Summer .. a fading memory

We had a nice end of summer in the North Woods.  Warm temps allowed some tomatoes and peppers to ripen on the vine.  There were still plenty of green tomatoes to pick and box to ripen in the cool temps of the basement.  Rain has arrived and I've not quite got the garden tucked away for winter.  All of the tomato plants have been pulled.  My goal is to get some of the pepper and herb plants dug up and potted to bring in during the winter.  Gardening in the new raised beds was a good learning experience, provided to our food supply ...  and added a beautiful view from my back windows.  Adding the fine bark around the raised beds cut my weeding down 95% .. well worth the investment.  End of summer work is .. well endless!  I'm glad that autumn has arrived and I can s.l.o.w. down the pace.

Enjoy the day!

I've Cooled Down .. a bit

Mrs. Mac Cooling Off .. in a little bit of powder ;)

The weather turned a nice temp .. we got some rain .. I took a few days off from my break-neck pace .. and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (sorta .. tomatoes are ripening up;).  My computer is REALLY acting up now and not allowing me to transfer any pictures from the camera .. says I'm not the administrator .. which is a lie ;(  but I can't talk any sense into the hard drive/memory.  About ready to get a new one .. (again).

Today was budget day.  That means I work out a budget for the whole month and spend on paper all the money at one time .. ending with zero money.  I have so many categories and cash envelopes .. it's hard to mess up or omit something.  Doing this helps to have the money already set aside in the bank when the bills arrive .. say for example life or car insurance.  By setting aside 1/6th of a semi-annual payment each month..  I can pay for it in full and save a little by not having to make installments.   I LOVE/LIKE budgeting because it really makes a person think twice before buying something if it's not allocated ... makes saying NO much easier :)

We just bought our quarter of beef for the year .. this was budgeted and made it less painful to fork over a large chunk of money since we had been saving for a long time.  In this economy, living without a budget would be scary.  If I could go back in time .. I'd do a better job of teaching my kids how to budget; not all of them got the benefit of seeing and living through a written spending plan.

Well .. if I need to buy a new laptop .. or at minimum get this one fixed, I'd better start setting aside some funds. 

I'm Nearing The Breaking Point ...

Every summer arrives with it's own workload .. and now that the workload is here, I'm dreaming about cool autumn days .. no lawn care .. no canning .. just lazing about for a few months.  Anyone else at the breaking point?  Here's to taking a break tomorrow and heading to the park, stopping for a cool drink at our favorite coffee house, shopping for school shoes and kicking back for awhile. 

Lightening .. the natural fertalizer (huh?)

Last Years Garden

I can't wait to peek at the garden in the morning.  We had a huge electrical storm pass through that should green things up.  It's especially true if you have any metal (i.e. fencing) nearby.  I'm no scientist .. just observant.  My pole beans greened up quite nicely last year from such a storm.  Here's an article with some of the facts.  HOW LIGHTENING BENEFITS THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 

A Few Goals For The New Year

I am not one to write goals and just look at them on the page.  This year I want to concentrate more on the garden production side of The Thrifty Garden/Home.  Our fourth year for veggie gardening is approaching and I'm still such a novice. 

2011 Garden Goals

1. Plan the plantings, space use, and design well in advance, keeping good notes
2. Make a drip watering system
3. Design some raised veggie beds or planters
4. Raise potted pepper plants to overwinter
5. Try/plant a winter garden
6. Plant grapes 

That's enough garden goals if I want to be successful.

2011 Homemaking Goals

1. Can chicken, turkey, chili, smoke hams and bacon
2. Put up .. can/freeze more food for winter
3. Make 80-90% of our bread
4. Finish Grandma's quilt
5. Economize and not waste food/resources
6. Learn to knit a pair of socks

Nothing lofty here .. just a continuation of what I was working on/planning from last year.   It will be interesting to see what the year brings .. I've heard that the cost of goods will be going up considerably.  We will probably be shopping differently ... buying more in bulk .. to help ease any shortages that may arise .. and to save on gasoline.

A good woman is hard to find,
   and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
   and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
   all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
   and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
   and brings back exotic surprises.
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
   for her family and organizing her day.

Proverbs 10-15 (The Message Bible)