Happenings

Fall is a busy time of year especially in the yard and the garden. I have tomatoes and zucchinis coming out my ears...I've made zucchini bread, zucchini casserole and plan to make zucchini linguini and zucchini cake and then I will freeze the rest to use in my lasagna and minestrone soup.



Yesterday was my day to get a few things done for myself. I went mountain biking with Rosie. We rode up the canyon near the temple. The leaves are starting to change and there was that lagging Fall heat that will only be around for another few weeks. Needless to say, I realized two things while biking. One, I was reminded how much I enjoy the sport and secondly, how out of shape I am. I was ready to toss my cookies after about 1/2 mile up the mountain. Lucky for me, Rosie didn't mention to me until later that she use to compete in mountain bike races, also lucky for me, she is a great friend and was so patient with my meager efforts...but I have to say, the experience has definitely motivated me to get in better shape...someday I will be riding like I use to.

On another note, I found a few things yesterday while out in the yard that made me laugh. First, one section of our backyard is really over grown with weeds...I see this area out the kitchen window several times a day and it's more than annoying to me; however, my time outside in the evenings when it has cooled off hasn't happened too often this summer with a newborn and so those pesky, too-tall weeds grew to be three and four feet tall and camoflauged themselves between the bushes and trees that are suppose to be there...well, yesterday I had had enough and so those weeds came out. While I was digging in one of the flowerbeds I started smelling something really disgusting and much to my horror, right there by my shovel was a dead and decaying mouse...ugh...after the initial shock I buried him...he is the second of two animals I have buried this week. The other was a pigeon that must have flown into one of our windows...hopefully, there will not be any others this week.

I also discovered that those rotten squirrels that vex our yard have been taste testing my prize tomatoes. Off and on I have noticed a few bites out of my tomatoes but yesterday there was more proof that they are indeed still hiding somewhere in our yard...there were three tomatoes in my waterfall (not placed there by Maggie and Sam) and to top it off, they have also been chewing our hammock to shreds, rather Brian's hammock to shreds.

And lastly, the scrub oaks in our yard have started to realize it is Fall and are graciously dropping their acorns which in turn always means more work for us in having to pick them up before they root and become little trees with deep roots. Last year I filled an entire glass hurricane with acorns only to find out after a few days that the acorns were home to white grubs that had somehow found their way out of the hurricane and onto my kitchen counter. You can probably guess that I won't be decorating with real acorns this year.