.

I've been playing with my new camera and managed to get a few worth sharing. While the Stellar Jay isn't nearly as clear as I'd hoped with a 30x optical zoom, it was almost 40 feet distant and taken through a window that could have been cleaner and on a cloudy day. With the old camera, the bird would have been an unidentifiable bluish smudge.

The State Fair Zinnias and Naked Lady Lily were taken on a sunny afternoon and were, in fact, the very first pictures I took after figuring out how to put the batteries in and turn it on.

SEPTEMBER 26:
A typical fall weather pattern has moved in. For this area, that means cloudy and showers or light rain for a few days, then sunny and dry for a few days. Right now, it's showery and we're taking it easy. Time to tend to household chores. Wednesday thru Sunday look to be dry, so I'll be back to weedwhacking again. That will be more difficult now, as the rain has knocked down the grass somewhat.

Yesterday, we drove to Portland, had a nice visit with my parents, and did a little shopping. Doesn't sound like much, except we left home at 10:00am and returned a little after 6:00pm. So even though this is Monday, I'm doing what is more typical for a Sunday morning: leisurely coffee drinking while catching up on my blog and visiting others'. Later on, I'll make another batch of zucchini-cranberry muffins for the freezer, do some laundry, and fix a nice dinner that will yield leftovers for later in the week.

I've really enjoyed learning what others are doing in their yards and gardens at this time of year. If you're reading this, I hope you'll take the time to share what you're up to or throw in a random thought just because.

And if I disappear for a few days here and there, that probably means I'm outside working on my To Do List and I'll catch up with you later.

SEPTEMBER 16:
I tried inserting the funky Carrot Clarinet video, but it messed up the page formatting, so here it is, in case you missed the Carrot Clarinet from my last blog.

Fall is definitely in the air. And following right on the heels of that knowledge comes the realization that I've got to scramble to convert my To Do List to my Done List. For northern yards and gardens, time is running out. In the Pacific Northwest, the inevitable Fall Rains will arrive, followed by the relentless Winter Rains. Then it will be too wet and sloppy to do much of anything except refill the bird feeders, make a big pot of stew or chili, and find a good book to read.

Even though we never had much of a summer, it doesn't matter. The days are getting shorter and cooler. The ground is hard and cracked here and there with dryness. The grass isn't growing, except in a few shady hollows, but the dandelions and other weeds cover lawn and meadow with yellow blossoms at midday. I must mow again, even though the grass is mostly brown.

My dear partner still has thirty trees or more to limb (remove the lowest ring of branches). There are a couple of big piles of 3-6 inch limbs, with all their twigs removed, waiting to be chainsawed into firewood lengths and stacked in the woodshed. Nearly a thousand feet of drainage ditches along our little private road are filled with 7-foot high grass that is waiting patiently for me to weed-whack before the rains arrive to flatten it all. Spent flowers need to be pulled or cut back and flower beds weeded one last time. And there are lots of veggies still trying to reach maturity in the garden.

And so I progress from Zucchini Mania to Fall Madness (although zucchini are still coming on and on and on).

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get. Or so it seems.

Uff da!

So what are you up to?

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51. WatchinTheSky 2:21 AM GMT on October 04, 2011
Have to add my 2 cents - nice carrots, guess you didn't have a problem with wascally wabbits! Liked the snake on the pavers, must have been snuggling into the cracks for maximum warming. Who says reptiles are not smart? Member Since: September 20, 2005 Posts: 115 Comments: 807

52. sandiquiz 3:17 PM GMT on October 04, 2011
Great shots with the new camera. I can see carrot and coriander soup will be on the menu throughout the winter. Talking of new cameras - I have treated myself to a new camera because I feel the lens on my Canon is not as sharp as it was - probably due to the long journey in the post from Yorkshire to here.... :( I also have found the weight of a DSLR with zoom lens on it around my neck can give me neck-ache, so I have gone back to where I started - to a Panasonic bridge camera. About seven years ago I bought the FZ18, which cost nearly £500. The latest in the range is the FZ45 and I got it for less than half that cost - it just shows how technology has come down in price, due to demand! Happy Snapping! Member Since: October 29, 2005 Posts: 252 Comments: 22394

