It’s September now and there’s no denying that the year is past its prime. There are still plenty of beautiful flowers here at the end of summer. The dahlias, phlox, and cosmos are at their peak. The Heavenly Blue morning glories have begun to bloom at last. I was worried they wouldn’t make it in time. Just down the road from us there are fields of sunflowers in dazzling full bloom. And along the roads and in the wild places the goldenrod and asters are perfect. But the days are noticeably shorter now. The mornings are almost dark enough to require me turning on a light to dress. I can’t bring myself to do that yet, so I have to be careful to check that my socks match before I go anywhere. Black, brown, and navy blue are indistinguishable in the dim light. The nights are cool enough that I have to close the windows around the house, but not the one by my bed – I love to sleep with the window open and won’t give that up until I absolutely have to. Yesterday morning when I got up it was 36° and this morning it was 38° – almost cold enough for frost, but thankfully, not quite. I don’t want frost yet.
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| September morning. |
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| Morning glories. |
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| Heavenly Blue. |
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| Sunflowers. |
I see the portents of change in the world all around me. Birds are beginning to flock together. I’ve seen big flocks of blackbirds and starlings swirling around ripe fields of grain. I’ve seen them perched in their hundreds on power lines and in the tops of the trees. Some birds have vanished already. I haven’t seen any tree swallows for a while. The little house wren that fussed at me all summer from its nest in the grapevines is gone. I don’t hear robins singing at dawn and dusk anymore, although I still see a few of them around. They’re too busy fattening up for their flight south to sing much now.
I ordered fall bulbs on Friday. I intend to do it every year, but most years I forget and in the spring I find myself wondering, “Why don’t I have more crocuses and daffodils and hyacinths and tulips?” I think you can never have too many spring flowers, but it’s hard to remember that in the fall when there are so many other things to keep me busy. This year I didn’t forget and next spring there will be more flowers.
September is a ripe month, a month of bounty and harvest and the hard work that goes with it. Tomatoes are beginning to be abundant at last and soon we’ll be canning sauce. Cabbages will be pulled and wrapped for winter or chopped for sauerkraut. Potatoes will be harvested and put down cellar. Broccoli and cauliflower will be blanched and frozen, if we don’t just eat it all outright. Dry beans will be shelled and dent corn will be husked and stored for eating in the dark days. If we’re lucky, the grapes will be ripe in time. Inevitably by the end of September we will have frost.
I ordered fall bulbs on Friday. I intend to do it every year, but most years I forget and in the spring I find myself wondering, “Why don’t I have more crocuses and daffodils and hyacinths and tulips?” I think you can never have too many spring flowers, but it’s hard to remember that in the fall when there are so many other things to keep me busy. This year I didn’t forget and next spring there will be more flowers.
September is a ripe month, a month of bounty and harvest and the hard work that goes with it. Tomatoes are beginning to be abundant at last and soon we’ll be canning sauce. Cabbages will be pulled and wrapped for winter or chopped for sauerkraut. Potatoes will be harvested and put down cellar. Broccoli and cauliflower will be blanched and frozen, if we don’t just eat it all outright. Dry beans will be shelled and dent corn will be husked and stored for eating in the dark days. If we’re lucky, the grapes will be ripe in time. Inevitably by the end of September we will have frost.
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| Hoping the grapes will ripen in time. |
Have I mentioned before that I love canning season? And that I love applesauce? Last week I made applesauce every day – at least one batch a day and sometimes more. Most of the batches were made from Yellow Transparent apples because that’s what is ripe now. Yellow Transparent applesauce is very pale, so I added a few Dolgo crab apples to one batch which turned it pink. I blended another batch with the juice of aronia berries which made it deep crimson. One batch of applesauce I made entirely from Duchess apples. My Duchess tree (its full name is Duchess of Oldenburg, it’s an heirloom Russian apple) is a younger tree. It gave me just enough fruit for one batch of applesauce. Duchess apples ripen the same time as the Yellow Transparent apples and are a bit firmer and tarter. They made a lovely batch of creamy yellow applesauce. On Tuesday Josiah and I stripped the Dolgo crab apple tree and filled a five gallon bucket. I needed to use them before they spoiled, so I decided to make a batch of pure Dolgo applesauce. It’s a sweeter crab apple than most – another Russian variety. It made a beautiful smooth ruby red applesauce. I also made another batch of jelly. Apple saucing time is just about over now. There are more trees in the orchard that will ripen later, but they’ll be made into pie filling and cider.
