An October Table Talk Saturday

Welcome to an October Table Talk! It’s a cooler Saturday morning today. Thank you so very much for your prayers for my family during Hurricane Milton. Power out, generator on with refrigerators working, and only small shrub damage for my sister. My nephew, in Tampa, returned home to no damage. Lots of tree limbs down, and still no power. We will take that. So very thankful!

If you missed my post with comfort food, inspired by my sister who was navigating Hurricane Milton, you can read it here.

The bucks grazing in the yard and fewer hummingbirds are a great reminder that transition is happening here.

One last fill of the hummingbird feeder happened this week. I’ll keep cleaning and filling until I no longer see them here. When the feeding season ends, I’ll be trying a new method to completely clean the black off of the silicone feeders that has been problematic this summer. I’ll share what works when that happens. Do you have any suggestions of what removes that best for you? Gotta keep those little hummingbirds safe and healthy.

Gardening Table Talk

This week we harvested zinnia seeds, leaving some on the ground for bird food through the winter. If you need to know how we harvest those seeds to save, here you go. We always remove the plants each fall and clear the beds to prepare for next year’s planting of those harvested seeds.

A few other gardening activities happened this week.

• Mowing and weed eating has slowed considerably, but helped clear out already falling leaves.
• Cleaning out beds has begun and deep watering. It’s been so dry since Helene’s 6 1/2″ rainfall with no rain since.
• Trimming irises and pruning back peonies is on today’s list.

Amazingly the basil has turned more beautiful than ever, so that will bring me to making pesto this weekend.

We have frost warnings this weekend. I hate to see all of the summer annuals disappear. Some of my annuals look better than ever this time of year which continues the conundrum of pulling them and replacing them with fall plants.

Does that happen with you?

Ferns gloriously are flanking my porch and surrounding pots and benches around the deck and landscape.

Fall decorating continues.

The back porch got another transition with wreaths moved from summer to fall; new tablecloths; cleaning floors (again) and new fall touches added with pinecones and dried hydrangea to carry out the theme outdoors.

Our sectional needed a cleaning. My husband found this great product that is amazing, with little soap residue. Because we love it so much, we ordered a two pack to keep it in stock. I can’t believe how spotless it is now.

My friend, Wendy, came up with a great DIY pumpkin pillow that I need to try here.

Kitchen time.

My tomato plants have continued to produce and three batches of roasted tomato sauce were made and added to the freezer this week.

More bags of the freezer tomato packets for sauce was added to the freezer, too.

I’ll probably need to gather tomatoes or cover plants before the frost warning this week. The party is about over for them.

Have you been drawn into the kitchen for baking this week?

Here are a few finds that I thought sounded interesting:

• Saffron-Pecan Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
• Nordic Ware Pumpkin Loaf The best part? I have that pan! Yay!

• Here’s how to determine when a butternut squash is ripe.
• And who knew that color has been added to cheese for centuries?

Thanks for your suggestions for my birthday trip!

Mackinac Island was suggested. November the Grand Hotel is closed…but, they do have a weekend where they close the hotel that sounds really fun! Opening and closing of the hotel sounds memorable.

The wonderful thing about having a November birthday? Christmas season arrives. No matter where we go…the sights and sounds of Christmas will welcome us. I’m all for that.

I don’t know about you, but Christmas shopping appeared yesterday after a bit of Amazon shopping for grands.

My focus will take me to more heart gifts for Christmas this week…creating and thinking and making will make my heart happy.

Even if you go locally to find or create gift boxes that will be loved, it’s a great time to reflect and thoughtfully do that. For me? It gets less lost in the hustle if I plan early.

More talk from the table..

If you missed my post this week on the genius laundry tip, here you go! Never lose a sock again! An easy way to sort clothes BEFORE you wash them, too!

If you have a large family and the sorting of clean laundry is overwhelming? This idea is genius. When I had four great nieces and nephew last year while their parents were in Europe, this would have helped immensely to determine whose socks, underwear, etc. belonged to which child.

Plus? each family member can bag their own personal laundry and get the bag back to put away.

Okay, off my band wagon now!

More from the Saturday sidelines…

What are your plans today? Praying for my friends in Florida trying to navigate their way home or still without power for those who live there.

Today is our last Farmer’s Market that we may stroll through.

We may also make a trip out to buy apples and finally get applesauce

and apple jam made for the pantry.

I’ll be sad this winter if we don’t have that done.

If you want to make these recipes and don’t want to can them? Add either to a freezer container and add to your freezer. You can thank me this winter when you are enjoying both…canned or frozen.

Tonight I’ll be volunteering at the Carson Center for our Paducah Symphony performance. Always a great evening filled with beautiful music and friends among the audience.

What’s on your agenda for next week?

I think I’ll be tackling the refinishing/repainting of chests for nightstands for our bedroom for starters. Wish me luck!

And then there are Christmas gifts to plan and create.

A trip to Charlene’s is in the works soon. We were in the Smokies when they had their Christmas Open House this year, so fall and Christmas ideas will be overflowing there to enjoy.

I’ve shared about a trip or two here before. If you are close? Don’t miss a visit to their Tea Room and gift shops.

Support your local businesses, friend. Today’s economy and local friends need our support.

Having friends with their feet under my table is on next week’s agenda, too.

It’s time for a bit of fall gathering with great food, conversation and to share life.

Can’t wait!

Happy Saturday, friends!