53. BriarCraft 5:11 PM GMT on October 04, 2011
Jus: Thanks for the tip: vignette/mask. I was looking for that on Photobucket, but I was looking for something that said framing or shadow box. Helps if you know what to call what you're looking for! It looks like that big upper mid-west storm has finally moved off, so hopefully you'll have some good fall weather to enjoy for awhile now. Skye: I won't be sharing these carrots with any four-legged. Maybe some two-legged though ;) WTS: Yes, I do have a problem with wascally wabbits in my garden. They're well-fed elsewhere right now. By the time I dig them after a frost or two, most of the tops will be nibbled off by dem wascals. As to the sneaky snake, your take on it is the same as mine. I have some of those pavers and they're only about 6 inches long, so I'm guessing that was a garden-variety garter snake. Sandi: Carrot and Coriander Soup? Intriguing. Never heard of it before, so I went off searching and found this on BBCGoodFood.com. Is that what you had in mind? And then, since the recipe called for fresh coriander and I'm not familiar with that, a further search revealed that fresh coriander is what we call cilantro. And I can imagine that carrot and cilantro are flavors that would compliment each other. So thanks for the culinary inspiration. I will give that a try. And yes, camera prices have come down here, too. A couple of years ago, when I priced similar cameras to the Fuji HS20, they were about twice as much. I think the HS20 is what would qualify as a bridge camera, too. It will do point-and-shoot quite nicely, but it also has enough settings and adjustments to boggle my mind. Member Since: June 21, 2004 Posts: 49 Comments: 2403

54. Bogon 11:39 AM GMT on October 05, 2011
Congratulations on your new camera! Your story sent me googling for camera reviews. I've been getting hints that there might be a new camera in my future, if I can only hold out until my next birthday. Member Since: June 26, 2008 Posts: 72 Comments: 2761

55. juslivn 12:28 PM GMT on October 05, 2011
Let me know if you need any cilantro seeds for coriander--millions, I have millions, lol. The vignette/mask feature is under the Edit/Decorate/Frame functions on Photobucket. Some of the new cameras have it built in, too. I think GG has that and featured it in one of her blogs. (Or someone did who has a new camera, too) Wx is very very good now. Have a good day out there! Member Since: August 20, 2009 Posts: 73 Comments: 9020

56. BriarCraft 5:34 PM GMT on October 05, 2011
Bogon: "Dream of a New Camera" seems to be highly contagious. A lot of that seems to be going around lately. (Not) sorry if I infected you. Jus: Thanks for the Photobucket pointer. I'll play around with it soon. I don't think it's built in to my camera (also GGs) or at least I don't see it discussed in the manual. MARCH ON WALL STREET: I don't usually get political on WU, but I can't resist passing this one along. It's in support of the 99% called a Virtual March on Wall Street and it invites you to comment and be counted. Send a message to support those occupying Wall Street through MoveOn.org. Member Since: June 21, 2004 Posts: 49 Comments: 2403

57. sandiquiz 1:52 PM GMT on October 06, 2011
I decided to set up a "new camera" blog as several of us have become "new camera" owners:) Both Linda and I use Picnik for our photo editing - there are many basic editing themes, as well as the more advanced effects. I have used photobucket, but find it slow, pedantic and lacking in the "photographer adjustments" that Picnik allows. To use all the advanced setting in Picnik you have to be a Premium member, which of course costs a little - can't remember how much, about £16 for me, but as a premium Photoshop account is about £200, I feel I can renew my Picnik account for many years yet to come! The carrot and coriander soup I make does not have a potato in it - but I can imagine it makes it slightly thicker once pureed :) Member Since: October 29, 2005 Posts: 252 Comments: 22394

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Live. Love. Harm no one. Help when you can. Be happy.

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