Frosty Mornings & Hugelkultur

Yesterday morning we woke up to a hard freeze and brilliant sunshine so I had to take some photos of Jack Frost's handiwork.

Frosty Rose

We had just put the raised garden beds to bed the day before and covered in deep straw they were just so beautiful covered in frost!

Our newly created 'Hugelkultur" beds were also thick with frost.  Here they are waiting for lots of berries, veggies, flowers and herbs to be planted in them next spring, God willing!

Hugelkultur beds prepared for next spring's planting

If you aren't familiar with hugelkultur gardening ~ and we certainly weren't but thanks to you tube we discovered the interesting way many of our ancestors made their gardens ~ and have decided it just made a lot of sense and thought it worth a try. 

Here is a video that shows exactly what we did and they explain its merits.

 

Today we woke up to snow!  A lovely snowy day that left a few inches on the ground and put me firmly in the mood for making soup and stitching before the woodstove.

I've gotten a bit further in stitching 'October~Homespun Oak'

October~Homespun Oak

And it is a good thing I've gotten this far, because I have to set it aside to finish an ornament for next year's Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament edition.  I received the invitation for this year's magazine the day I got home from the hospital after the emergency surgery and had to decline.

I was surprised to get the invitation for next year's special edition so early.  They want the submissions a good two months earlier than usual so I'm guessing they'll be on the news stands and in mail boxes a lot earlier as well.

I'm about a third of the way done stitching the design, and hope it won't take too long to finish it and then do the part I find most difficult, actually sewing it into an ornament!  I am no seamstress, lol and will keep it as simple as possible.  Sorry I can't show you the pattern, but I will tell you 'October~Homespun Oak' is part of the inspiration for it ;)

Hoping all is well in your part of the world whether it is frosty, snowy or hot!