Reflecting

For us here in Michigan, today is the last official day of summer.  School starts tomorrow.  It has been an interesting summer.  Plans got rearranged, focus changed, lots of different emotions ran through our little family.  We lost loved ones, said goodbye to good friends, welcomed new furry family members, accomplished goals, made new goals for the coming year.  All in all it has been a great summer, and it is always sad to say goodbye to such a great season.  So today is for reflecting on all of that, saying goodbyes in our hearts since we can't say them in person, and trying to make peace with things we can't really control.

Fall is quickly coming and it is my most favorite time of year.  Some of the trees are already rimmed with reds and golds.  It is going to be a gorgeous fall.  I promise to update you all with lots of pictures.

Here is Gilbert.  Our roadside rescue of sorts.  Long story for another day.  But he is very cute and we love him so much already.

Beautiful, Busy Day

Have I mentioned our green bean issue?  Yes, I know - but really, it is crazy the amount of green beans we have picked and the plants are just getting started.  Monday we picked a 7 gallon bucket FULL of them.  So yesterday we headed over to our local canning expert (a.k.a. Aunt Carol) and got to work.  We washed, cut, canned, and pressure cooked for hours.  All told we canned 9 1/2 quarts of green beans.  Tomorrow, we get to start all over again - yeay us!

I also froze some corn yesterday.  And of course we ate some for dinner.  Sooooo yummy that fresh corn is!  Dad also went with a couple of brothers tonight to a farm in Stanton where the farmer lets people pick for free.  Yes FREE!  He walked in the door and I said how much work did you bring home for me.  His reply?  "Lots"  and he was not kidding.  Three 5-gallon buckets full of corn.  Ugh!  So tomorrow A. and I will be busy with green beans AND corn.  I shouldn't complain.  We will be eating good this winter.

Today we went and picked up the green beans and dropped off a couple of worker bees to help Aunt Carol and Uncle Larry.  Then Z. and I headed home for chores of our own.  Top of my list was tackling the $5 bookcase I picked up at a yard sale.  I will be posting picks of that tomorrow.

On the way home Zack and I stopped at the Winchester Dam to checkout these massive mushrooms and the plentiful flowers.

These mushroom were really big and they grew in a large circle.  Pretty awesome until Z. decided that they would make great footballs.  Boys!!!

These pretty little flowers are growing all over the place, along the edges of the roads and out in the fiels.  Can you spot the two creatures feasting on its bounty?

Funny thing about these little wildflowers.  I stopped and snapped a picture because these little blue flowers are so pretty.  They bloomed once and then disappeared and I was so disappointed that I missed them.  But they came back.  I stopped along the road on the way home in front of this house where a lot of them were growing.  Didn't think much about it until I drove back by that same house a few hours later and they had come out and mowed them all down.  I hope they didn't think I was taking photos to report them.  Ooops.

And the latest and greatest from the garden.  The tomatillo plants are going crazy but we have only gotten a couple of tomatillos to date.  They are getting close though.  Today I pulled these little beauties off.  I guess J. can get a tiny little bowl of his green salsa he has been anxiously awaiting.

It has been a beautiful, busy day and we all got a lot accomplished.  Yeay for all of us.  Boo for having to get up and start all over again tomorrow.  Bring on the blizzards this winter so we have an excuse to sit around a fire with a mug of hot cocoa!