November 11th, 2007

High everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving!

I keep thinking as I write these end of year emails that each one will be the last. Maybe this one is finally it.

As I write this in our upstairs bedroom, a tremendous aroma is filling the house. Mickey has brined and is now roasting a turkey. Last night she baked pumpkins then pumpkin pies. This morning she's using potatoes, beets, turnips, and frozen green beans from our garden. She's now baking squash purchased from the farmer's market a couple months ago. And, we still have lettuce in the garden, which I did not expect.

The cool weather crops are doing well even though I've stopped caring for them. Again, I am reminded that fall gardening is far underrated. If we still have energy at the end of the 2008 season, maybe we will be more deliberate about it.

Stan planted garlic last weekend and harvested gladiolus and cannas bulbs. The previous weekend I dug cannas bulbs, too, but there are still many out there. If you want some next spring let me know.

Are there any gardening tasks to do this time of year? Yes. We could use leaves, lots of them. They are great to incorporate into the soil and to use as a mulch. I don't have a way to transport them to our property.

Special Thanksgiving wishes to Natalie and Claire. I hope you are having a fulfilling season in Beijing and Philadelphia.