Fall Harvest Time!

Happy Fall! It is my favorite time of the year!  

It has been an excellent year for my little patio container garden and fall means it is time to harvest all that remains as our first frost will be soon on its way. I have gathered many juicy plum tomatoes and Hatch style and Calabrian style Red Chili Peppers throughout September. The photo above shows a small portion of them.

I started the vegetables as seeds in March in little flower pots that I placed by a sunny window.  Every seed was collected from vegetables that we had eaten that I dried and saved.  I had more plants than I had room to plant on my patio, so I also gave some to my son and some to neighbors.

I planted the tomatoes and peppers outside when the danger of frost was over--here in Colorado that was early June. At that time I also planted seeds for zucchini, basil, and dill in various outdoor containers and took out the perennial herbs that I overwinter in pots in my garage. The perennial herbs I grow are two types of thyme, rosemary, spearmint, oregano, sage, and lemon balm, as well as a fig tree. The perennials go dormant in fall/winter but "wake up" and grow again in summer. 

 I love watching everything grow!  

I also plant many flowers in my garden, and all are also from seeds that I saved in the fall.  As you can see from the photo collage above the local deer also admire all the annual flowers---smile.  My daughter and oldest granddaughter gave me the pretty plaque for my garden that is in the upper right corner of the photo collage above.

As you can see in the photos above, we often see deer right outside our windows!  I saw a doe with twin fawns come by from time to time and I believe they may have been the fawns that were born in my backyard in spring-- click here to see that post. They are getting big!

When my sunflowers began to wilt and dry up I cut off some of the heads and left them for the birds to eat. The squirrels and bunnies also had a very good time eating the seeds.

I also started the seed harvesting process all over again as well as drying or freezing herbs for use all winter, in the top, left photo, are marigold flowers that I deadheaded. I dry them and save them to plant next spring. Next to them are drying dill seeds. At the bottom left is basil that I wash, dry, and puree in my food processor and freeze in ice cube trays.  I use the cubes to flavor tomato sauce and sauces and soups all winter long. on the right is spearmint leaves which I dry and save for mint tea.

What have I been doing with all this summer produce?  Cooking!  In addition to the previous zucchini recipes, I posted--click here- I have also been making ricotta zucchini blossom fritters from a recipe that I found on this blog, and also making many zucchini walnut loaf cakes.

I enjoyed using ripe garden tomatoes all summer long in salads and soups and other recipes and I've made batches of tomato sauce to freeze.

I made stir fries, and taco casseroles, and other recipes that called for peppers with the Hatch style and Calabrian style peppers I grew, and also some were roasted, steamed, and then frozen for further use.

My Colorado Green Pork Chili recipe is so good and we look forward to having it every fall.

The deer rut is happening in our area and the bucks are all very actively searching for a female doe.  It is another sign of fall in Colorado!  As you can see in the photo above, we must drive carefully as they have "right of way" on our local roads.

Autumn colors are beginning to bloom all around Colorado!  I think it is the best time of the year--do you also love fall the best of all?

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Garden of the Gods with Friends

In my last blog post--click here--I showed a few local places along the Colorado Front Range where we took close friends that were visiting from the east and staying with us for days before a ski trip.  On another day my husband and I decided to take them to Colorado Springs to see another one of our favorite places, the Garden of the Gods Park. (See some more extensive prior posts about the park here and here.)   When we approached the north entrance of the park it was unfortunately closed as road and sewer construction was going on, so we had to skip the visitor center in that area and enter the park through the southern entrance. There we almost immediately saw one of the most popular attractions: Balanced Rock.  We parked in a nearby lot so we could take photos of the rock and our friends had fun posing with it, as you can see.

Balanced Rock is at 6,286 feet (1915.9 M) elevation in the park. Doesn't it look like it could topple over at any minute?  

We drove on to see more...

The Garden of the Gods Park is a registered National Natural Landmark. It is full of towering sandstone rock formations against a backdrop of snow-capped Pikes Peak and brilliant blue skies. It contains 21 miles of trails and is popular for hiking, technical rock climbing, road and mountain biking, and horseback riding. It attracts more than two million visitors a year, making it the city's most visited park.  

Although we did stop to walk a few short trails we mainly drove around the park on this visit it was late afternoon when we arrived and winter daylight would not be lasting much longer.

The waning sunlight made the formations glow.

That is what we love about the park as each season and time of day can bring different views and effects.

One happy surprise is seeing a herd of wild Bighorn Sheep eating in one of the fields in the park!

