Tweaked Tuesday

The rain did not arrive last night as predicted - but the cold did. 40 degrees this morning. Sun & mixed clouds and a prediction for frost the next couple of nights. Ah well - the seasons do change.

Our young hens have started laying, the occasional small "beginner" egg has been showing up. But today there was a very special one - a blue egg from one of the 2 Auracana hens. Having these young hens starting now will assure us eggs in the winter months when the older hens take a break.

From the get go, this day was full of interruptions. Late to get tea - was lucky to get in a brunch of egg and fried pepper and Loleta cheddar sandwich with cider. Snacked on cherry tomatoes and little sweet peppers.

Frost predicted tonight, and I don't need the weatherman... quite cool all day and in the 40's before 9pm. After work we picked all the soon-to-be-ripening tomatoes, summer squash, good looking zinnias and the rest of the corn. Then we put a hoop and plastic cold frame arrangement over the summer and winter squash and crossed our fingers over the tomatoes.

Lastly, we closed the ends of the greenhouses that house our peppers, basil, eggplant and melons as well a few extra tomatoes. This could be the end of fresh summer vegetable abundance. We will see. And even if... there is chard and winter cole coming on and lots of already harvested food in the house both fresh & preserved.

We were wrapping this up right up until I had to leave for Tai Chi class. The end result was a very late dinner of leftover Localvore Chili con Carne that I had put in the freezer to keep. On the side we had the solar Spanish Rice cooked yesterday and the last of the sweet corn. Cider was the beverage of choice. Slices of honeydew melon for dessert.

I end the day trying to print shipping labels (Grrrr - the USPS website is being uncooperative) and admiring the many vases of zinnias! I may have overdone it, but Zinnias do not handle frost well - and it is only 38 degrees out now.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Challenge. I have been thinking about what has been different, what I have learned. I look forward to writing a summary of the experience. But now, *YAWN*, I must go sleep on it.