Summer decline

Summer declines and roses have grown rare,
But cottage crofts are gay with hollyhocks,
And in old garden walks you breathe an air
Fragrant of pinks and August-smelling stocks.

–John Todhunter (1839–1916)

It is hard to believe that a month has passed by since I posted and that summer is coming to an end.  School starts in three days!

I was stirring salsa on the stove the other day when I heard gnawing sounds.  At first I thought it was the dog in the living room chewing a bone but realized the noise was coming through the kitchens screen door.  I walked outside and the ground was littered with chewed bits of hickory nuts.  The squirrels are hanging out in the canopy and little bits of nut husk are floating down making it look like it is snowing.  

 And they aren’t the only woodland animals beefing up for the winter; the deer are standing on their hind legs reaching for the apples.  I don’t mind sharing and hope they do the same unlike the elderberries.

Like the animals I am busy preparing for winter…my tomato vines lost their leaves but the tomatoes are fine and continue to grow and ripen.  I did 26 quarts of tomato sauce yesterday and will probably be doing more tomorrow.   

Busy driving kids around I missed my green beans starting to produce and found them when they were too big to do anything with but have since canned several pints with lots more still on there.  The red raspberries are just starting to produce and it looks to be better than last year’s harvest!!!!  The blackberries are done but I have some blackberry cordial and brandy “brewing” to warm frozen bodies when the snow flies.

I seem to be preparing for winter in more ways than one…I knit myself a pair of socks and #2 daughter’s pair will be done tonight.  I have also been knitting hats for my grandsons.  Not having the models available I have knit several sizes!  Oh well someone will end up with them.  #1 daughter wanted monster hats for them to wear until Halloween.  I am surprised she isn’t picking out Thanksgiving hats for me to make them already.  She is quite the task maker! 

Once the garden/canning is done more spinning and knitting will get accomplished.  Playing right into that are the fiber festivals coming soon….Endless Mountain and Rhinebeck.  After Spring, Fall has to be the most perfect time of the year.

Small hours

Our lives are made in these small hours

These little wonders, these twists and turns of fate

Time falls away but these small hours

These small hours still remain ~ Rob Thomas

And before you know it these small hours add up and a month has gone by!  Yikes! So what remains of a month of small hours….

…Visits with my grandson’s, with more to come on the weekend of the 26^th.

...A visit from our forest neighbor

…A new engine in my car thankfully, fully covered by the warranty.

…days of unusually high temperatures.  I was forced to install the air conditioners.  Last year I didn’t because I feel shut in all winter and I love to have the shades up and windows open so I can see &  hear nature, but I couldn’t stand the humidity.  I thought I was living in DC again, oh horrors.  Today is a glorious 75 degrees at noon time with low humidity, what much needed relief

…the brightly dyed roving was spun but then wasn’t matching up when plied so I plied it with some white singles.  Made a pair of fingerless mitts, might make a hat to match.

…small knitting projects and may I add useful.  I have been knitting scubbies with cotton and tulle along with some new dish clothes.

…the garden has thrived in the heat, (and with a little added water from the hose).  The green beans are reaching for the sky 

and starting to produce. (Thank You Cyndy for telling me to check the lower sections) 

…tiny heads of broccoli starting better late than never

…gladiolas blooming and I nearly missed them

 …fireworks at our town’s field day

  …perfect physical for the man while I was diagnosed with Lyme disease.  Since meds keep me from going out in the sun I am so thankful that 90% of the garden was mulched so the weeds won’t over take the vege’s.

…friend that goes to auctions picked up some produce.  I canned and dehydrated blueberries, canned mango peach lemonade concentrate, strawberry lemonade concentrate, organic raspberry jam and strawberry syrup.  I also froze 8 quarts of cauliflower and 7 of green pepper slices. My berries should be ready soon for blackberry lemonade concentrate, pie filling and maybe some cordial.

…#2 son and daughter have summer jobs which means I am minus a vehicle most of the time.  #2 son bought a vehicle now we just need to get it on the road

 

…total of three baby chicks hatched this year and we  bought four turkey pullets

…barn field mowed, raked and stored away for chicken bedding.

…a little swimming and fishing.  The heavy rains prior to the heat wave caused flooding .  Once the waters receded the temperatures were too high for any good fishing.

 ...beautiful sunsets

 

 ...and hopefully a months worth of small hours before I get back here.

  

Finally slowing down

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast-you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." --Eddie Cantor

The past couple of days I have finally been able to sit and boy am I enjoying it.   My car broke down and is in the shop which is why I am stuck home.   But Jimmy crack corn and I don’t care because the sun is shining the temperature is perfect with a slight breeze to keep insects at bay.  I am sitting in the shade of an apple tree with my kindle (wifi reaches to the apple tree) and a sweet tea.  The smell of the wild rose and peonies 

wafting through the air, the birds singing ….so relaxing it sounds like a lullabye!  So much has happen since I last updated and I truly needed some down days to regroup.

