Backyard Bonanza

After a very short "Indian Summer" it seems that autumn has arrived in Denmark. Cooler weather and grey skies accompanied by ever-shortening days are a bit hard to take at times, but we have enjoyed our sunny days as well. Here are a few pictures of Ruby "apple picking" in our backyard. I guess most of the apples were too high for her so she decided to try netting a few--thanks to Daddy I'm sure! I'm not sure if she had much luck, but it looks like she had fun trying!

This seems to have been an odd year for our fruit trees. We had a plum tree loaded with fruit, but it all seemed to ferment on the tree and really wasn't edible. Then the largest apple tree never put on more than about a dozen fruit and I don't think that the quince tree did either (both of which were loaded when we came last fall). The small "Christmas apple" tree, however, has been loaded with smallish apples that Ruby LOVES! The only problem is that she isn't very discriminating when it comes to apple selection--the first one that catches her eye is THE ONE, whether or not a snail has just been dining on it--YUCK!

I think that it's surprising that she happily munches right off the apple and will even go on to eat the seeds and stem if you aren't careful to watch her! On the other hand, if I cut the same apple up, she isn't likely to finish more than a slice or two. I guess she's just a hunter and gatherer at heart and only wants to eat what she finds on her own! Another odd habit that she has picked up is that she'll only eat a banana if it's still in the peel. If I dare to take it out or slice it up, she won't touch it. These are the oddities of toddlerhood that can drive you half crazy if you aren't careful to see the humor in it all!

Jared brought me out last weekend to take pictures of him and Ruby with his two "prize" sunflowers. I would guess that they are about 9 or 10 feet tall and are really beautiful. They have put up with our schizophrenic Danish summer like champs and are easily as big as the ones we grew in Idaho. I would like to save the seeds for snacking on this winter, but with a whole week of rain in the forecast, I'm afraid that they might rot before they get big enough to dry...we'll see. On another "backyard update", I'm sorry that I kind of gave up on following the tadpoles this summer. Our pond got overtaken by duckweed and it really just got too hard to keep track of them. From what I've seen, there are STILL lots of tadpoles in there that never did mature. Jared said that he's seen quite a few frogs around the pond, but I guess I've never been at the right place at the right time. Maybe next year...

I'll close with this picture of Ruby sniffing the sunflowers. Smelling flowers is one of her favorite outdoor activities (well, that and digging!), which makes for v-e-r-y l-o-n-g walks!

If you think of us way over here in Denmark, say a prayer for us and our little family. I've been sick a lot over the last few weeks, which has made things hard for everyone. Hopefully, things will shape up in the coming week and I'll be back to my old self! Hope you're enjoying the first day of October wherever you are...