Pumpkin Time

We got this pumpkin at a local farm stand (18.94 pounds).

More leaf color

View up from the driveway

Our picnic table

What we've been up to: (Bathroom Re-mod. Part I)

I've been kinda lax about posting lately. S. stepped on a nail and was down for the count all last week. So what have we been up to? Nothing too exciting. Garden has wound down, and we mowed and tilled most of it in preparation for solarizing or maybe even wheat gluten for the stiltgrass issue--which we probably need to try to do some more research on.

This weekend we started working on re-doing the downstairs bathroom. (If you're interested, pics below)

When we pulled the old fixture out of the wall, we found that there was a rip in the drywall where the wires came through...and the lighting fixture we bought had to mount to the electrical box in the wall (which there wasn't one of). So S. put one in (you can see the original tear to the bottom right. We tried a square box first, but the fixture base was too small and it showed....sooo we used a round "ceiling" box).


Then we put the light fixture up:


And S. couldn't resist. We wanted to see what the paint looked like, so he started on one wall (the room is far too small for both of us to paint it at once.) The color in this picture is, unfortunately, not quite representative of the actual color. (But it's called 'spring walk' if that helps....)

Another Missing Duck

So today when we got home, our duck, Neptune, was missing. Agh. It was nasty and wet and 44 degrees all day. Kind of hard to believe that there was a predator out in that weather, but of course that's possible. Then again, he had a weird cough for about a week. So it's also possible that caught up with him. I'm not sure we'll ever know.

I do hope the remaining two stay warm enough on their own tonight. We put fresh bedding in their house to help keep them warmer. Looks like we'll definitely be considering getting some more ducks next spring...and I do wish our ducks would stop disappearing. Or at least I wish I knew why.

Fall colors

Fall isn't just about the colors, y'know.

It's the textures too....

Watched

The other day I was taking some photos of the chrysanthemums on our deck:

When I started getting that creepy-crawly feeling.

You know...like I was being watched:

I swear, this chicken thinks it's human:

I think it was starting to vogue!

Stop following me!

:-)

Morning Surprise

The other morning, S. spotted this lovely surprise on the deck. It's one of those morning glories that I planted way back when ('Granpa Ott's', I believe). I had all but given up on them, and understandably so....take a look (those poor Ipomoeas):


The morning glories and moonflowers were pretty devastated (those entire plants were actually covered with leaves...only for about a week, but still. There was green there before, I promise). Turns out that chickens will eat just about anything green and growing. Hmmm. Mental note to fence out the plants on the deck next year--I suppose that's why they call it chicken wire. Keeps chickens in...and also keeps chickens out. :-)

Pizza Friday

Chicken with rosemary and Parmesan (this is before it came out of the oven.
Post-oven, the Parmesan had browned nicely)

See the original Pizza Friday post