Notes for Monday November 9th, 2009

Well the best laid plans are usually almost always foiled somehow.  I was boasting that I still had zinnias, marigolds, daisies and cosmos still in bloom AND I had planned to take pictures of them on Saturday.  But Jack had other plans.  Saturday morning I slept in and the temperature in the bright sun at 8AM was in the 40's but in the shade of my neighbors fence I noticed that the grass was white as I took out the trash.  Watching the news later on Saturday it was said that it got down to 31 degrees in the city of Philadelphia Friday night, so I know it was colder here. Everything had been touched by Jack Frost and not worthy of a photo.  Oh well.   Later on Saturday I did work on mulching the leaves in my yard and due to the thickness of the layer, all I got done was the front yard again.  It looks like the layer should be thinner this weekend and maybe I will get more of the backyard done.  I mulched leaves for about two and half hours.  I could have done more but with all the bending over to remove the bagger on the mower, it would have been really difficult to put socks on to go to church on Sunday had I done more.  So I stopped to work another day.   I did change my approach a little bit this year.  Instead of using the leaf blower to remove the leaves from my flower beds, I used a rake to remove the leaves.  This way I don't remove the mulch from the flower beds (last years mulched leaves).  I still use the leaf blower to remove the leaves from the driveway and out from under other shrubs and away from other obstacles so the mower can reach them.   I still have radishes and carrots and I did pick some radishes and watered the carrots and radishes.  I grow the radishes (which are so easy after thinning) for my father in law.  I don't eat them unless they are thinly sliced and mixed in with a good salad.  As I watered the carrots and radishes I began to wonder if my carrots will be sweeter this year (I like to pick them on Thanksgiving morning for pre dinner snack).  I grew a different variety this year and put additional helpings of wood ashes in the soil.  So all I am hoping to get is a bunch of sweet baby carrots.  I couldn't help to think that the local farmers are picking carrots right now and of course they are huge compared to mine.  So maybe I will plant them earlier next year and pick them earlier too.  Right now I plant them in my onion patch after I've picked my onions because I have read that carrots and onions get along.  I will have to research it and maybe I will plant my radishes there instead.