"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

Hello Friends!

Friends, Romans, countrymen...y'all. Foodies, gardeners, artists and collectors - let's gather together to share and possibly learn a thing or two in the mix.

Donna Baker

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Puttering Around


Or a fine fall morning; just enough cool and lots of sunshine.  Found a few last tomatoes that the deer haven't eaten.  Love them.



The acorns are in abundance this year and the deer are coming right up to the house eating them.  They are also crunching underfoot on all the patios and walkways.  Slightly annoying.


The pomegranates are just about ripe for the picking.  In fact, I don't even know how to tell if they are ripe or not.


After nearly losing my entire greenhouse full of citrus last winter due to the propane tank running out, a few are fruiting.  Here is a Buddha's Hand citron, the oldest known citrus going back thousands of years.


Here are the turmeric and ginger plants I started in early summer.  The turmeric is nearly three feet tall.  I don't like the taste of turmeric, though I take it in capsule form daily.  My daughter will get those.  I am interested to see how many tubers have formed in both.


There are so many frogs and toads this year.  From the size of your pinkie fingernail to bull frog size, these little guys have taken over my goldfish pond.  They hide under the lily pads or sun themselves on top.



They are actually very stealthy - cat like in the way they stalk their prey.  Horseflies and insects buzz around for a sip of water.  The frogs sit and wait, but sometimes they move like a cat then leap.  A wasp landed on me and I slapped it and it landed in the water.  It began to swim when a toad ate it.  No reaction from the toad.  Didn't blink an eye nor move its mouth.  I guess the wasp didn't sting it or else the toad is immune to its sting.  


I think these tree frogs are my favorite.  Not quite two inches in length, they camouflage themselves to what they rest upon.  
Well, there you have it.  Not even a cute toad limerick.  Just a beautiful morning.

14 comments:

Joanne Noragon said...

Our chipmunks are so bold they make regular sweeps of the back deck, gathering acorns, which are falling mighily right now. So, the deck is no longer littered with acorns, only with acorn caps, which the little buggers deign to haul off.

donna baker said...

Joanne, we don't have chipmunks here, but they are so cute. We do have squirrels and I guess there are more than they can store this fall. Some years there are very few acorns, but this year they are plentiful. Wonder what the old-timers say about that for the coming winter... Not sure I want to know.

The Weaver of Grass said...

So interesting Donna to see just what kind of things grow where you are - and also to read of those deer eating your tomatoes.

La Table De Nana said...

I love the pond/frogs pic:) Could be in a storybook..I have only had one tiny leaf frog here once..
Last year..we had tons of acorns..none this year..they fall off our neighbors tree..I had wheelbarrws full so did she..this year nothing..must find out why;)
Happy to see you puttering.

donna baker said...

Oh Pat, the deer have been such a nuisance this year, eating most of my fruits and vegetables including the plant itself.

donna baker said...

This week has been a breath of fresh air. The native americans used to store the acorns and use them for meal. I would love to taste what they made, though they must have done something to remove the bitterness. I am surprised so many toads are still out, but it must be because of our warm fall. Still waiting for the first blue norther to come through. I'll have to get out the winter wear then.

Michelle said...

Those look like some sweet tomatoes :)

donna baker said...

My favorite thing in the garden. I got a few Cherokee purple ones before the deer got the rest. I will savor these last few.

elaine said...

Nice to see what is going on in your garden - so different from here. Apparently you could live solely on acorns - the trick is to wash away the bitterness. I once read a novel called Into The Forest - a post apocalypse novel where two girls managed to survive by just eating acorns.

donna baker said...

Good to know Elaine. Don't tell anyone, but I'm a closet prepper.

Frances said...

Donna, I've enjoyed having a catch up look at your two most recent posts. Your "city" surroundings still look full of country views to my eyes. Your back porch lookout is very beautiful indeed.

Now, it's interesting to learn more about the wild life who share the space with you. I do love that little tree toad best of all.

Happy weekend to you. xo

donna baker said...

You too Frances. I think the country look is what got me. At least I will be minutes from the kids and grandkids instead of hours. I am going to be puttering around the back yard soon. I've bags of parrot tulips to plant, something I haven't gotten to plant in a long time as the deer eat them.

The Weaver of Grass said...

You ask about boiling eggs Donna.
I always use an egg timer - presumably you have them in the States - a tiny hour glass filled with sand, which you turn over and then leave until all the sand has run through. I think it takes 5 minutes. But, biologically speaking, as the hens age the albumen in the white of their eggs gets more runny so I like to cook them a little longer as I cannot bear runny whites. This usually means a hard boiled yolk. That is why these pullet eggs are so good - the white is full of albumen and so cooks more quickly. Hope that makes sense.

donna baker said...

I will try that Pat. Though I still have a few dozen eggs from the flock, from now on they'll be store bought. wonder why we can't stand runny whites. I won't eat eggs if there is any runny white in it.