Starting October

 

Pomegranates

The pomegranates are ripening on the tree and we have been picking them, a few at a time and enjoying them.

October has started and I marked the occasion with milkrice and seeni sambol on the first of the month. 

The calendar says it is fall, but, we are experiencing a bit of late summer heatwave with the temperatures in the 90s and triple digits.  I'm not complaining as I love the warm weather.   

Mushrooms 

I found some mushrooms growing under a plant in the back yard and I picked them because I didn't want the chickens to eat them, in case they were poisonous.  

Unidentified Mushroom

I am not very good at identifying mushrooms and I'd rather be safe than sorry.  Henny Penny was already pecking at one of the other mushrooms and that's how I even noticed that they were growing in the yard.

More Mushrooms

In the meantime, the poor peach tree is very confused by the weather:

Peach Tree: Yellowing Leaves and New Blossom

Some of leaves on the peach tree are starting to turn yellow and drop, and, yet, at the same time, the tree is trying to flower!

Peach Blossom

No, peach tree, it's not spring, yet!  I hope there will be more flowers in the spring and we will get peaches next summer.  

I am starting off the month of October with emergency preparedness.  According to the news, the County is recommending all residents to have at least ten days worth of food and water stockpiled ahead of the El Nino storms that are expected this winter.  We are normally asked to have a three days supply of food and water in case of earthquakes, so, the ten days supply is something new.  I have been stocking my pantry and I have more than a minimum of ten days worth of food, but, I should get more bottled water.  The recommended amount of water is one gallon a day per person plus additional water for pets.  I currently have enough bottled water for five to six days for my daughter and myself and that might not be enough.

As we start the month of October, I am grateful for:

- Starting a new month
- The continuing warm weather
- Fruit from the garden
- Eggs from our chickens
- Being alive

Hope your October is off to a good start.

Monthly Goals: September Goals Review/October Goals

Neptune Rose

Now that the month of September is over and October has begun, I thought I'd review my September goals and maybe even make some goals for October.

September Garden Goals: 

-  Cutting down the dead curry leaf tree and thinning out the daughter plants - M didn't have time to cut down the curry leaf tree, but, he did thin out some of the daughter plants.

- Getting the eucalyptus tree trimmed (or, even, cut down and removed) - The. eucalyptus tree was cut down and removed!  I'm feeling good about getting that accomplished!

- Removing all the asparagus ferns growing in the backyard as they are toxic to the chickens and ours keep wanting to eat them - Accomplished, although some of them are trying to regrow from the remnants of underground runners!  

-.Planting winter vegetables - Started.  Daughter assembled two of the four raised bed planters we bought and I set them out in the garden.  We need to buy potting soil for them and fill them up, but, we are waiting for cooler weather in October to start planting.  The temperatures are in the 90s currently, with the forecast calling for triple digits over the weekend.  Not exactly the time to plant winter vegetables!

October Garden Goals will include cutting down the curry leaf tree and planting the winter vegetables.

September Health Goals: 

-  Medical and dental appointments.  I had a lab test during the first week in September and the majority of the results were normal.  It was followed by a doctor's appointment during the second week, a bone density scan the following week, and a dental appointment the week after that!  I don't know the results of the bone density scan yet, but, it is to see if there is any worsening of my osteopenia.  The dental visit was for a crown and additional work to prepare another tooth for a crown.  

October Health Goals will include two more dental visits.

September House Goals:

- Getting some plumbing work done to address leaky faucets and slow drains - The only progress was to get M's plumber's contact information.  

- Getting some repairs done - Again, the only progress was getting the contact information of a handyman, but, I didn't actually contact him.

-  Continuing with the decluttering - My decluttering goal was at least 30 items decluttered.  I did declutter 30 items: 7 scarves, 2 blouses, 5 pairs of socks, 1 old bedsheet, 1 kitchen towel, 5 plastic food storage containers, 4 large cardboard boxes I was using to store some stuff, 2 bottles, 1 jar, 1 old toilet flap and chain we kept in case the replacement one was the wrong size (it wasn't), and 1 dead houseplant.  In addition, I  decluttered one additional bonus item, which was the eucalyptus tree! But, then, I added a 30-piece dinnerware set!  Oops!  

October House Goals will include getting the plumbing and repairs done and continuing to declutter with a goal of 31 items decluttered.  

Other September goals included:

- Getting the kittens trapped and fixed - We managed to trap and neuter two of the kittens.  The third kitten avoided getting trapped, so we will try again in October.

- Sewing my hexagon quilt - On-going

- Sewing myself a sari blouse - I didn't need to as I was able to find one that fitted me well enough with some minor alterations for the time being.  But, daughter sewed herself a new sari blouse, instead.

Did you make any goals for September?  If so, were you able to attain those goals?  Are you making any goals for October?