is it autumn??

I had to harvest a few things from the garden today.

I have been neglecting my garden lately. The mosquitoes are just intolerable. The stink bugs and squash bugs are impossible to deal with. The tomatoes are all damaged by said bugs when the squirrels haven't gotten to them. Finally, the cucumbers and corn are dead ... too many enemies for them this year (anthracnose, previously mentioned pests and lack of water to mention a few). Basically, I am discouraged at this point.

Tonight, as I was cooking yet another yellow squash the size of Texas for dinner, I thought I would go check on the fall harvest. I knew I had at least 7 bright orange pumpkins and a slew of (voluntary) butternut squashes ... that's what happens when you mix "green" compost to your garden in early spring. I figured I would also have a few last yellow squashes since I hadn't checked on the garden in a while. Boy was I in for a shock.

The squirrels decimated 5 of the close-to-ripe pumpkins I had and 3 butternut squashes as well. I put my cooking on hold and decided I had had enough of these pests and it was time to harvest. The butternuts were mostly ripe anyway. So here's what we got today:

Oh, and to finish on a positive note, Owen got the "Star Student of the Class" in Taekwondo yesterday and it made his day (he was surprised and delighted of course). He really needed this. He had been a bit deflated about going lately and that was enough of a pick-me-up to get him fired up again. Not sure what the issue is about going. He always has a blast when he gets there but maybe it's the waiting while I finish my kickboxing class? Maybe leaving a fun activity at home? Not sure but either way, I hope that's enough to keep him boosted for a while.