Too Much is Enough

Harvest, 6 September

That's what my dad used to say when we had misbehaved for longer than usual. Yesterday, I picked the single good sized eggplant that survived the scourge of the ground hog. But even after cool weather and a day of rain, the tomatoes continue to bear with little sign of letting up. And yes. That is an apple in there. It had fallen to the ground, so I snatched it up and bit into it. The texture is softening a bit, but it needs a little more ripening. It's still tart, but not suck-all-of-the-juice-out-of-your-mouth tart. Pleasantly tart. Probably perfect for an apple pie or tart? Hmm. 

Apples. . . McIntosh, methinks?

And I do remember this time of year from all of my other harvest years. I'm ready for the tomato influx to end. We have enough sauce, enough canned tomatoes, enough frozen green beans. Enough jam (though I'm still thinking about finding some PYO raspberries before it's too late. . .).
 

More apples

My spring-planted raspberries have grown well, but a few of them are loaded with spider mites. Ugh. I had hoped to avoid spraying anything on them at all, but purchased some horticultural oil to treat them. They're setting flower buds deep in their stems, and trying to send photosynthates to their roots to harden off for winter. It's a bad time of year to be further stressed.

Finally, on the subject of the garden, my tiny seeds of creeping thyme are developing well between stepping stones by the patio. I had real fear that they wouldn't do anything, since they were So Small (invisible almost), but they did just fine. Now, if they can just survive the winter here!

Creeping thyme getting a start

A joint project

But a lot more happened this summer than the garden. We had terrific visits from friends from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Some were old friends we've stayed in touch with over the Idaho years, but some were reconnections. It was wonderful. We were also visited by our oldest daughter and her tribe. . . Dad, and the 2 young princes of Austin, and the princess. The middle Grand once told me "You know, Grandma, we're not REALLY princes. . ." You can imagine my reply.

We were so glad they could come from so far away. And of course, we were exhausted when they left. And had a couple of new homeowner projects as a result!

I've continued with the indoor sports. New shades made for the guest room, new rugs upstairs (bought, not made), a paltry number of pots made (but some interesting new glazes experimented with), and a pillow made from a needlepoint that John's Mom left us.

Socks finished

new pot with an interesting glaze

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm chomping at the bit to finish the shades and get into the studio. I'm going to make cleats for the shades shaped like running rabbits. . .at least that's the plan. What a pleasure it is to be able to take on small projects like that. Of course, given my track record, I'll probably have to make them 5 times before they're satisfactory.

Fabric for the shades

We've also been able to spend time with some new friends. It's hard to really get established, but people have been so open. We will never be part of the conversations about old school friends or what happened here in high school, but we can be part of other conversations. And we have found it surprisingly easy to find ways to contribute to the community. We are Not so good at retirement yet, but expect that will come as things settle down.

Sunset over Long Pond from R's backyard