A mild November with dreams of a cold December...

Last weekend found John and I planting garlic, and starting spinach and kale in the hoop house. With these warm days, we've put off many of the usual October tasks, such as putting the strawberry pots into the ground. Our mini-Christmas tree (a mere seedling received years ago on Earth Day), is now well beyond a Charlie Brown tree, reaching almost 3 feet in height. It will spend another winter, buried in the leaf compost, awaiting a re-potting next spring.

We picked just over 2 pounds of carrots, luscious and frost-sweetened from the two gardens, as well as a couple more cabbage heads, and tasty sprigs of broccoli. The swiss chard continues to brave the sub-freezing temperatures, thawing mid-day so we can pick some for dinner. And the hardy parsley, lush and verdant, provides the freshes herbs possible, from the garden to the pot!

Today is another day of working on the woodpile. I seem to always be cutting, splitting and restacking. Who said it warms you twice? More like four times around here! But I relish these crisp days, woodsmoke in the air, and the smell of freshly split maple and oak in the yard.

Much as I enjoy the continued garden bounty, I'm ready to see a white blanket on the ground. Skiing is just around the corner, as I wait patiently by the woodstove, re-reading my favorite classic on ski-camping and checking up on ebay for a spare pair of dirt-cheap Epoke skis. The skis that circumvented Mt. McKinley are no longer made, but I cherish my pair--as close as you'll come to the all-round perfect cross-country ski.