10.6.24
What a fortnight it has been! Good mind you, very busy, but it does make us wonder where the time went! One minute we were entering September and the next saying cheerio to it. We had our first frost last month as well as some more scorching hot days and another fire pop up across the road from us. It was as if Mother Nature could not settle. She could not decide if she should usher autumn in or keep us guessing a while longer as to when the seasons would change. She has kept us guessing.
I will say there is a definite briskness in the early morning air. A certain autumnal smell that has you thinking of wooly jumpers and lighting a good fire in the woodstove first thing of a morning. Yes, the seasons are changing, and we are more than ready for that to happen.
There is something about heading into the winter months that is both comforting and hectic at the same time. We are so tired of the heat this year that we will welcome cold temperatures, rain and sleet and yes, even mud! We have an idea that as fickle as Mother Nature has been over the summer, it is best to be prepared for a stormy winter. Much better to have woodsheds full to the brim and a barn full of hay and not need it all, than to be caught short.
With the fires and everything else that took up so much of our time this summer season, the garden still gave us an abundance of corn, tomatoes pumpkins and other squash of which we are very grateful. Unfortunately, this is a Rodent Year, and we have had more than our fair share of the pesky creatures! Despite vigorous trapping on my part, we just could not keep ahead of the blasted things! Darrell’s potato plants that were diligently tended and doing fantastic, soon succumbed to the tunnelling varmints. Trap a couple and it seemed as if four more would move in! Walking through the garden would find you one minute on solid ground and the next sunk ankle deep down a gopher hole. Finally, we more or less gave in, knowing that it was just going to be one of those years.
I will say our tomatoes came on wonderfully! We were able to put up a good year’s supply of the luscious fruit before the frosts started last week. Nothing beats opening a jar of home canned tomatoes in the middle of winter to add to a tasty stew or soup. The aroma that greats you from the jar far beats any shop bought tin of tomatoes for sure! Plus, the flavour! Well, any time spent in putting up these red globes of summer are well worth the effort.
Darrell’s corn planted in what we call our “outside garden”, the area that is not permanently fenced as opposed to our “inside garden” which is, was also home to a lovely pumpkin patch. Corn and pumpkins, or most of the squash family for that matter, love to be grown near one another. This year the pumpkin patch was quite prolific, producing well over 60 golden fruits of all sizes from a mere ten plants. Seeing as we had such an abundance, we had the idea to let youngsters from the village come and pick a pumpkin for themselves.
So, this past Wednesday, a busload of 36 or so children, from pre-kindergarten through 6th grade, came up to visit the farm pumpkin patch. Class by class they got to hunt through the vines to find their special pumpkin with the caveat from their teachers that they must be able to pack their own pumpkin! First the wee ones from the pre-kindergarten class got to pick what one caught their eye, then class by class followed with the teachers being allowed to grab a couple for themselves too! Darrell and I watched the happy faces as the youngsters sat in a group with their pumpkins in their laps before they all made their way back to the school bus, chattering excitedly. I guess another big pumpkin patch is on order for next year!
Right now, it is so peaceful sitting here sharing my morning thoughts with all the wonderful folk reading these words. As I glance out the window the sky is just starting to lighten, turning from inky black to deep navy blue with touches of slightly lighter blue and a hint of pink on the horizon. The roosters are crowing and off in the distance an owl gives the occasional hoot. I am sitting here with a wooly jumper on and would love to see a fire crackling away in the cooker, but it is still far too dry outside to risk an errant ember popping out the top of the chimney! The mornings are chilly enough for my jumper, but I know in a short while I will be peeling it off for a lighter shirt. The kettle is starting to sing so I will go make myself another cup of tea. Darrell will soon be stirring but until he joins me in the living room, I will sip my tea, savouring the quietude as I watch the dawning of a new day.