Done like dinna

The greenhouse is pretty much done for another year.  So to use up the rest of the veggies, I made another batch of pickles...bread and butter this time, and some salsa.  Mmmm.  I used just about all of my mason jars, so I guess my canning is done for another year.

 And because I can't resist, I'm posting a picture of last night's sunset from my front door.  I never get tired of seeing this.

Awww...

Kaylin and Duke (our friend's new Little River puppy).

Fall is in the air

What more can you ask for, after getting off work on a late summer's afternoon, than to come home and enjoy a classic novel and a glass of homemade wine, while sitting out in the sun?

 The BIGGEST spider I have ever seen...hanging out on the veranda by my feet. 

 My first batch of pickles for the year.  Disappointed with how they turned out...too salty.  But I'll be making more.  :-)

 I bought myself some fall mums, because they are so beautiful and every girl deserves flowers.

Soon, we will be spending our evenings cuddled under a blanket in front of the fire, instead of in flip flops out on the deck.  I am not ready for summer to be over!

Night

We have some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world right in our own front yard.

I love how cozy the front porch looks in the evening.

Around the yard in 80 seconds

One more trip around the yard, on what could be one of the last sunny days of summer.  How sad.  But on a good note, finally a pumpkin!  Our pumpkin plant kept growing and growing, but no sign of any pumpkins until this little guy started to grow.

Tomatoes.  I keep getting impatient and eating the red ones off the vine.  But eventually we will have enough to make fresh salsa.  Or maybe I'll just pick all the green ones and make green tomato mincemeat.  :-)

Cucumbers.  We have so many of these.  Pickles are in our future.

 The girls' playhouse in the backyard.  It did have a window box with flowers once upon a time, and the paint job isn't finished...but it's a great little hide out for them.

Doo do do, looking out my front door.  Need to finish staining the veranda, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.  And I wish there were more sunny days and more time to sit out there and enjoy it.

Do you like to jam?

Mmmm...blackberry jam.
We found our own secret berry patch in the woods right next to our house.  We've been waiting weeks for the berries to ripen so that we could pick them and make something yummy.  Can't wait to try it on some homemade biscuits.  :-)

Metallica

On July 14, 2011... my dream came true.  A dream that I had been waiting for nearly 17 years to fulfill.  I finally saw Metallica live in concert.  And it was amazing!  I was completely soaked and shivering from the cold, but it didn't matter. There are no pictures...I didn't even bring my camera along.  I didn't want anything to distract from the experience.  For over 2 hours, I was submerged in metal.  It was a night like no other.  Indescribable.