Fall gardening

I still haven't managed to have time, with everything going on, to get anything started for a fall garden in the way of onions, carrots and the like. I'd like to, but I'm beginning to think it just ain't gonna happen this year. On the other hand, what I do have is going gung-ho. Yes, I know from the photos that I REALLY need to make time to do some weeding. Just there's so much needs doing that I never seem to have the time I want to do everything. Kind of sad in that respect. I have a to-do list a mile long and I seem to manage to ever-so-slowly get anything checked off on it!

Anyhow ...

I put in a bid a few weeks ago at work for a better-paying job on the line cutting up the chicken, and found out Wednesday night that I got it. Thursday, I went and signed my bid acceptance papers. Friday, breast line threw a small going-away party for me. I got a big jar candle in "harvest splendor," which is kind of a pumpkin spice scent as a gift from all the gals. The lead brought in pizza, and others threw in cookies and soda. It was a surprise because I knew they were planning something, just not what. Now that I'm going to be on the line, though, I splurged this weekend and got me some new rubber boots at Wal-Mart for $14. Perfect for work, especially once I put my fuzzy liners in them to keep my feet warm. The boots keep me dry and have great tread so I don't have slip and fall accidents, and the liners keep my toes toasty! I start tomorrow (for me), on Monday the 19th.

I did manage to get out today to the garden for a few photos, though. It's been raining a lot lately, so before-work garden time has been severely limited (yet another reason I hadn't put anything to sprout for a fall garden ... there's just so much rain that I can't get out there during daylight because of the downpours!). But all that rain has been stupendous for the garden.

Remember those 17 mixed squashes that got pretty waterlogged with the last round of major storms? Five survived transplant and are going strong. The one in the front left is really going crazy. I like how they are growing, and hopefully will spread all over that little patch.

Far right side of the original patch. The older tomatoes in front got so big and heavy with green fruits that they literally broke the heavy jute twine I had strung up for fencing. So now they are laying on the ground, ooops. The ones in back from the late spring/early summer seedlings that I got started from seed are doing great. The rain has really helped them take off.

This is the middle part. Just to the right of the bottom left corner, you can see my first bell pepper getting red and fully ripe. More of the tomatoes from seed behind, doing great!

The very left side of the little bed. You can see some of the blooms in the previous photo, but more now. Mostly all male blooms that I can see. There's a mini watermelon in there somewhere on the very left and the blooms are all off that yellow crookneck that I let rot there and it exploded. These are looking really nice! Both of my bell pepper plants are loaded with blossoms. I do wish they'd get busy making peppers for me, though! I have a red and a purple bell.

One of the yellow crooknecks got a funky bloom! You can't really see it in the photo, but the stem is two that split apart a bit back but not completely, so there's this weird double bloom thing going on!

My sole current bell pepper, ripening to a yummy-looking red. It's been sitting there for WEEKS, all green, while I've been waiting semi-patiently for it to ripen up!

The older tomatoes from early in the year are still blooming strong and setting me lots of tomatoes! I got a bunch of both Rutgers and Cherokee Purple the other day off the plants.

The ones I started from seed are starting to bloom, too!! LOTS of blossoms! I can hardly wait to see what all I get out of all these plants!

I know, the garden isn't much, but considering what I was only able to do at the trailer on the mountain (half a dozen tomato plants, if that), this is a HUGE jump in gardening for me now that I am on the homestead I am buying. SO much to do yet and so far to go, but there is progress being made, so I am happy.

Now, since it's late and dark and all, I need to make some dinner (working second shift can really bite when you want to get a chunk of time to work on the homestead!), and on the Etsy shop and Bonanza booth some more tonight. Hugs and love, all. I'll see you again later!

Holiday doin's!

Woke up from a nap (it's hot, not much else to do unless I hie meself off to McDonald's for iced tea and A/C!) ... and heard my phone make the most BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL sound! CHA-CHING! That little Etsy cash register rang again! I'm starting to make some progress! Brings me up to 32 sales in just about 8 months, or average of one sale a week. Just gotta keep plugging away at it so I can keep bringing that number UP!

I have to haul out the printer tonight when it gets cooler and print off everything (packing slips and mailing labels), and the stuff for the one from last week came in Saturday, so that's going in the mail tomorrow. Have to order stuff for these two and get them in, but might as well print everything while I have the printer out later and tuck it away so I can get those orders shipped ASAP once they come in.

