Getting The Fall Garden In

 I don't take pictures in the library very often but here's one of the mantel in there. The color of the wall looks beige in that photo but really, it's a sort of peachy color. I like it. The bookshelves are a very dark, almost brick-red which I also like. I think a lot of people wouldn't really think to use those two colors together and I hadn't considered it either. A former owner choose all that. Everything on that mantel has some sort of meaning to me. Well, maybe not so much the candles although I used to love Virgin of Guadalupe saint candles which you can buy in the detergent section at the Winn Dixie and don't ask me why. I have noticed they are often sold near the detergents in Mexican grocery stores too so I imagine there's a connection there. 

I finished planting the seeds today. 

So beside everything I planted yesterday we now also have the mustard greens, the collard greens, red cabbage (as an experiment), two varieties of arugula, lettuces, carrots, and beets. I planted the beets in three of the canvas growing bags, also as an experiment. Mr. Moon can't stand beets but I love them and surely would love to get enough to pickle. I planted carrot seeds in one of the planting bags too and was going to sow some in another but when I stuck my hand in to pull up a few weeds, the little red ants (aka fire ants) attacked my hand with a vengeance. It hurt but it's fine now. Needless to say, the rest of the carrots got planted in the ground. I tried so hard to plant everything very purposefully, seed by tiny seed. I am hoping not to have to go through my annual angst about thinning baby plants which I never do as thoroughly as I should, leaving too many plants crowded up in the rows which does not help with their growth at all. I just always feel as if I am committing some sort of baby-plant murder when I thin, even though I use the thinnings in salads. So I'm trying to nip that problem in the bud although I know I did not entirely. There's a fine line between wasting seeds and expecting too high a rate of germination. 

Does that sentence make any sense? Probably not. 

Halfway through my planting, it began to rain. Just a little sprinkle and I didn't even bother coming back in the house until I realized it was only going to start coming down harder. The booming thunder was another clue. Maurice was with me and she waited until the stupid human put down her trowel and she followed me in. She has really been sticking close to me. We got a good downpour and when it quit, I went back out and planted in the wet dirt. I hope the rain didn't wash away the seeds I'd already planted. It was a pretty serious rain and now it's thundering again and more rain is coming, according to the weather widget. 

Sigh. I'd hate for all that work to be for naught. It'll probably be fine. 

While I worked, I was listening to Whoopi Goldberg's book, "Bits and Pieces" which is mostly about her mother. It's read by Whoopi, of course, and it's not very long. I've almost finished it and have enjoyed it. Whoopi does talk about her career some but honestly, it's a love letter to her mother who died in 2010 and from how Whoopi describes her mother, she deserves all the love letters. Lily recommended the book to me and I'm glad she did. 

Here's a picture of the hurricane lilies in the back yard right now. 

Not a great picture. Not even a good picture. But you get an idea of how they pop up one after the other as those are all in different stages of growth. 

I've made a loaf of bread today and dammit, it's so close to being burnt in the crustular area that you might as well just call it burnt. I swear, I cannot make bread the way I used to.

There are so many things I can't do the way I used to and I expected that but not being able to make a decent loaf of bread? 
Didn't see that one coming. 

No need to discuss the things I CAN do now that I never could before like growing chin hairs. 

We'll talk tomorrow.

Love...Ms. Moon