We Survived The Great Tomato Purge Of OCT 09!!

Silly title, but an important job!! It is that time of year here in Virginia. Time to clean up the gardens and get them ready for sleep under a nice bed of chopped leaves and grass clippings!

We are having beautiful weather today and I got the kids outside to help me in the cleanup. I really do need their help as I don't want to overdo it and hurt my back. Fortunately, that was enough of a plea to get the kids out in the sunshine!!

We had a real tangle of vines to clean up in the tomato bed. Next year, I will be even more dilligent about keeping the vines under control!!! Our efforts quickly dissolved into a bit of a tomato toss with lots of giggles and laughs and general mayhem! But we got it done!!

A little tomato juice even rotten tomato juice never hurt anyone!! Becca was dissecting some green ones with her clippers and then she decide to try to burst one with her gloved hands. Now neither of my kids will eat fresh tomatos- what is wrong with them??? The tomato the Becca was fooling around with explored and squirted juice all over her face!! Of course that brought on a chorus of 'the attack of the killer tomatoes' and huge guffaws from older brother.

I am really quite sad that this is the end of the fresh tomatoes for this year!! We had such a

great crop and I have eaten fresh fruit everyday!! I will get more when these ripen but then we will have to dream of next summer for the new crop!! SIGH!!!!
Perhaps I will try to find a recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes. I have never tried them before and I am not a big one for fried foods but perhaps if I used Olive oil.....

Last fall, I put in some hardy chrysanthemums and they ahve opened this week! They are very tall and stunning! These photos make me want to get out my watercolor paints again!

I just adore white cosmos and next year will palnt many more white ones!!! They look so crisp and fresh and clean in the garden!!

I found this amazing web in the corner of the porch. Quite the work of art,don't you think??

Now for a little bit of Beaded art!

A good friend had her birthday way back in August and I am sure that she thinks that I have forgotten- no just late!!! She and I were searching all over for face beads to offer in my beading classes, we both enjoy including faces as surprise elements in our beadwork. Then i ahd the idea to create some of my own. From there it was s hort jump to design this bracelet for her .

I am quite pleased with how it turned out. Now I can surprise her with a very tardy birthday gift!!!
I hope that everyone is able to enjoy this nice long weekend!! Get out intot he sunshine if you can!!!!