Remembering the Last Days of Summer ~ Yankee Stadium, Rotted Deck and a Great Zucchini Bread Recipe

There is no denying it ~ Fall is in the air in Connecticut.

The most colorful places to visit in my garden are the places where the mums, hydrangea and morning glory reside.

I love the little Welcome Sign that holds a Mum plant ~ found at Home Depot!

I have to share with you the story of the peaches and grapes pictured below.

Do you remember last year I told you about my neighbor Tino ?

He passed away many years ago but I have never stopped missing him.

He spoke broken Italian ~ I understood his actions more than words.

He pruned my grape vines and planted flowers in my garden next to his house ~ never asking ~ just doing.

I loved watching him tend to his enormous garden in the back.

When he died ~ I pulled up one of the grape vines from his yard and planted it in mine.

Sadly this year ~ it didn't appear to have produced any grapes.

The other day ~ I went in my neighbors yard and noticed Tino's peach tree that borders my yard (but hidden behind a fence) was filled with beautiful peaches!

It was encased with a vine ~ all you could see were bits of peach hitting the ground.

As I got closer ~ the smell of grapes overwhelmed me.

Could it be???? YES!!!!

My grape vine had climbed over my fence and created a huge halo over his peach tree!

Grapes poured down ~ perfect beautiful peaches were below!

I felt Tino's warm smile and loving touch as I filled plastic grocery bags with peaches and grapes!

I could hardly contain myself and burst into his wife Kay's home ~ grabbing bowels from her cabinet and filling them with her beloved Tino's peaches and grapes!

I wish I had taken a picture before I started harvesting ~ my only proof are a few of the peaches I took for myself and a lone bit of grapes I left for the birds.

I did lot's of stitching this summer but have mostly just pile of unfinished projects to show for it.

Here are 2 things I did take photo's of before they went to their new owners.

This is a market bag made for my sister-in-law (and Miss Matty) with a large doily at the bottom ~

perfect for carrying fruit ,apples etc from the Farmers Market.

It's Simple As Can Be ~

You sew a fabric tube as wide as you want your bag to be ~ leaving the bottom open.

Add one fat handle to the top and sew the raw edges of a large doily (doily cut in half) to the bottom.

Then close the bottom of the doily ~ using a strong sturdy stitch.

This was the pouch I made for my Aunt Sarah's birthday ~ crazy quilted and beaded.

Other summer projects included our deck that we had to knock down without notice

because carpenter ants were about to carry it away!

Instead we knocked it down for them ~

and unfortunalty had to carry it away ourselves.

It was the biggest nightmare of my life.

Ummm ~ I mean to say ~

hard work never hurt anyone ;)

My dear brother in law ~ Richard ~who happens to be a carpenter (and not an ant) ~

SAVED THE DAY not only with his expert help but insisting on cutting down the trees that created our moisture problem in the first place.

These maple trees were HUGE ~

and he showed up to cut them down during the hurricane rains that came one Saturday in August!

He is so much fun ~ we lovingly call him our special little garden gnome!

Here are the finished results ~ I am in love with this sweet little deck which I now call our back porch!

I just need 2 of those rocking chairs from The Cracker Barrel for the spot shown below!

We have promised ourselves we'd get them 20 years ago but never had a covered porch ~

NOW we do!!!

My little Teddi Bear is still afraid to climb the new stairs!

The Zinnia's bloomed late but were beautiful this year!

A trip to the The NEW Yankees Stadiumwas an exciting treat just last week-end ~

after Jaci won an auction for them!

We took the Yankee Express train from Connecticut right to the stadium.

This was one of the many street musicians that kept us smiling as we took the short walk from the train to the stadium.

I did some organizing this summer ~ and came across my cross stitch basket that I bought in Dollywood well over 10 years ago.

It was like opening a time capsule!

The Teddy bear Franky (now 26) made for me in middle school ~ it was waiting for him to add the fiberfill ,

A picture Ashley (now almost 21) drew for me in elementary school ~

ticket stubs from Dollywood..........

and many unfinished cross stitch projects!

2009 was a busy, hard working summer but I was able to steal plenty of wonderful moments with family and friends!

Tomorrow we will welcome fall officially.

Still I will visit my flying friends at the beach one or two more times ~ even if I freeze!

As a Good-Bye to Summer Treat ~ how about my recipe for Chocalote Chip Zuchini Bread.

I use my circa 1970's Tupperware grater for this recipe.

Choclate Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini
1 bag of chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 ~ 9 by 5-inch loaf pans
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.
Beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar and blend well.
Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, chocolate chips.,
Stir in sifted ingredients.
Bake about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Farewell Sweet Summertime ~

My Garden Heart's YOU!!!