Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Smell of Fresh Basil and other unexpected surprises..

This morning it was 31 degrees, just a light frosting, but a little chilly for dog walking. I'm not acclimated yet, so it seems cold instead of bracing. But that will change.

I was warned about the frost, and so took all the remaining basil out of the garden last night. That fresh, deep smell filled the kitchen while I worked cutting it and putting it into little bags. Tonight I believe I will do some pesto making.

I'm not much of a gardener. It's something I believe in more "in theory" than in practice. But I did manage to plant some basil this summer, and now I have some good scents, and good flavors to bring indoors. It's one of the things I like about fall: all of the smells of ripeness.

Around here, it's also the season to get things done before winter sets in. A couple of weeks ago, we had someone out to fix our chimney. A good surprise: the foreman brought his dog along in his truck. A ten month-old puppy. We decided it would be good to let Scout have an impromptu "play date." It has taken this long to get pictures up.




Scout still lights up my life. She and the puppy got along famously.

19 comments:

Lori said...

I'll bet your kitchen smells divine!

Billie Greenwood said...

Making pesto is on my schedule today, too. We had some light frost today, no hard freeze yet. I had lots of basil this year. Now I need good recipes to use pesto.

Annie's Mom said...

I know exactly what you mean about gardening in theory rather than in practice!! Wonderful!

LoieJ said...

YUM, pesto. I've never grown herbs, besides parsley.

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

I'm trying to get some chores done before winter too. Had the furnace checked. Still have to cover the air conditioner, drain the rain barrel, and put plastic on the office windows. (We get a fierce wind on that side of the house.)

I love the play date photos.

Diane M. Roth said...

Ruth -- wish that Scout had more of those play dates :)

DogBlogger said...

Oh, teh cuteness.... Thanks for letting Scout have an impromptu play date and sharing it with us!

Anonymous said...

Good for Scout!

Fran said...

Basil- ahhhhhh, a favorite scent.

Pesto- ahhhhhh, a favorite dish.

We had light frost too. My basil did not do well this summer, so it is gone.

Scout and the doggie look like they are having the best time!!

Terri said...

OH YAY for fresh basil and dog play dates! Here in the desert it was about 49 degrees early this morning but still rose to 89 this afternoon. The chill of night feels really good but it does feel odd to wear shorts later in the day...

emmapeelDallas said...

What a great post! I am sitting here smiling just thinking of it, the basil (which I love), the pesto (even more!) the good scents...and the dog's play date!

Jennifer said...

So glad you saved the basil and that Scout had soooo much fun!

Lindy said...

Scout is beautiful. Something about her just makes me go all gooey.

If it gets down to 31 here on the coast I'll have to break out my parka. I mean, that's majorly cold. It's below freezing!

I went beach combing yesterday on Quintana Island and at Surfside. It was 80-90 degrees. If you get too cold, come on down.

Hot Cup Lutheran said...

basil... yummy!

scout looks so cute! i miss mocha java terribly... he's on vacation too in the country.

Jan said...

Kitchen smells in the cold weather are so comforting. Love the pictures!

Law+Gospel said...

I too am in basil preservation mode, while my hubby has Phillies fever. The Scout pics are adorable!

Barbara B. said...

yay! puppy play date! fun!

Lindy said...

I came back to see the picture again.

Rev SS said...

yay for Scout getting a play date .. are there doggy day care places near you where she can go for other play dates from time to time? my friend's dog loves going to hers