Blessings Rain Down

I’m listening to the sound of steady rain, as I’m typing this blog on my phone in the sun room. We haven’t had sunshine for several days now, but that’s a blessing for us. I believe we’ve had about 5 inches of rain at my house in the past two weeks. I’m hoping this greatly helps our community’s water supply. This is also decreasing our wildfire risk. We all are still in shock over the terrible wildfires that destroyed so many homes and lives in nearby Gatlinburg, Sevierville and the surrounding areas.

The vegetable gardens are dormant now except for the mustard, chard, and other greens. Except for basil, cilantro, and lemongrass, the herb garden is still providing fresh herbs for my kitchen. November 17th was my last harvest of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts and the lemongrass. I still have a tray of tomatoes ripening in my kitchen. The Roma type tomatoes seem to ripen and hold up well when picked green. They have been a real treat during these early winter days. We are expecting our first temperatures in the teens later this week. I’m wondering how the greens will handle this colder weather. I will definitely cover them with remay cloth to minimize damage from the cold. I’ll keep you posted on their survival.

Seed catalogs are already arriving at my house, so during dreary days like today it’s always fun to page through these catalogs and make plans for next year’s garden. Though for the most part, garden planning will wait til January. I still haven’t made my first evergreen wreath and the Christmas tree is not up yet. So, first things first! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year! I’ll be writing again next year in 2017!