Golden Days

These last days of summer were meant for taking walks. There is something about the quality of the sunlight, the lower angle of it, the amber hue, that enhances the colors of the last summer flowers. The roads and fields are full of goldenrod and asters, the last brilliant explosion of floral color to tide us over until the trees take over. Nature leaves the growing season with a great hurrah of beauty.

Goldenrod in the meadow.

Down at the beaver pond.

We took a long walk last Sunday afternoon. The Thayns were still here and the girls wanted to go on a salamander walk. We go up to the hollow at least once a summer to look for salamanders under the rocks along the side of the road. During the week I took several walks, following my usual paths, drinking in the colors of the fields and the sky and enjoying the warmth of the sun.

On our salamander walk.

Hazel and a salamander.

Mabel and a salamander.

Many months ago, when it was cold and snowy, I began working on The Garden of 2019. My plans and dreams for this garden actually started way back in the fall of 2018 as I was clearing away that year’s garden. This year’s garden officially began when I filled seed trays and planted seeds in the wintry days of March. Now all those dreams, plans, preparation, planting, and tending are bearing fruit in the form of vegetables. Things didn’t turn out quite as I’d liked, they never really do, but I had some success. And some utter failures. I learned that pumpkins won’t grow well in tall orchard grass. There will be very few pumpkins this year. My garlic harvest was good. I pulled some nice onions – a little smaller than usual, but still good. I planted too many zucchini (again – why do I always plant so many?) and have an overabundance. Peppers and eggplant turned out well. We’ve been using celery, basil, and parsley.

Part of last week's harvest.

I picked all the tomatoes last week and pulled up the vines. The vines were mostly dead from the blight and I wanted to save as many tomatoes as I could. I picked every one whether they were red, pink, or green, and set them on the back porch. I hope most of them will ripen. We also pulled up all the carrots. I think they were my best crop this year. So some things were good, some things were bad, but next year some things will be different – and better!

Where late the tomatoes grew.

Tomatoes on the back porch.

Carrot harvest.

Although my vegetables turned out good for the most part, fruit, on the other hand, was not good at all. Our summer was wet and cool and the few apple trees that set fruit did not yield anything useable. The only exception is the Northern Spy tree, which has some fruit on it that will ripen in October – if it can hold on that long. The raspberries fell prey to the Japanese beetles, the strawberries and elderberries to the birds. Some years are like that. There isn’t much I can do about it.

Now, as I’m harvesting and clearing out the gardens, I’m already planning for next year. I’m deciding what will grow where. I’m looking at what went wrong this year and researching what I can do to avoid failure next year. I’m starting the List of Big Projects 2020 (even though there are still some on this year’s list yet to be done). I’m thinking, after having a discussion with Tabor, that we might raise some pigs next year. It’s been quite a few years since we last raised pigs. Back then we had them down in the barn and it didn’t work well. But there is a section of the yard out by the orchard where I once had a vegetable garden that I can fence in for two pigs. They’ll need a small structure, a lean too, for shelter. That piece of ground is full of sun chokes that the pigs can root out and eat (I hope, anyway). They’ll only be there from spring to fall. Yes, I’m considering it.

Our new stove arrived on Wednesday. It’s so nice to be able to bake things again. I inaugurated its arrival by canning salsa on Thursday. There were enough tomatoes and I had a free day, so it was perfect. I canned eight pints. On Thursday Josiah baked a tandy cake. Then on Friday we had pizza, the first we’ve had for a long time. Stacey and Josiah also baked a loaf of sourdough bread. Yesterday Hannah baked four loaves of zucchini bread. We are loving having an oven again.

The new arrival.

Josiah's tandy cakes.

Hannah's pizza.

We accomplished one of the projects on this year’s list on Thursday. Several years ago Daniel and I built a miniature green house out of old window panes where I grow heat loving plants – peppers, eggplant, and basil. Unfortunately, we built it in a place that got too much shade. I’ve wanted to move it ever since and on Thursday we did. It was too heavy to move in one piece, so Josiah and I disassembled parts of it and Stacey and Hannah helped us move it and reassemble it. It is in a sunny spot now and next year it will help me grow better produce.

Reassembling the glass box in its new location.

The glass box in its new place.

Although the flower garden is emptying out as plants mature and die and I remove them, there are still some summer stalwarts – dahlias, snapdragons, and others, that are full of life and bold colors. One of the last flowers to bloom in the summer are the anemones. The first of them opened on Friday. They are pure white and delightful.

A dahlia.

Another dahlia.

My favorite snapdragon.

Late sweet peas blooming.

A volunteer petunia in the impatiens.

My white anemone.

Today in church Josiah, Hannah, and Stacey spoke and I was asked to give the closing prayer. All of that, plus our usual duties with the music and Primary and clerk work, has made the day seem extra busy. Therefore, I’m planning on having the rest of the day be extra quiet. Lunch is done now. In a moment I’ll do the chores. And then I plan on making it truly a day of rest. And maybe I'll take a walk.

Stacey and me after church today.