We spent quite a bit of time taking photos of them.  Although their numbers are growing, and they are the official mammal of the state of Colorado, seeing them in person is a rarity, as they usually habitat in the wilderness at high elevations.

A view of some of the trails inside the park.

A view looking at Juniper Way Loop, looking South.

The rock formations are breathtaking...

...and so colorful!

It was a wonderful drive

More of the beautiful giant red rocks structures including a view of snow-capped Pikes Peak --America's Mountain--in the upper right of the photo collage above.  Pikes Peak is a 14,115-foot (4,302.31 m) high mountain located in Pike National Forest.  My husband and I have driven to the top of the mountain many times and took the Cog Railroad to the top once.  There have been many renovations happening on the mountain with a new visitors center and new cog railroad track and cars--click here-- to see a visit we made with friends to see those renovations in progress last summer.  The famous "Kissing Camels" formation is seen in the lower right photo in the collage above.

Before we left the Colorado Springs area we took a drive to historic Manitou Springs, located at the foot of Pike's Peak. Please click on the photo collage above to enlarge it for easier viewing.

Please click on the photo to enlarge it to read the information on the placard.

There are eight naturally-carbonated mineral springs in Manitou Springs. Deep underground beneath the town is a system of cavernous aquifers whose healing waters have drawn people to the town for centuries. Our friends sampled the water at one of the springs.  My husband and I sampled the mineral water at each of the fountains in Manitous Springs one summer, and you can see more about them and the town in this post.

Another wildlife sighting and traffic jam made us laugh as we left Manitou Springs!  A flock of Wild Turkeys was crossing the road!

They seemed to enjoy peeking at the rocks of a Sinclair Gasoline Station and the green brontosaurus sculpture did not scare them a bit!

The light was fading as we drove home...

...and we were fortunate to see a gorgeous golden sunset light up the entire Colorado Front Range!

Our friends left the next day to go skiing in Steamboat Springs, where they had a wonderful time. We hope they will return in the future for another visit with us and another ski adventure. It was so much fun to share some of our favorite places with them and we will have even more show them next time

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The Rocky Mountain Land Library

The first time my husband and I drove through South Park, I fell in love with this beautiful pastoral area in the heart of Colorado. A grassland basin at 9,000 to 10,000 feet elevation, it is surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks of the Mosquito and Park Mountain Ranges. The Platte River headwaters are formed here and the river gently rolls through the valley. Native American Utes and Arapahoes hunted the abundant wildlife in the area. The term South Park was first used in the 1840s by hunters and trappers who traversed the Rocky Mountains. In 1859, the discovery of placer gold in the streams of the valley during the Colorado Gold Rush led to an influx of prospectors and miners. By the 1880s the area was known for its mineral springs, hunting, fishing, and grazing land for cattle. In 2009, South Park and the area around Fairplay were designated a National Heritage Area by the U.S. Congress for its distinctive landscapes, historic structures, recreational resources.

Much of South Park's 1,000 square miles is used as grazing land for cattle and horses and other domestic animals...

...and it encompasses a feeling of wide-open skies and vast wilderness that is absolutely beautiful!

Photo credit Rocky Mountian Land Library

Now South Park as a new attraction as nestled in a part of this magnificent valley, close to the South Platte River, is the Rocky Mountain Land Libary  A work in progress, the Rocky Mountian Land Library is a dream come true for husband and wife former book buyers for the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Ann Marie Martin, and Jeff Lee. Back in the ’90s, while on a book-buying trip for the store, they came upon Gladstone's Library at St Deiniol’s, a residential library in Wales. That visit was the start of their dream to create a residential library in Colorado — one that focused on people and the land. They always knew they would find a home for their beloved tens of thousands of volumes about nature, the environment, history, literature, western land issues, archeology, and all things American West.

In 2013 they signed a 95-year lease for the 1,500 Buffalo Peaks Ranch, in South Park. Established in 1861 as a sheep and cattle operation, it was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.  Work began to renovate the ranch, using volunteers and donations.

This short Youtube link about the Rocky Mountain Land Library features Jeff and Ann and their visions for the library.

 

The historic Buffalo Peaks Ranch has already been utilized by the library as an inspiring site for classes, workshops, field studies, teacher training, etc, and there are many plans for 2021.  Fundraising and renovation work continues to help create this future residential library dedicated to nature and the land. There are plans for special libraries across the ranch, including a Native American Library, a Young Readers Library, a River Hut Library on rivers, water & fishing, and one on Ranching History & Practices and the Cook's House library on Food and the Land.

