Archive for September, 2006
September 30, 2006 – Kid Weekend
This weekend is kid-time. I volunteered to be a bus chaperone for the Urbandale Band contest. We left home at 2:00 pm and arrived back shortly after midnight. The Bobcat band earned 2nd place in the 4A contest. Claire in action, playing some part of the soundtrack from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It pleases ...Read more.
September 29, 2006 – Photo Friday – “Anger”
This week’s Photo Friday contest theme is “Anger.” Here’s what the girls looked like after they had to pick all the beans in the garden!
September 28, 2006 – Thingamajig Thursday #43
Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig Thursday” entry. Also check out last week’s answer. Back to high school biology for this. Everyone knows this is a zinnia flower, but what are the yellow thingamajigs called? As always, put your guess in a comment below. Answer… The yellow thingamajigs are called “disk flowers” and the pink thingamajigs are ...Read more.
September 27, 2006 – Broom Corn
The skyward arch of the broom corn adds an interesting accent to the farm, reaching 8-9 feet off the ground. Linda started using it in fall flower arrangements and it is even stunning, a few stalks alone in a vase. The multi-colored seed heads contribute to the beauty.
September 26, 2006 – Friends Across the Field
Today is a “Meet a Neighbor” day. Nancy lives to the northwest of us. In the winter, the sun sets over their house (from our perspective). We share many things with Nancy, mainly a zest for life and courage to pursue non-mainstream lives. I’m a little bit late with this entry as the piece she ...Read more.
September 25, 2006 – Endless Attic Work
Today is the last day for a while that I will be home and the weather is supposed to be above 60. That means today’s priority is to work on applying polyurethane to trim and bookcase boards for the attic outside where the fumes are not a problem. I like to do this outside, instead ...Read more.
September 24, 2006 – Raspberries Won’t Die!
The frost was not a killing frost – only a handful of tomato plants bit the dust. The raspberries keep going… Someone asked the variety – they are the old traditional fall variety – Heritage. One of the neighbors had a “block” party this afternoon(A block meaning a couple of miles square) for all the ...Read more.
September 23, 2006 – Octemberfest 2006
This weekend is Marshalltown’s town festival weekend – Octemberfest. I like this picture from the parade, shot away from the action, as everyone awaits the next entry. Times like this, Marshalltown looks like an old-style midwestern county seat. This was kind of a creepy entry – a black horse-drawn hurse buggy with glass sides to ...Read more.
September 22, 2006 – Photo Friday – “Girl”
This week’s Photo Friday Contest theme is “Girl.” It was REALLY hard to choose my favorite girl picture. I think this one shows a girl (Emma) in the middle of the golden age of girlhood, age 11. Today was the first planning meeting for the Iowa Network for Community Agriculture (INCA) conference to be held ...Read more.
September 21, 2006 – Thingamajig Thursday #42
Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig Thursday” entry. Also check out last week’s answer. As always, put your guess in a comment below. Answer… This was too easy – jar lifter for taking canned goods out of hot water.
September 20, 2006 – Light Frost
We did get a patchy frost – some raspberries had frost, others didn’t. Some tomatoes had frost, others didn’t. We won’t know until tomorrow what was really killed and what survives to bear again.
September 19, 2006 – Family Poet
Here’s Claire’s thoughts on the threat of frost tonight. The summer labor, under the burning sun beating down, warming and browning our shoulders and the land has nearly come to an end. The tediousness of an extravagant crop, all summer plucking the fruits from the vines again and again, to the point of insanity where ...Read more.
September 18, 2006 – Birthday Weekend
Both the girls turned a year older this weekend – their birthdays are only a day apart (and two years). Claire got a new desk to do homework on and Emma a digital camera, so expect more pictures like the thunderheads from Emma. Claire had some friends out for pizza, and they went to the ...Read more.
September 17, 2006 – More Food By
Yesterday was a marathon food preserving day. 24 8 oz jars of whole raspberries 16 jars of raspberry jam 16 jars of peach jam 28 pints of canned peaches 8 bags of frozen beans Some of the jobs are quick – like the berries, just put whole berries in jar, fill with light syrup (sugar ...Read more.