 I have a new daughter in law would probably be at the top of the list of happenings.  The wedding was awesome and she was beautiful.  It rained the day before, the morning of and the day after but cleared up so they were able to have the outside wedding they wanted.  

 I cried because #1 son was trying so hard not to.  They had a photo booth which took a series of four pictures printed on one sheet.  You got to keep a copy and one was put in a scrap book along with a personal message for the bride and groom.  There was usually a line of people waiting to enter but then after a couple of hours they brought out props and I can’t wait to see the pictures that ensued!  The newly wedded couple is leaving today for a Caribbean cruise.

#2 daughter had a fantastic week.  She passed her driver’s test on Thursday and graduated Friday.  Next year #2 son graduates and then I will be done packing lunches and getting sick calls from school nurses.

The garden is finally planted and tomatoes are blossoming.

 My niece and her kids came up for the wedding and spent a week.  I thought I could con them into some help but it rained almost every day they were here!  This year has been a trial, lots of rain, late frosts, chipmunks digging up seed and I have a deer with a fawn nearby.  She is hanging around my garden eating my apple trees, plum, forsythia, Jerusalem artichokes, raspberries and anything else that takes her fancy.  Someone left the garden gate open and she did a little damage walking around on my new transplants but thankfully I had extras to replace them.  The apple trees are loaded, the red and black raspberries and blackberries look like it is going to be a good year but the grapes bit the dust in the late frost.

Most of the garden has been papered and mulched with straw which is going to leave me with some extra time to sit under the apple tree!  We moved some black berry bushes outside the garden to increase air circulation and we put in stock panels for the tomatoes, cucumbers and beans.  Usually we mulch our tomatoes and let them lay on the ground.  Last year I lost a lot of tomatoes to animals (now know it was ground hog) so I am trying the staking method and hoping for increased harvest at the same time.  My mom and I tried staking once and even though it was a bad tomato year for everyone we weren’t willing to take the chance again.  Keep your fingers crossed it works since we need a lot of tomatoes…think a year’s worth of salsa, V8, spaghetti sauce, picante sauce, pizza sauce, tomato soup, stewed/whole tomatoes along with eating tomato sandwiches and bruschetta .  Garden diagram for my own reference and missing most of the herbs and peppers.

I have not been knitting much.  I made the bolero for my friend’s daughter and one for my niece.   I had a dye day which was fun but in my exuberance (rushing) I felted it a little.  I was able to still spin the roving but not into lace weight which was a bummer because it was a green gradient dyed roving.  I was able to spin it into a worsted weight and make a small shawl with it but would have liked it to be thinner.

I also dyed this rather loud roving

 and some white Finn yarn 

and I even threw in some silk hankies.  

 I have been spinning a lot more than knitting. 

 

 The white Finn pictured above I spun and plied on the electric spinner….very productive but noisier so I spin on the Traveler and then have a ply day on the electric since I can get bigger skeins on those bobbins.

I went to an alpaca shearing (my cousin) and I am going to get some white alpaca to spin and dye.  I had some of her black alpaca but I want to see how white takes the dye.

On the farm, the milkhouse got a paint job, planted two apple trees and a tulip.  Clean up of barberry continues as it quickly grows back if you turn your back for a second!  And we have a baby chick. 

Hopefully we get a couple of more.  We have to go pick up the turkey poults otherwise we won't have anything for dinner on Thanksgiving and we have much to be thankful for this year.

But now I must head back out to the apple tree and watch #2 son mow the grass!!!

 

Chorus Resonates

Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons.  This year Spring is coming in leisurely.  It is a great time to notice each little detail.  So I was walking to the barn and I turned to see the deer near the house grabbing a bite to eat.  The air is perfumed by the smell of apple blossoms  

and lilac.  A little further down I notice that the trees along the lane are leafing out more than those up on the mountainside.  The dogwood is blooming in the field.  The chipmunk is chirping his annoyance. 

 Sitting outside the greenhouse transplanting seedings into large containers I see the yellow finch flitting among the branches of the apple tree.  Later I look up to see an oriole in the same tree. The sun was shining and the day was perfect.    I don’t know about you at times like this but for me, my heart swells and everything in my life seems hopeful and complete.  

Later in the day I was driving to a friend’s house so her daughter could try on a bolero (second attempt).  She asked me to make her one to wear with her graduation (middle school).  Country music was playing on the radio and I heard a song to explain the day. 

This is the chorus…

I've been to church
I've read the book
I know he's here
But I don't look
Near as often as I should
Yeah, I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I just slowed down to stop and stare
Opened my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today

It was George Strait singing “I Saw God Today”  I came home to check it out and it is an older song (2008) which surprises me that the radio station was playing it since they usually play more current songs.  The song was written about the birth of a child.  I am not overly religious and usually my relationship with God is my business and Lord knows I ain’t having no more kids but the chorus of that song fit the day to a tee.

Complete song found here