Back To Where We Started From

  I must confess I have been very tired so I've just been laying low a bit.  Well, that and I've had to start throwing again in earnest to get a jump on the many pottery orders I have.  One of the stores I sell through does corporate gift baskets and they start early to get their baskets in time for the holidays.
As you may see from the flowers and such, fall is in full swing here.  In fact, it's been quite cold here the past couple of days.  Well, cold for us anyway, for this time of year.  We were enjoying a wonderful Indian summer last week but that has ended abruptly.  I truly hate to see summer go even though I do enjoy fall.

Due to that nice, aforementioned Indian summer, the eggplants and peppers are doing great!  I'm still harvesting peppers of various kinds and hope to get a few more eggplant before the frost gets them.  The raspberries are still going strong and I even picked a few strawberries this week!

I actually managed to get most of my fall/ winter garden planted, so all that is doing pretty well.  I have one short row of bok choy (upper right), 2 rows of broccoli and just one row of cabbage.  We have eaten all of the last sauerkraut I made and I am really wanting some more!  I still need to finish mulching here also.

I planted about half of the coldframe in loose leaf lettuce and it's doing well.  We enjoyed our first salad from here the other night. Can't decide if I want to do more lettuce or carrots in the other half.  Well, it may be too late for carrots anyway.

The fig trees have received their heavy winter mulch and the tea shrubs also.  They are still doing well and I hope to see some good growth from those things come spring.

The chickens are doing great and seemed to mature a bit, getting their tail feathers and such.  They're looking like real chickens now!  Unfortunately, the roosters are also starting to rehearse their crowing.  Mostly they just sound like someone stepped on a squeaky toy.

We let them into the defunct okra patch to scour around for bugs and such.

I just love my little Speckled Sussex.  They are so sweet and talkative.  They are also quite spoiled and waste no time scolding me if they feel I've slighted them their treats or such!

So, these next few weeks are going to be very busy but it's a good busy.  Lots and lots of pottery to make and I still want to put up what few remaining fruits and veggies we have such as the peppers and apples. 

Closer

This is just a quick update to let ya'll know I'm still alive and here!  The kitchen has progressed a bit more; probably all it's going to until after the honeymoon.  But I got the range hood installed and it works!!  Yay!  However, having been so long without one I keep forgetting to turn it on.  Ha!  It is only temporarily up because I'll have to have it out of the way to install the tile on that wall, but it shouldn't be any problem to disconnect and take down.  It's a very simple installation.

I was very pleased with this wall cabinet that Mr. Adams made for me.  I think it looks so good against the dark metal.  I know these pictures are crap and please bear with me.  I'll try to get some during the day when the lighting is better.  Nowadays I do good to remember to take them at all and it's always at night.

I finally got all the countertop bases installed today, which is just basically 3/4 plywood on top of the cabinet.  Makes a fine temporary counter though.  The space here is for the dishwasher.  I don't have it yet because it can't be there when we pour.  The form must drop out after the counter cures so the dishwasher would just get in the way right now.
I also finally trimmed out the front door on the inside and another window.  These windows are next.  I hope to do those tomorrow.


I also got most of the fall garden planted and we sold all 6 of the mutt chicks and mean ol' Blondie.  So, that's seven fewer chickens crammed in that coop while we are gone.  Well, they will get to go out into 2 different runs during the day but this helps a lot.