Simply Saturday

We worked mostly around the house today, with a few short errands.  Eggs were cleaned again and taken to our food kitchen.  I spoke with a volunteer there (it is a thrift store that runs a food pantry) and she told me that there are new families coming in all the time for help.  Keith and I feel the tightening, too... our dollars are not going as far at even Wal Mart, and when we run out, we try to do without until we are paid again.  I have been paying Christopher to do the heavy work here, and that money was former spending money, but it is going for a good cause... he is using it for some things he needs and I'm glad to be able to help.  Daughter in law Amy, laid off three months ago, found a job a week later... yesterday afternoon was told the office was laying everyone off due to the economy, and called again last night late to be told the company had been sold and she still had a job.  Her stomach has hurt all week with the roller coaster ride.    It's hard times for a lot of people. 

I took some pictures today of the new henhouse, which, of course, is costing about double what we planned.  We are plugging away at it little by little.  No, KEITH is plugging away... Chris has helped him.... and will again, next weekend.  He has made great progress in the last few weeks.

I need to explain here about the roof.  Keith has never "built" a roof alone.  He is actually having fun figuring it out (though there was some frustration this afternoon).   Here is a picture taken a little later, from the side.

Yes, he worked until dark, and he's mighty tired.

I was busy in the house, but tuckered out, I think from running all week.

I did make it out to take some pictures of the flowers still blooming.

The red and white flowers are SNAPDRAGONS.  I have never, ever been able to grow snaps.  In late July or early August, in the middle of the heat, I stopped by Howard Pine Garden Center in Lawrence.  They had deeply discounted all flowers left.  (too many!).  The ladies who worked at the counter mentioned these snaps to me, and told me if I could get them started and living, they would come back year after year.  I don't know if you can see, but they have lovely long "tubes" of white under the red.  Lo and behold, when only the veronica and mums lived through the two frosts this week... these snaps are standing up and going STRONG.

The balsam is done. Got LOTS of seeds on it, though.

The pink thing in the middle is one of our four solar lights.  I loved seeing them glowing at night all summer.

The hyacinth bean vines, so lush and full a week ago, are wilted now.  LOTS of seed pods on them, though.  I'll grow them at the end of the garden on a new trellis next year, where they won't strangle everything.

Next to the hyacinth jungle on the upright trellis was the cypress vine, that, though started late, parasitized the buddleia next to it, and grew down the fence and out into the yard.  Whoa.  It's growing somewhere else, too, next year.  This was the strangest growing year ever.

The view down the "good" end today.

And last, but not least....

The last tomatos picked for the year... there "ain't" gonna be anymore...

made this lovely salsa which is about ready to pop into the freezer (full container) and refrigerator.

YUM!

I've never picked an October tomato, either!