Do you recall that I said I was planning on doing a lot of fall decorating this week? Well, I still am. Everything is always slower than I think it will be. It’s like I run like water and everything around me runs like molasses.

One thing I really like about fall is fodder shocks. Many years I’ve been the first hanging out at a garden center asking when the fodder shocks are set to arrive. Even last year I bought a bunch of fodder shocks, loaded them in the truck, and then became mortified when they all fell out before I got to the first red light. I wasn’t so mortified that they fell out…things like that happen. I was mortified that I didn’t  notice they were falling out and I was leaving a trail behind me. Yikes!  Cars were blowing at me and flashing their lights.  Finally when I stopped at the light, some very nice person knocked on the window and told me I’d lost my fodder shocks.  Every where.  All over the road.

This year there will be no trip to town. I grew my own corn! It was good to eat right out of the garden, good to eat now out of the freezer, and now I’ve got my own corn stalks. Sigh. Life is good.

So here they are. I decided I’d surprise Mike and cut them down myself. (This is truly a surprise…I usually outlast him on things like this and he’ll eventually take care of them for me.)

Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure how to cut them down. I went and got a little pruning saw. Here it is. It’s lying on our picnic table. Our oldest grandson painted his name on the picnic table two years ago. I always enjoy looking at it and thought I’d share it with you.

So I just went out and started sawing the old corn stalks.   It was easy.   However, I was glad I didn’t get a manicure today.

Just a few dozen whacks and a few trips from the garden to the front of the house, and I had one nice fodder shock set up.  This is in the front of our house.  I used a walkway light to anchor my fodder shock and lots of florist wire to keep it in place.

I wonder how many calories I burned trotting back and forth with my fodder shocks plus the sawing?   Here’s the fodder shock in the rear of the house. There was a vine growing up the corn and I just left it in there.  It’ll turn brown and not be noticeable, but right now, I think it looks pretty.   See those little black eyed susie flowers?   They volunteered and I love them.

I’ll be adding pumpkins and mums and bows.  I didn’t grow pumpkins this year, and I’m so mad at myself!

Prior to my channeling Paul Bunyan and sawing corn stalks. I had been to Kingsport for a few things.  I can’t believe I had to go to Kingsport…I’ve never liked that drive, but drive it I did!    I had to return a fake pumpkin at Hobby Lobby and visit the consignment store to drop off some things.  By the way, do you think that Bristol could manage to shelve either Cabela’s or Bass Pro and give us a Joanne’s, Hobby Lobby or Michael’s?        I hate driving to Kingsport to get my crafty stuff and it’s especially difficult when you have to have two of everything since you mess the first try up.

Moving along after I cut down half of the corn stalks…I came back in the house.

I went back to my organization projects.   When I organized the closet in the guest bedroom, I encountered the king size down comforter lying on the bed in the same room.  I recently removed this from one of the beds, washed it, hung it out to dry and then realized I had no place to put the monster.  It’s been lying in the front bedroom in a big blob on the bed for three or four days.  In this picture, it’s on the floor, and you can see what I”m faced with.   Try folding it and it comes to life!

However, when I was in Kingsport today, I swung by Target and bought a box of  space saver vacumn things.  Two jumbos bags in a box for $12.  I wondered if they really worked that well.   They do!

Here’s what the comforter looked like after I wrestled it into the bag and then vacummed the air out.   It’s sort of strange looking.  I wonder about all of the down feathers…will they ever fluff up again?

I’ll worry about refluffing later.  Look how well it went into the bonnetiere..it’s at the very top.    I do not know why this thing is called a bonnetiere, but we bought it at Ethan Allen about 15 years ago and that’s what they called it.  I use it for quilts and stuff.  Apparently, Mike uses it for a hotwheels set…that is what is in the little gold box on the right on the first shelf.   What was he thinking?  Isn’t he a little old for that?

Back on it tomorrow!