It's been pretty warm this fall, relatively speaking. We've mostly been above normal for November. Today, we hit about 60F. We should be in the 40s. That's due to change starting tomorrow--the S word, snow, is being bandied about--but up until now it's been pretty nice. Last week, our rose bush had its third rose of the season growing; it appears ( Read more... )

We've hit the point in summer where the tomatoes are finally popping and turning appropriate colors. I looked out the other day while doing laundry and realized, wow, we already have some red cherry tomatoes! They look great. I made sure to get out there and get some pictures since they're kind of rainbow-looking at the moment, gradients from ( Read more... )

My dad has been growing lots of produce this summer, including a bunch of lettuce behind the shed. I've been making salads every weekend and it's been great. This past weekend at the grocery store, I bought more stuff to make salads, including goat cheese and fruit for a fancier salad, and parmesan for a Caesar salad since we already have croutons ( Read more... )

A few days ago, dad asked if I'd help him with some yard work today. Sure. Thanks for asking. This way I won't be figuring that I'd be lounging around reading the paper for hours like the past few Saturdays. I do like feeling as if I've accomplished something ( Read more... )

My dad is working on the garden. He's been growing multiple plants for a few months and now he's finally able to put them into planters or the ground. I know we have tomatoes on the side of the house, and behind the shed he has lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, and--most exciting--two raspberry bushes. They're basically just two sticks in the ground at ( Read more... )

Dad asked me to help out in the yard today, so I spent a few hours back there this afternoon. He was busy building a long box frame to go behind the shed. I don't know that he's settled on what he's doing back there, but I've suggested a butterfly garden. Meanwhile, he asked me to clear out the side of the house, where we grow the vegetables. We ( Read more... )

My dad and I have some interesting ways to bond. And those usually happen when mom is out of the house for...varying reasons ( Read more... )

Last week, while shopping, I realized we hadn't made chicken salad in a while. I bought most of the ingredients but not walnuts, so it never got made. Now, we still have grapes, but they were going; better make it this weekend. I thought about making it for dinner tonight but asked my mother, who rarely turns down food, if she'd rather have it for ( Read more... )

Last week at the store, dad said, you should make sauce this weekend! And he bought stuff like a green pepper, onion, package of mushrooms. Great. Except who says I want to make sauce this weekend? I ended up getting a bee in my bonnet about the closet and worked on that instead, thinking maybe I'd make sauce during the week ( Read more... )

A couple weeks ago, my parents went to Galena for their anniversary ( Read more... )