Wow, Today it Feels Like Fall!

Yup, it was 42 degrees down in the holler this morning.  Yesterday was gorgeously sunny with some wind and a high in the 70's.  Quite a change from just a few days ago.  It is most welcome, though we have yet to  turn any heat on in our office (or at home) and I think it is around 60 in here.  But I am wearing a nice warm wool poncho that I finished knitting a couple of weeks ago.  When Sam took this photo is was about 80 degrees outside.  Today it is much more comfortable for the wearing of wool.

The bounty from the garden has continued, though I think it will sadly come to an end soon.  There was a comment on last week's post about making tomato jam with a link to a recipe:
smoky spicy tomato jam   that I decided sounded really good.  I made it, though I made a bigger batch and I ended up with 3 pints.  Boy is it yummy!  And so much easier than ketchup.  It is kind of like a ketchup with texture.  Thanks Karen, for that suggestion.  I also made another double batch of pesto and divided it up and put it in the freezer.  I am glad I did because the basil won't last a lot longer now that it is dropping into the 40's overnight.  I have lots and lots of butternut squash still on the vines and just a few sugar pie pumpkins, including this one that is growing on the fence.  And there are still oodles of tomatoes in the garden....

 The studio is coming along nicely.  Sam has run electric and gas lines to it and I am trying to figure out lighting.  There will be a central ceiling fan with lights, but I think I may want more lights.  It's hard to visualize at this point.  

My small loom is now warped and has 1 scarf about 3/4 of the way woven on it.  I will get 2 on this warp.  I plan to start warping the big loom today for a couple of baby blankets.  They will be pink and white.  No special reason except that I have a huge cone of peach-y colored cotton and I want to use it.  I figured since I have a blue baby blanket in my stash I might as well do a pink one (or two).

I did some charity knitting recently.  I made these 2 bears for the Mother Bear Project, which sends them to Africa and distributes them to children whose lives have been affected by AIDS, usually having lost one or both parents.  They are fun and quick to make, so I will  likely do more in the future.  They are about 12" tall.

I don't recall if I mentioned that I took a class in pastels at the Arts Center back in August, but I did.  Here is my resulting picture.  I really liked working with the pastels and I hope to acquire some in the near future.  I have tried to do drawings of Grover and Rowdy, but pencil just does not do them justice.  I think they would be much nicer in pastel.

There is not much upcoming on the farm.  This past weekend was nice with nothing on the schedule.  I managed to fill the time, however.  Never a problem there.  October comes in on Saturday, already.  Another quiet  weekend seems to be in the works and I hope for some really nice fall weather.  Bow season for deer started last weekend, but it was much too warm for Sam to think about hunting.  He may get out this weekend.  Then Mom will come the second weekend in October to pick up her dog, Luca, who is here with us while she travels.  Grover and I have an agility trial in Zanesville Oct 21, 22 and 23.  The month will be gone before we know it. 

The trees have yet to start to change color, but in the woods, the undergrowth has died back and the unmowed fields are full of goldenrod.  Change is definitely in the air.