Ah, November.... (?)

Mmm, lemon verbena tea on a cold morning.

I am amazed to be saying this:  but I'm glad it's November.  I will still be completely stir-crazy and cabin-fevered by February, but for now, it is good to have few remaining outside responsibilities and plenty of time to focus on cozier projects.

I have been busy, and much of it has been outside.  I don't know that I've ever enjoyed an Autumn quite like this (...and my goal is to be able to say the same thing about this winter by the time it is over.)  If nothing else, I have been truly appreciating the gift of being at home and being able to witness the season's quiet changes.  School is going well, the girls are sassy and growing, and the leaves in our tree-filled neighborhood have been beautiful.


But I have, as I said, been crossing things off of the list!  The berry bushes are all planted; I've taken the plunge and put four plants in the front yard, bordering our property to the South so that they get all the sunlight possible. Blueberries need acidity and a well-draining soil--not, for example the heavy riverside clay that I have here--and so require a good amount of soil amendment.  I used peat moss, and only mixed back in the best of the soil; I was very grateful for Jason's help with the last few.  The leftover chunks of clay are earmarked for another project I will tackle in the spring:  a mud oven for backyard summer baking (very exciting!) 

Home sweet home a la chicken

The chicken coop is also in fully-functional swing, as is the ladder connecting their coop to the outdoor pen.  There are a few details that I need to finish on the coop, such as nest boxes and a roost, but those are projects to be done in the coming month or two.  The girls seem happy with the arrangement and like to tear up and down the ladder, particularly first thing in the morning.

The garden is winding down; I am going on a quick trip today to pick up some salvaged windows for cold frames for one bed, but otherwise there are only some dried seeds to pick and dead plant material to pull and deposit in the compost heap.  If it weren't for the collards, cabbage, green onions, spinach, and lettuce that will last a bit longer with the cold frames, I might be a tad distraught.  As it is, I am already secretly imagining how early I will start seeds this year! 

An heirloom "Fish" pepper

We have been given a pergola for the concrete slab patio in the back where we like to sit and have a fire--if the wind would ever die down long enough for a still day, I would get it painted and we could assemble it!  We will leave the canvas roof in storage for the winter, but I think this is going to be another nice addition to our yard; already we laugh about all of the little vignettes we've discovered or created around the yard in which we lounge with conscious pleasure.

In the kitchen, all is going pretty well.  Lately, we've been having a good run of homemade pizza-making because I was trying out a new crust recipe before having a little pizza party at my parents with some of my older sisters last weekend.  My next cooking project is canning green tomato salsa in an attempt to do something with the giant pile of green tomatoes and peppers we salvaged from frost this week.  I will try to get some pictures of the whole process to post, although single-person canning days are kind of intense and hectic, at least in my little kitchen!

Betty & Ramona, hanging out.

In the larger Indianapolis world, I will be volunteering at the Irvington Skillshare "Feastival" this Sunday, and I will report back on all of the fun stuff presented there.  Also, stay tuned for future posts about potential business (huh?) opportunities that I've been tossing around--I think that cooking is going to be my most immediate way of pulling in some household funds.  Hopefully.  Cross your fingers.