donuts, cakes, and pies, oh my!

 It's late October, and it's crazy how much is still growing in the garden.

Still, it's time for a tear-down.  I finally finished up the perennial garden by the house...

...but the "big boy" is still waiting:  the annual cutting garden, huge and wild.  Truthfully, I prefer to leave this job until spring.  There are still so many insects still out there:

chinese mantis

yellowjacket

speckled sharpshooter leafhopper

Yes, lots of bees are left.  By tearing out the garden, I'm removing a food and shelter source for insects, not to mention their egg cases.  I've found several.  A couple of mantis oothecas...

...and here's a potter wasp nest.

Wild rabbits, too, use the pathways for shelter and the greens for food.  I've found their scat everywhere:

So I really hate to do it, but I'm slowly making inroads...

Spring is going to be just too busy to hassle with this garden, so it's got to go...this fall.  Todd is busy burning all of the leftovers.

I'm alway covered in seeds when I finish.  It's dirty work and I'll be so glad to be done!

It's been busy around here in general.  Work, plus all the little things.  Todd just celebrated his half birthday with one half of a coconut cream pie!

We both really, really hated to miss our local No Kings protest (we will definitely be at the next one), but we had a birthday party to attend!  Two people told me that this was the best chocolate chip cookie they'd ever had.  Here is the recipe!  

Pepita is still tolerating her donut, but we are pretty tired of the restrictions.  It will be so nice to turn her loose!

The kittens are...just exactly the same as always.  Mostly lounging.  Almost always together!  

Troublemakers!

More beautiful sunrises coming our way.

Have a great week!  

berries and hairies

Caterpillar thriller continues!  More beautiful caterpillars this week.

brown hooded owlet caterpillar

banded tussock moth caterpillar

leopard moth caterpillar

silver-spotted skipper moth caterpillar

And I know I had some of these last week, but I think these eastern tent caterpillars in this lacy redbud leaf are so beautiful!

I'm loving, loving, loving late August in Indiana this year.  Temps have been in the 70s every day and the lower 50s overnight (we'll be down in the 40s by Wednesday!).  I'm back in my long-sleeve t-shirts (I'm ALWAYS cold at upper 70s and below) and very happy about it.  Seeing so many signs of fall now.

Ripe tomatoes!  Roasting lots to make my favorite tomato sauce for winter pizza and pasta.  After years of searching, I finally found a cauliflower pizza crust recipe that I like and I'm making it constantly...and need lots of sauce!  

Quilts...with cats on top.

Fall berries!  I love seeing the berries turn as the weather cools.

dogwood

spicebush

black gum

Japanese barberry

jack-in-the-pulpit

Tons of spiderwebs this time of year...

...and some really beautiful spiders (just two if you're spider-averse!).

spiny-backed orb weaver

red-femured spotted orb weaver

Our hydrangeas are taking on their pink edges...

...and some leaves are really starting to show some bold color!

Lots of fall flowers in the fields...

downy yellow false foxglove

common thistle

goldenrod

boneset

ironweed

I still have lots of late season flowers to pick from the garden, too!  I found this pretty blue ceramic pitcher at a church rummage sale for a quarter and it's just perfect.

Pepita is learning new things all the time...like how to climb on the couch to keep an eye on Daddy!

She looks so innocent...

...but she is entering her teen phase.  Not listening as well, a lot more energy and vocalizing, testing boundaries.  Teen time is considered a real regression and she will probably be more of a handful for the next few months!  

Good thing she's so cute.

Have a great week!