10/1/13

October Arrives

It's October already! We recently got our first snowfall in the mountains; just a little dusting. You can still see the beginning of the fall colors on the mountain. Several days later and the snow has mostly gone ...except on the very tallest of the mountains.
Autumn is a busy time of year for me. I'm still harvesting tomatoes and a few fall crops and preserving what I can. I've got lots of clean up in my yard too as some of my summer flowers have begun to die back. Some of my summer annuals are still in full force though and that makes me happy. We are also regularly gathering eggs from our ducks and of course getting things ready outside for the winter weather that will, no doubt, sneak up on us before we know it. Yesterday I spent some time planting fall bulbs and perennials. It might seem crazy to some, but this is a great time of year to prepare for next year's gardening season. Here are a few photos from my yard and garden for you to enjoy.
This is Zinnia. She is the friendliest of our ducks and actually seems to enjoy being held and petted.
Yummy! A pretty selection of heirloom tomatoes and peppers from the garden. Check out these recipes for ideas on using tomatoes and peppers right out of your garden: Roasted Jalapeño Hummus and Roasted Tomato Marinara
I love finding praying mantis in my garden! They are wonderful beneficial insects.
Another beneficial insect pollinating a Calendula blossom.
Well, now I'm off to do some more gardening. I've got more plants to put in the ground today. I'm excited to see how everything looks next year! "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" I think Audrey Hepburn said that, but whoever said it, it's such an accurate description. I definitely believe!
Happy autumn everyone!

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10 comments:

  1. Deb @ Frugal Little BungalowOctober 1, 2013 at 4:30 PM

    Ah I would love to pet that pretty duck! :)

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  2. pamOctober 2, 2013 at 9:25 AM

    Thank you for linking up to garden Tuesday! That is a lovely selection of tomatoes and peppers!

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    1. UnknownOctober 8, 2013 at 3:39 PM

      You're welcome and thank you for stopping by!

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  3. KathyOctober 8, 2013 at 2:50 PM

    Beautiful photos - those tomatoes look delicious! Love Zinnia! I am delighted to share that your post will be featured in this week's Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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    1. UnknownOctober 8, 2013 at 3:43 PM

      Thank you Kathy! I can't wait to see it on Home and Garden Thursday. Thank you for hosting a great blog party!
      Zinnia is a sweetheart! I love having her waddling around my garden.

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  4. Black Fox HomesteadOctober 9, 2013 at 7:47 PM

    We've been busy too, although the garden has let up some and has given me a chance to get some work done inside. As in heavy duty cleaning that was neglected over the summer. Thank you so much for sharing at the HomeAcre Hop. I always look forward to seeing what you have to share. Hope to have you back again tomorrow.

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    1. UnknownOctober 10, 2013 at 9:09 PM

      I can relate to the neglect of the inside work. It's hard for me not to spend most of the time outside when it's nice weather. It's probably a good thing I don't live somewhere tropical... Haha! Thanks for stopping by my blog! Also thanks for hosting the HomeAcre Hop! I always enjoy it! :)

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  5. Laureli October 10, 2013 at 7:48 PM

    Nice photo of Zinnia's irridecent sheen. What kind of duck is she? I'm hoping to get some, but am totally confused on what to get.

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    1. UnknownOctober 10, 2013 at 9:16 PM

      Thank you! It's difficult to capture that iridescence in photos, so I was quite pleased. She had just been playing in the water and I think the dampness of her feathers helped the camera catch the colors better. Zinnia is a Cayuga duck. There are some really great duck breeds. This is my first time with Cayugas and I have been very pleased. You can read a little more about my experience with them from some previous posts of mine:

      http://amaranthandkale.blogspot.com/2013/04/cayuga-ducks.html
      http://amaranthandkale.blogspot.com/2013/08/duck-update.html

      Good luck choosing your ducks! :)

      Delete

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