Chores today are going to have to wait until it cools down a bit. 90-something and feels like 98 with the humidity, despite a nice breeze. HE is taking a nap because he's "tired." From what? Oh, wow, he cut some of the roll insulation and tacked it into the small header holes over the rest of the windows today. Took him less than an hour, he quit on that, and said he was "tired." I'm going to FREEZE this winter unless we get back to full hours so I can work on the cabin!

Not like there's that much to do - a few dishes to finish up, and that's about it. Might reorganize the kitchen food stuffs a bit when it cools down, too. Just so darned HOT. I need to get some more jewelry ready to ship for when it sells and get more stuff done on the shop, but it's just so freaking HOT! I'm so grateful for all the windows in the cabin to let in the breezes I am getting, and for it being a one-room shotgun cabin.

Off to do some more shop stuff. Go, me!

Oh, yeah, and I got five whole green beans out of the garden today, but silly me left them on the counter. Need to plant more for fall. What happens? Nothing much, except I ended up with beans in the bed since the cats thought they were PERFECT toys! Washed them and snapped them and put them in the smallest pack of beans in the freezer. Corn's done, got a few cobs there that I shelled. More tomatoes on the older plants are getting ripe and they are blooming again now that nights are cooler. Most of the late squash that got drowned on the porch died, but several are still going. The volunteer yellow crookneck are going nuts, along with the one volunteer mini-watermelon. The two squash I put out with the rest of the tomatoes right before it poured for a week straight are going nuts, and those tomatoes are going strong to eventually give me some fall tomatoes.

I do feel badly for my buddy I gave some of the seedlings to. He put cages around the tomatoes and everything, and something got up on his deck and ate every last one of them to the ground! Darn the bad luck!

Labor Day weekend starts!

Couldn't sleep. Got up an hour early. Pulled out jewelry stuff and total hour's production was one stretchy bracelet (because the cord just would NOT cooperate in tying off) and four pairs of earrings.

The event I invited all you ladies to last night/this morning, I may or may not end up as a vendor. Apparently, while not in the "rules," the hostess only wants DS reps. Every other event of this type I've attended or even been interested in allowed eBay, Bonanza, Artfire, Etsy, your own website, Amazon authors, etc. As long as you were self-employed in that respect, you were allowed to join the event.

That the "rules" do not specify, I can guarantee, if my Etsy shop isn't added after following her "rules," she's getting reported to her DS company (Perfectly Posh). One thing I've learned in years of craft shows and online vendor events is, you follow your rules. If the rules don't specify only certain types of vendors, you don't refuse those who are willing to follow rules to get in/get a table/vend.

However, there is a lady who does a LOT of events through her business, Rising Star Events (Valerie Roe, for those interested in promoting their businesses through online vendor events), and I will be joining as many of those as i can. She charges for "tickets" for a spot, like a table fee at a craft show or other vendor event such as a trade show, and as I can afford tickets, I will be attending and inviting all you galpals! But if you are self-employed as a DS rep, Etsy or other online marketplace, your own website, or even an author on Amazon, get with her and her events and make some $$$!!!

Supposed to get some rain today in about an hour and it looks like it could pour. The temperature is lovely, the skies are a lovely rainy cloudy grey, and there's a nice breeze. Got out in the garden yesterday and did some weeding and pulling some dead stuff, picked a few ears of corn for seed, actually got a tomato before the deer did, and saw that most of my little squashes and tomatoes from a couple weeks ago are doing great! The tomatoes especially have gone crazy in growth. The old tomatoes are blooming again! The squash seedlings that got stuck on the porch for a while from rain are not doing so good but a few look like they will survive. The volunteers from the yellow crookneck and the mini watermelon are going gonzo as well.

Anyhow, time to catch up a little on here and work on the Etsy shop so I can get some other things done and be ready for one more day at the plant this week. We have tomorrow and Monday off for the holiday for a four-day weekend, with Monday paid of course. I am so juiced for this weekend. Hoping to get lots of jewelry finished and ready to ship on order, lots of work done on the shop, some more ground broke for fall garden and seeds soaking, and visit my buddy Kathy Harris to drool over her new car (I'm SO JELLY!!!!! Keyless entry, push button entry/start engine/stop engine).