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| Dolgo crab apples. |
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| This week's canning - all shades of applesauce. |
Another of Josiah’s hens died last week. It was Mrs. Mundungus this time. She died of old age. She was one of the oldest hens and one of the first that Josiah named. I asked him once why he named her Mrs. Mundungus and he said he didn’t know, it just seemed like it should be her name. He buried her in a proper grave, an honor given to his favorite hens. It’s sad to see these old hens, Josiah’s “ladies” as he calls them, dying off now. We have young hens, but he hasn’t given any of them names. Perhaps he’s separating himself from the flock. He’ll be gone soon and won’t see them for two years. There probably won’t be many of his ladies still alive when he comes home again.
On Wednesday evening my family left. They drove over to Fredonia, New York, and spent the night at our nephew Stephen Pister’s house and then early Thursday morning they drove up to Buffalo and flew away. Hannah and Josiah went to Tennessee to spend a week with the Thayns. Stacey flew to Mesa, Arizona, to attend our niece Alexa’s wedding.
The house has been quiet since they left, but not silent. I’ve had music playing almost continually. I’ve kept myself busy with school, painting, canning, and garden work. In the evenings I’ve been watching the old Star Trek show, the original series. I loved them when I was a child and it’s very nostalgic to watch them again – besides, it keeps me from feeling lonely. When I was a teenager I liked to think I was something of a loner. I gave up that notion a long time ago. I love my family and I like to be around them all the time. Stacey will be home tomorrow and then on Friday we’re driving to Detroit to Sarah and Tosh’s where we will meet up with the Thayns, Miriam, Hannah, and Josiah. We’ll spend the weekend together and then we’ll bring Hannah and Josiah home with us. Then a week after that, Josiah will leave again and be gone for two years.
On Wednesday evening my family left. They drove over to Fredonia, New York, and spent the night at our nephew Stephen Pister’s house and then early Thursday morning they drove up to Buffalo and flew away. Hannah and Josiah went to Tennessee to spend a week with the Thayns. Stacey flew to Mesa, Arizona, to attend our niece Alexa’s wedding.
The house has been quiet since they left, but not silent. I’ve had music playing almost continually. I’ve kept myself busy with school, painting, canning, and garden work. In the evenings I’ve been watching the old Star Trek show, the original series. I loved them when I was a child and it’s very nostalgic to watch them again – besides, it keeps me from feeling lonely. When I was a teenager I liked to think I was something of a loner. I gave up that notion a long time ago. I love my family and I like to be around them all the time. Stacey will be home tomorrow and then on Friday we’re driving to Detroit to Sarah and Tosh’s where we will meet up with the Thayns, Miriam, Hannah, and Josiah. We’ll spend the weekend together and then we’ll bring Hannah and Josiah home with us. Then a week after that, Josiah will leave again and be gone for two years.
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| Painting projects underway. |
The whole day has seemed out of kilter today. It started when I had to put on jacket because the morning was so chilly. I haven’t worn a jacket in months and it made me sad to pull it out of the back of the closet. Then it was strange to sit by myself at church. Now I’m home and thinking about lunch. It’s Fast Sunday, but I don’t feel very hungry. Usually we have oatmeal burgers and home fries on Fast Sunday to break our fast, but not today. I think I’ll just make myself a sandwich. It’s a beautiful afternoon, warm and sunny. Instead of a Sabbath nap, I think I'll grab the camera and take a walk. Days like this should not be wasted. Too soon they will be gone.
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| Sunset one day last week. |
