I just love these patterns by Kristin Nicholas. This is the Autumn Leaves pattern from her book "Knit with Kristin". I'm about 1/2 way through the second one so should be finished by tomorrow if I don't spend alot of time online!

The yarn is mostly Deb Stoller's Stitch Nation Full 'o Sheep and the colors are just vibrant. My next big project is a large wrap (the kind you can throw over a jacket in the cold weather) and just got all the yarn for it. I like that JoAnn's takes competitor coupons and as many as you have as long as they aren't the same. I used a bunch of 50% off coupons to get all my yarn so ...yah...it only cost 1/2 as much. Good for me. Plus it will be my first steeked project so that should be a whole lotta angst. Teehee.
My first homegrown tomato!!! Looked a little raggedy but tasted great. I have about 7 more and 2 of them look like they are ripening up just fine.
My herbs are growing like gangbusters and I bought another basil plant at Trader Joe's the other day.

Couldn't beat the price. It was a good sized plant for $2.99. I like to make pesto and freeze it so the basil gets used up fast. I just bought some arugula today to make some more. Yum.
Here is my fabulous dinner from the other night. I used a Gardein "breast" (which is made of grains and veggies and all kinds of good things) and flattened it out and dredged it in some flour and fried it and topped it with a lovely caper/wine sauce. The greens are a collard green salad with a tamarind/miso dressing with sauteed pears on top.

Went to one of the farmer's markets today. One of the ones down in the city-Hyde Park. It's a more expensive area of town and the market was great! It was soooooo hot though and didn't help that it was set up on blacktop. Whew. Found some lovely garlic scapes (yah!). It's about the last of the season for those so I was happy to have found them. Got about 4 bunches. And some beautiful swiss chard that is destined for a millet, white bean and chard casserole. Some banana peppers and red onions (with the dirt still on them....now that's what I call fresh). I think I'm just going to saute up some of the scapes and toss them on top of some pasta with a little olive oil.

Amanda and I are always looking for a good veggie burger recipe and I have made several. This is the Better Black Bean burger from Robin Robertson's latest "Vegan on the Cheap" and I must say it is WONDERFUL! Fries up all crispy on the outside and not mushy at all. Put it on a good ciabatta bun with some mustard and soy mayo with leaf lettuce and a juicy tomato and a fabulous lunch.

I wish I could say that Amanda has some tomatoes on her plant. She did have about 11 or 12 but the deer that has been hanging around her yard obviously had a late night snack the other night. Man, is she mad. Of course I would be also.

And it was sleeping all curled up by the pot next to the patio.
I got fairly close to shoot this photo with my cell phone before it turned and sauntered off back into the woods.

She has entirely too much nature for living in a subdivision. A bunny nest in the front yard. A bird's nest in the rafter of the car port. Deer roaming through the yards and across the streets. And a whole bunch of coyotes in the woods. She and her neighbor watched one slink through the yard the other day. They are all over Cincinnati and quite the nuisance.

Alright. I am off to knit and stay cool. It's going to be in the 90*s the next few days. Just ridiculous for this time of year. Stay cool!