The mountains show signs of fall but leaf colors aren't as bold and brilliant as previous years.

 Last Sunday we drove the winding road through the Ocoee Gorge heading for Chattanooga and so, it seems, did everyone else.  Leaf peepers shouldn't have been disappointed as the leaf color along the Gorge outdid our local display.  Once we got out of our long stretch of a rainy pattern, we had a few early morning freeze warnings with days reaching high 50's and sunny skies.  I don't mind the time change bringing dusk around 5:30 because it lasts only about four month which brings me into spring.  The garden is quiet.  Cliff and I brought the kubocha squash to the back porch this afternoon.

 The largest squash weighs over 28 pounds. 
Italian parsley continues to grow, not effected by the freezes, kind of like cockroaches. 

                                                   Italian parsley and a small squash

Mustard greens, collards, and kale still thriving.  Probably will even when covered with snow.  I sprinkle baby talc on the leaves because something is chewing the leaves when I'm not looking.

Red bok choy, never heard of it, from my CSA delivery on Thursday.  Belonging to the fall CSA has inspired me to research new recipes for greens. 

Fresh garden celery, so tasty.

Fresh bok choy.  Even though we didn't grow up on these, eating from the garden brings memories of Riverview St. and good living. 

Newest addition to our garage is a rooster from Cliff's mother (when she was alive).  It's been hanging around for years because we didn't know how to do it justice.  We knew it should be placed on the garage but neither of us had a vision.  Our neighbor up the road is quite creative and is always puttering around his yard so I picked his brain and he came up with this solution.