Business as usual, a long-awaited family visit, a glorious day at the State Fair, pre-frost harvests, and Nolan’s new baby sister.
BOB’S COMMUTE PATH
A very familiar scene from Bob’s oh-so-hectic work life. Good news, though — in 2020 his audit trips will likely drop by two thirds, from twenty-four to six.
OLD FRIENDS
Spot welcomed long-time friend, Leif, and sister-in-law Darla and brother John. Leif has joined Bob’s auditing team, and John and Darla spent three nights on their way to and from their son, Brandon’s new home in Savannah. They travel with their little dog, Katrina, a Coton de Tuléar, a small, hypoallergenic breed from Madagascar.
MORNING BY THE HAW
John and Darla joined us in our Sunday morning ritual of walking the dam between Jordan Lake and the Haw River.
MAKING THEMSELVES AT HOME
Katrina relaxes while Darla and Bob wash the dinner dishes in their socks.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR
Helen invited Camille to join her and her mother, Judy, for a day at the fair. It was Judy’s idea to ride the ferris wheel.
FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW
Celosia and one of Witherspoon Rose Culture’s wonderfully fragrant hybrid teas.
MR. LINCOLN AND MR. PUMPKIN
Judy poses in front of another wonderfully fragrant rose, Mr. Lincoln, in the new sunglasses that make her look like Jackie Kennedy. Helen smiles in front of a (nearly) one-ton pumpkin.
WHEEE!
Riding the Ferris wheel was the highlight of our day. After wading through crowds of disconnected people, being locked in a cage with two strangers opened the door to meaningful conversation. The views were equally uplifting.
DON’T LEAVE THE FAIR WITHOUT SHARING A FUNNEL CAKE
Seriously this powder sugar dusted, crispy sweet treat is the main reason that Camille always says yes to a day at any fair or rodeo. Judy waits her turn as Camille shares part of the giant, buttery, dough bomb with two men who were nice enough to share their bench. Judy affirmed that fair food is the main reason she goes, too.
BEGINNING AND END
Camille harvested the first of the purple sweets to make room for garlic, some of which were 8″ in length and weighed upwards of two pounds. Drier weather has encouraged a burst of pepper activity, precious few of which will turn color. Featured are Corni de Toro, Sweet Jemison (a yellow bell), Jupiter (a red bell), and shishitos. Always and ever shishitos.
GINGER AND TURMERIC
Turmeric’s broad yellow-green leaves catch a perfect day’s sunlight with ginger’s spiky foliage in the background. We order seed ginger on November 1st from Hawaii. The ginger arrives in February, we start it indoors in flats, and plant it out in May. Last year we left some turmeric in the ground and it came up wonderfully on its own. This year we will leave some ginger in, and see what happens. This year we planted most of our ginger in a shady, not-so-well drained portion of our garden and it did not do well. What we have dug of that so far has proven to be brown, rotten, and worm-eaten due to a super wet year. But we did plant out two totes and that ginger did reasonably well.
BABY GINGER
So named for its soft skin and pink highlights.
LAST OF THE PEPPERS
When the forecast called for our first light frost, Camille brought in nearly all the peppers: two and a half pounds of corno di toros, two and three quarters of a pound of bells, and a third of a pound of shishitos. She quarters them or cuts them in strips and freezes them for burritos, soups, stews, sauces, and curries.
REACHING FOR THE SUN
Okra’s last gasp and the tender shoots of newborn garlic.
THE COLORS OF FALL
A resurgence of Fragrant Cloud yielded this perfect bloom for our newly-acquired thrift store vase. See Camille’s post Line-dried Sheets and Other Unlikely Paths to Enlightenment. The dogwood beside our pole barn flutters in the breeze on our last 80-degree day of the month.
ON THE VINE
The last of the Seminole Pumpkins and Sun Gold Tomatoes are hanging on. Piedmont Tropicals is the name Bob gave his ginger and turmeric business. What began in a greenhouse at The Plant in Pittsboro, has come home to roost in our Sunken Gardens of Moncure.
BABY EVIE
Nolan holds his new baby sister, Evelyn Fox with capable, big brother hands. Evie was born on October 17. Both Mama and baby are doing well.
____________________________________________________________
THIS MONTH’S QUOTES:
“There is no knowing for a fact. The only dependable things are humility and looking.” – Richard Powers, The Overstory
“Kindness may look for something in return, but that doesn’t make it any less kind.” – Richard Powers, The Overstory
“Having a baby is like suddenly getting the world’s worst roommate, like having Janis Joplin with a bad hangover and PMS come to stay with you.” – Tina Fey
____________________________________________________________
The easiest way to locate a page or photo from past issues is with this handy Search Engine
Get the back story via our blog at Plastic Farm Animals