The Rocky Mountian Land Library will be a year-round, residential retreat center and library while also hosting additional programs and outreach through their Metro Denver locations. Visitors from all backgrounds and interests will be able to gain inspiration from the books and the surrounding landscape of South Park.  

My husband and I were hoping to visit the library this past summer, but because of covid shutdowns we had to forego those plans, but we definitely hope to make it a destination when we can travel again.

If you'd like to learn more you can follow the Rocky Mountain Land Library on their blog, Facebook. Instagram, and Twitter.

Meanwhile, I am in the midst of decorating for Christmas, writing Christmas cards, and will begin preparing some favorite holiday treats. Most likely we will have to forego gathering for our traditional family gathering for the Italian style "Feast of the Seven Fishes" I prepare on Christmas Eve, as the Sars-CoV-2 numbers have been worrisome high here in Colorado.  We do hope our grandchildren will be able to visit and see our tree and open their gifts, while we all wear masks, etc., and try to stay healthy as we wait for the vaccine to become available.  I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season--it is still the most wonderful time of the year!

 Stay happy, safe, and healthy!

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156 Anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre

Today was the 156th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre.  A few years ago my husband and I visited the Sand Creek Massacre Historic Site located in a remote area of  Kiowa County, near Eads, on the great high plains of Colorado. This site is sacred, controversial, symbolic, and a reminder of a national tragedy that happened on November 29, 1864.  

Please click on to enlarge tread.

Along the Big Sandy Creek, about 700 Cheyenne and Arapaho native people were living peacefully at a winter camp in what was then Colorado territory. They believed they were under the protection of the US Army by treaty. Many of the men were away hunting for food, so the camp consisted of mainly old people, women, and children. At dawn on November 29, 1864, approximately 675 U.S. volunteer soldiers, commanded by Colonel John M. Chivington, attacked the sleeping natives with guns and cannons. Black Kettle, one of the peace Chiefs, raised an American flag and white truce flag above his tipi, as he had been promised protection, but he also had to flee. While many managed to escape, about 200 women and children, and the elderly struggled to run in the sandy earth of the dry creek bed. Some women tried to dig trenches in the creek bed, or in the hollow logs of cottonwood trees to hide their children, but most were mercilessly slaughtered during the eight hours of fighting. During the afternoon, and the next day, the soldiers wandered over the field committing atrocities on the dead, taking native belongings as souvenirs, and burning down the encampment, before departing the scene on December 1, to resume campaigning.

More about the massacre and other photos can be seen on a prior blog post I wrote about the event --click here.   

The tragic story of the Sand Creek Massacre brings us forward to a present-day tragedy that occurred this summer that resulted in strong protests in Denver.  During those protests, the Civil War Union Soldier statue that you see above was torn down from its pedestal in front of the Colorado Capitol Building.  

Upon serious reflection after the protests, a decision was made in a 7-2 vote of the Capitol Building Advisory Committee, to permanently replace this pedestal and statue with a sculpture of a Native American woman mourning the atrocities of the Sand Creek Massacre.  Representatives from the tribes which suffered at Sand Creek 156 years ago spoke to the committee and helped them make this decision

“They were wiped out,” Otto Braided Hair, of the Northern Cheyenne and a descendant of Sand Creek survivors, told the committee. “Their voices are no longer heard. Their wishes and concerns were no longer heard. Those are the people we speak for.”

To see a prototype of the proposed replacement statue click here.  It will be designed by Havey Pratt a Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal member and a descendant of a Sand Creek survivor. He is recognized as an accomplished master Native American Indian artist. He said the idea of using a grieving Native American mother came to him in a dream.  When it is erected in the future I will take photos of it and update this post.

Meanwhile, the Union soldier statue, erected in 1909 to memorialize those who died defending Colorado from an attempted Confederate insurgence, was loaned to History Colorado Center for a one-year period. The museum approached the state with the offer to display the piece with commentary that explains the differences in how various groups have interpreted its meaning, including tribal anger that the same cavalry units memorialized by the statue for heroism in the Civil War also perpetrated the Sand Creek Massacre two years later.  After that, the statue will most likely be placed in Denver's Veterans Park, which seems like a better place for it to be.

I hope all who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful day!  This year was very different for us, as it was only me and my husband at our celebration dinner, but I still prepared a turkey and all the trimmings, including apple pie for dessert. We didn't Zoom with our family, as everyone was on a different schedule, but we talked on the phone and texted.   It was good to give thanks for all our blessings.  I am also thankful for all of you who read my blog and comment--thank you so very much as you bring joy to my days throughout the year!

 Stay happy, safe, and healthy!

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