Fall Foliage and Snow?

Earlier this week I took pictures of the wonderful fall foliage ocurring in my city. Compared to previous autumns, this fall has been very cool and I think it contributes to the leaves' colors. In my memory, previous autumns have been quite warm and the foliage weren't as colorful. So it's been wonderful to see the vibrant reds, bright oranges, and lovely yellows all around me.

However, today it was rainy and cold. So cold, that the rain turned into little snowflakes. I'm hoping for the best and hope that this is not a sign of an early, early winter (I believe the last Minnesota blizzard that ocurred in October was on Halloween in 1991). Other than not wanting my autumn to be cut short, I haven't prepared my garden for winter. I was hoping to put it off for a bit longer, but if this weather continues, I'll have to winterize my garden sooner than I want to.

Superman

[Big Superman Statue in Metropolis, Illinois]

Home, Home, Home

I've missed my home. I usually don't get this attached to my home, but I'm really glad to be home. We drove all night to get home, of course we stopped for a little rest at a gas station, considering that the drive took 12-hours .

So how can I best characterize my stay in Kentucky? Well, it was a nice stay, but I couldn't help but feel like an outsider. One, the area I was in was not that diverse and two, I didn't have an accent (they have really pretty Kentucky accents). I made an effort to eat at restaurants (even if it was a chain restaurant) that can't be found in Minnesota (such as Waffle House), although it was hard to find vegetarian options (practically all of the salad options had meat in it) and anything that wasn't overly cooked with fat or deep fried. The weather was beautiful during the day and I driving on the meandering roads brought nostalgic memories of my youth. Overall, like I said, my stay wasn't bad, but I'm really glad to be home.

Kentucky Impressions

This is my first time in Kentucky. While my mate is out fishing, I've been driving around looking for things to do. We're staying not too far from the Kentucky Dam Valley and about twenty miles away from the city of Paducah, Kentucky. Since Paducah was the closest city with the most attractions, I spent my moring there today. There was even a store that specialized in sock monkeys. There were a lot of antique stores and even a small farmer's market.

I guess the area I'm staying in is somewhat rural, therefore lacking in walking paths and sidewalks. Even the Kentucky Dam Valley (which consists of picnic areas, a marina, and forested areas) lacks walking paths. As much as I'd like to explore, it's pretty hard to do so without a car. I don't even think that there's public transporation in that area. So far, it's been an intersting stay and the weather has been wonderful (high-70s during the day and mid-40s at night), but I'm ready to go home.

Kentucky Lake

As I've mentioned before, my mate occasionally participates in local fishing competitions. This year he competed well enough in the local competitions, which in turn allowed him to enter the regional fishing competition. Lucky for him, and maybe unlucky for me, the regional competition occurs on Kentucky Lake, which borders the states of Kentucky and Tennessee.

So last night, he and I made our trek to Kentucky Lake. We spent the night driving through Wisconsin and Illinois. Early this morning, we made several stops at rest areas to sleep in our car (see picture), then continued driving to Tennessee. We made several detours for sightseeing purposes and evenutally got to our destination. I'm a bit exhausted from the lack of sleep and will continue chronicling my stay in Tennessee.

Is it a Bunny or a Pig?

Okay, so I've added a new member to the family. I intend to give this stuffed animal to my sister (if she wants it). When I made this stuffed animal, I intended it to be a bunny. However, my mate claims that it looks more like a pig. What do you think?

"Monkee" the Sock Monkey

So, is my monkey cute? He's made out of a pair of socks, used but very clean.

For some reason, I've become interested in making sock monkeys and sock animals. When my siblings and I were younger, we had a sock monkey. I believe it may have been made from original Rockford Red Heel Socks because I remember that it was a splotchy brown with a big red mouth and big red behind. As a child, I didn't hate the monkey, but it had a scary element to make it not cute and not cuddley enough for me to become attached to it.

Anyhow, Rockford Red Heel Sock monkeys are still very popular (you can find some information about how the whole sock monkey phenom began by visiting this website: http://www.wildaboutsockmonkeys.com/history.html). Lucky for me, any pair of socks can be used to make a sock monkey. I found instructions at this website to make Monkee: http://lennytaylor.freeyellow.com/Monkey.htm. I think I might make a couple more to give away as gifts. I'd encourage you to try and make your own sock monkey.

Persimmons

While browsing the web today, I came across a blurb about persimmons and how this fruit can be grown in the United States. What I thought was so interesting was that this fruit has been grown in the US even before the establishment of Jamestown. For some reason, I’ve always associated persimmons with the tropics. I guess my perception can be attributed to the way I was first introduced to persimmons. As far back as I can remember, I think the first time I saw a persimmon, was when I was a teenager shopping in Asian markets (which often carried many different exotic produce and products that weren’t found in the typical American markets). However, I didn’t come to fully appreciate this fruit until three to four years ago.

There are two general types of persimmons: the American persimmon and the Asian persimmon. With regards to the American persimmon, it’s my understanding that the tree grows very well in the eastern and southern regions of the US, which is consistent with the zones that the tree would grow in (zones 6-8). Generally, these persimmon trees grow well in almost any type of soil, provide great foliage, and need more than one tree to fruit. There are some discussions as to whether these trees will grow in Zone 4 and actually fruit. Apparently, there's a nursery advertising on its webpage that it has a tree, Meader Persimmon (Diospyrus virginiana), hardy to Zone 3 and doesn’t need a male tree to pollinate with. I’m a bit curious because I would love to have a persimmon tree in my yard (of course I have to ask myself where I would put that tree).