Abundance and Gratitude

Abundance

Just before the predicted hard frost on Saturday night, Kevin went out to the garden with an old banana box and came back with these treats. We already have peppers and tomatoes galore, so I was glad to find some vegetable lovers at our hymn sing Saturday evening. 

Every time I see something like this, I am amazed again at the grace of God, who made all these things to sustain us, to give us enjoyment, - and to bring Him glory. How can we not offer Him a heart of gratitude.  Look at the variety of color, shape, texture, and taste! For us? We who continually set our hearts on everything else but God?

Clockwise, from left: Thyme, Aloe, Lavender, Rosemary, Basil, Lavender, Oregano, Parsley

Most of these plants I've been able to winter over in the past - with the exception of basil. Bethany informed that the reason I had no success with my basil project last year is that basil is an annual. So parsley and rosemary must not be annuals?  I really need to look these things up. Most years, I dig up my herbs which flourish all summer in the garden and start to die bit by bit in the winter, but they just manage to limp along until spring - when I can set them outdoors once again. We'll see what happens this year.

Lionel and Tuppence will miss their windowseat, but they will definitely enjoy the newly-arrived 'salad bar.'

Tuppence, with fewer options at last year's salad bar

P.S. The hymn sing (last Saturday evening) was such a great time for friends to get together and praise God in song! I'm already looking at October's calendar...

♫♪

 Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Amen. 

***

 'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.' - Romans 5:8-11

Paul Bunyan Carrots

It's a little late in the season, isn't it, but we just dug our potatoes and carrots today. We've had rain for several days, it seems, but today it's bright and sunny and the perfect day to get that job done. Also, a good idea to get them out of the ground before they're covered in a foot of snow.

My husband dug with the fork to loosen the soil and I pulled them out by the tops. We just laughed at how huge they are. I just realized that I should have placed some well-recognized object next to the carrots so you could get some perspective as to the size of these monsters.

I think the carrot on the left is about 10 inches long and 2 1/2 inches around at the top. The carrots in the photo above could feed a family of four for a week!

Right now, the remaining carrots are lying out on the garden carpet so the sun can burn the little carrot eyes so they don't start to grow roots after we've got them stored in sand. After last year's hairy carrots, I decided I should read up on what to do before storing them in sand.

The carrots pictured above are the variety Danver's Half-Long. My husband commented, 'Wow, can you imagine what the full-length ones are like??!  :-)

I think that's the last of the gardening for this year. Now we just hunker down and wait for the Big Snow.

My Patchwork Garden

Welcome to my vegetable garden!  Beyond this gate you will find several yards of old, discarded carpet that, admittedly is not the most aesthetically pleasing, but makes an amazing mulch between the rows of vegetables. 

Although some of the other photos were taken last week, this one was taken this morning.

Yes, we've fenced the perimeter because we don't like planting a garden solely for the purpose of feeding bunnies. The vegetable garden is at the edge of the alfalfa field, out in full sun.

A couple short rows of popcorn I planted because my husband pops corn at least a couple times a week. Those shorter green plants between the popcorn are what we call 'weeds.'

Oregon Sugar Pod II is the variety of pea (left) and the beans are pole beans, climbing on the fence. I will never plant bush beans again. I found out last year how much easier it is to pick beans from a fence! (There is a carpeted aisle between the peas and beans, but you can't see it in this photo.)

Beans climbing fence, taken from outside the garden.

 If you look very closely, you can see the itty bitty beans forming on the vine, to the left of the blossom. :-)

I've had four pickings this size so far. I've been blanching and freezing what I don't plan to use up within the week.

Part of my row of peppers: jalapeno, long red, and poblano. If all these carpet scraps offend you, just remember how much fun weeding isn't!

Onions with a few of last year's parsnips-gone-to-seed in the background.

Parsnips and carrots. I've about 20 feet more to thin out, my least favorite job in the garden!

The squash patch, photo taken a week ago. They've really begun to spread out this week! In a short while you will hardly be able to see carpet for all the runners and fruit! (Isn't it a fruit? The seeds are inside...hmm)

 Just to the left of that dying blossom you'll see the little zucchini forming. In another week I should have zucchini and yellow crookneck squash for my stir fry!

The tomatoes, after I pruned them. The sun will quickly dry out the pruned leaves and they will easily brush off the carpet.

So why did we have this little tour of my garden? First of all, because I can't seem to stop taking pictures these days. Secondly, to show you that vegetables and weeds can co-exist, as long as the poor vegetables aren't totally outnumbered, at least that's my theory, and I'm stickin' to it!  Thirdly, to show you that carpet makes a wonderful 'mulch.'  Laying carpet is much preferable to pulling weeds, in my opinion, especially since you only have to do it once!

 Another squash blossom.

When you do have to pull out weeds between plants, the carpet is kind to your knees. And when it rains, the rain goes through to the soil, but the weeds do not come up through the carpet. This is The Great Carpet Mystery.

So when your neighbors are replacing their carpet, you might want to offer to take it off their hands. :-)

Someone asked my husband if I have to vacuum the carpet. :-) (Really. He was actually serious. And no, I do NOT vacuum the carpet in the garden. Most of my vacuuming has to do with dog hair!)

 

As I said last week, when I look out the kitchen window, I'm glad that I see the pond garden, not the vegetable garden. Now you know why. Misty hurried to get into the picture. 'Good girl, Misty!'

***
 

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