Whence Cometh the Silence (and Lack of Posts Lately!)

Things have been so hectic, but good, and thus I haven't blogged lately. For that I profusely apologize. Please forgive. In repentence, I hereby post some pictures and updates:

1. The garden is doing SOOOO well, we've been spending all our free time harvesting stuff. Well, ok, not ALL our free time, but we do spend a few hours a week in the garden, particularly in the rows of okra, which continue to produce quite a bit.

For those of you who've never grown okra nor seen it in The Wild (aka a cultivated garden), here's a picture I took the other day of some that I hadn't harvested yet:

See the okra pods there? In the middle of the picture is a flower pod that's getting ready to open up.

I've been harvesting the okra in long sleeves, pants, and gloves, and can happily report that after a week of obsessive scratching, the rash is finally going away. WHEW.

I've been freezing most of the okra, but last week I made a big batch of deep-fried okra. And we ate the okra. And it was good.

(Note: no picture of the fried okra, because...well, we were busy eating it. I'll do a tutorial on it next time, because yes, there will be a next time.)

While I've been busy with okra, Noel has been the Cantaloupe King. He's had to start rotating them gently every week, so they don't get bad spots on the bottom. His hard work has definitely paid off! We got 7 out of the garden yesterday alone! This was definitely the prize cantaloupe so far though:

Isn't it nice? And BIG!!

The cucumbers are finally dying down, but we still get a handful each time we head out to pick stuff. Our tomatoes are also steadily producing. We're very proud of our little garden. It's done very well!!

In other food-related news, Thank You Cima, for giving the Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it!! It makes me feel good to know someone tries my little recipes. :)

By the way, I used the same technique the other day to make chicken parmesan, and it worked well too. YUM. Might have to make that for dinner tonight. Just bread the whole tenderloin, layer a spoonful of marinara sauce and some mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes, then put over cooked spaghetti with sauce on top. Sigh. It's no wonder I'm not losing any weight.

2. In crafty news, I've been very busy there too - making lots of presents! 1 wedding, 1 housewarming, and 2 different expectant mothers. Lots to knit!

The project I posted a picture of a few weeks ago is still in progress, and I will post pictures when done (you're welcome, Rachel!). I saw something related to that project though, and took a picture of it:

This is part of the quilt squares project going on in this part of the world, where they paint photos of traditional quilt patterns and mount them onto the sides of barns. This is one of my very favorites, Drunkard's Path. (Although the design isn't quite scaled right, but we'll let it go).

Also, you guys may laugh, but I've already started making my Christmas gift list! It takes some planning when I want to make a lot of the stuff.

Note: it may not be so far-fetched to be making gift lists already anyway, because it's been getting down into the FIFTIES at night here!! Fall is coming!! YAY!

3. In other craft related news, I entered the Madison County Fair. It's this weekend. I entered my quilt and 6 knitted items, including 2 sweaters, a hat, a pair of hand warmers, a shawl, and a baby bib. I don't have a chance of winning any awards for the quilt, simply because this is the Land Of Quilts, and there will be people submitting quilts who've been quilting for twice as long as I've been alive. I hold out no illusions there. But the knitting....well, we'll just have to see. I'm excited to just have my things on display, if nothing else.

The fair is also having an Ugly Truck Contest. I will take pictures.

4. In other news, I got a job! A part-time job at a local community college, doing an inventory project. It's nice because it is part-time, and I can work on writing/sewing/knitting/designing/gardening in the afternoons. I'm very excited, because frankly being at home all day, writing and such, can make a gal feel lonely after a while.

Especially when this is who I have for company:

Heh. I loved this picture of Loki. He all Loungy McGrumpypants old man.

"Go get me a sammich, woman!"