I hope you had a very happy Veterans Day

We were so busy, but we took time out to remember the Veterans who serve and served our country. Both my late husband, Bob, and husband, Will, were Vietnam Marine Corps veterans so I truly understand the sacrifice men and women make when they choose to serve, both in the field and years afterward.

Yesterday I was so busy seeding out some more winter squash. I felt so blessed when I did some new-to-us Hopi Orange squash. These very rare, ancient squash are bright red-orange, with a small point on the blossom end and very thick orange meat. I can’t wait to eat one! It took me a couple of years searching to find a source of these seeds. Fortunately, despite the poor growing year, we did harvest nine nice squash and will have seed to add to our website (but not the catalog) this year so we can share them.

Will’s bad luck continues to follow him, it seems. He used a single bottom plow to plow a ditch along part of our driveway. He left it beside the drive and did some road work on the drive. When he headed home, he put it in the bucket of his new big Kubota. On the way back, he hit a bump, and it dropped out and disappeared under the tractor before he could hit the brakes. Long story short, he punched a hole in the sidewall of the rear tire’s sidewall. Ouch! Fluid began pouring out the hole, as they are filled with beet juice, instead of calcium chloride, that causes the rims to rust out. He made it home, then started searching for a new tire … $1,000 plus! Fortunately, a tire place in Virginia (the town) works on big tires and said they’d send a guy out to check it out. It turns out that, hopefully, they can repair the hole, add a tube, and we can get by much cheaper. I hope, I hope…

After both Will and I had been at various jobs separately, just before dark, we teamed up and split another load of firewood. I have to laugh at both Hondo and Sarge. Both dogs seem to think it’s their job to protect us while we work. They both keep a hawk eye on the whole job. — Jackie