Autumn 2014
By Lori
9 comments
The summer of 2014 has been a reasonably good one, as summers go. I planted pumpkins…and I have three, in spite of the fact that the plants lost most of their leaves to mildew. Lots of tomatoes…salads and chili sauce and green tomato pickle. ;-)
I planted one Hubbard Squash vine and I have a nice squash to make a pie with, and also a single zucchini squash vine, which gave me lots of zuchs. The Scarlet Runner Beans produced a bumper crop…the Russian Kale is still going strong..the only disappointment was the Chard; it’s pale and mostly fed the insects. Sweet onions, peas, dill, oregano, cilantro and CARROTS! pardon my shouting..but I love fresh from the soil baby carrots and I’ve still got a lot of them in the ground! Was planning a root cellar last year but haven’t managed to make any progress. Will use the next two, cooler months to do the digging. maybe next year!…familiar refrain?Need to compost everything and enrich the sandy soil so I can have better chard next year.
The large Manitoba Maple at the end of the drive had to be removed by a woodsman (it was too close to hydro wires)..and the wood will be ready for use next winter. He also took down the dead spruce that looked like it was leaning toward my greenhouse. Had to attach ropes and persuade it to fall in the garden! It was so dry that we can use it for burning this winter. All this cutting has caused a few back aches…cutting up the limbs and twigs and piling the split wood in the shed to dry.
I wanted to save this large piece of the maple for a monument of sorts… interesting wood grain and it somewhat resembles two hearts…or a yin-yang. :-) I like it.
Each spring the erosion brings silt down the hill and it has accumulated in this spot. I’m removing the soil from the stones and resetting the wall, and preparing some beds for perennials above it. It’s a bit of a steep slope but with any luck( and lots of rocks) I can stabilize it.
The hazel roots that I pulled from the stream remind me of a T-Rex!
The plastic tarp is covering some concrete and rock that, when the spring run off starts, will hold our culvert and not wash away all our gravel! Working with stone is also good for a few backaches. Neighbours, down our road about a mile, have a gravel pit and they have allowed me to gather some rocks. I’m like a squirrel…back and forth, back and forth. ;-)
Every year at this time the leaves turn wonderful colours and the air gets nippy and the fallen leaves are aromatic, even dull days seem bright with the yellow and orange of the leaves and you can tell which trees are growing on which hillsides by the colour and the timing. Autumn is not my favourite time of year but it’s running a close second to spring. Soon the autumn fungi will be everywhere and I’ll find some new marvels to talk about.
25 Sep, 2014
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Comments
Goodness Lori, I feel quite tired just reading what you've been up to. That was a summer well spent - hope you will find time to put your feet up for a while.
26 Sep, 2014
Thanks Karen and Stera, I do yoga. I find that if I get lazy or skip a day's session I become sluggish. So must not flag...keep on trucking! or working ...or slugging....whatever. ;-)
the best part is that I feel better for it. This summer was pretty good but our spring was terrible.
26 Sep, 2014
You couldn't do a better thing Lori. I haven't practised for a few years now, but yoga is brilliant, and I must get back to it.
27 Sep, 2014
agree, Karen. The breathing exercises were a revelation. How our bodies love oxygen!
29 Sep, 2014
Indeed! I always fall asleep in the relaxation at the end...but that's ok....as long as I don't snore! ;)
29 Sep, 2014
Your garden is coming along wonderfully well Lori. You must have worked really hard. Not easy when the season closes down on you. This year has been a long mild damp autumn and a long dry summer for Essex. A dreadful stormy winter for the coastal areas. Lots of colour in your garden too.
1 Dec, 2014
Thanks for flagging this one up dorjac, another one i missed, too busy renovating. Oh karen I've done that , fallen asleep at the end, i felt such a twit and app i did breath very loudly..call it snoring. Lori after all that slog it isnt a bad thing, some time off to do other things, reading, yoga and catalogue n goy browsing for ideas. Vitamine D is good for the winter doldrums. Your vegs sound and look lush. Here's hoping that your stream behaves itself come the spring floods, will keep fingers crossed.
1 Dec, 2014
Savasanna.... I love it! Since I'm practicing with a group of senior ladies the instructor gives us pillows and blankets! Even if I do nod off I find that I'm energized after and could lick my weight in wildcats! our instructor is such a great person, she says she doesn't mind snores as it proves that she has taught us how to relax! (I didn't want to burst her balloon but I can sleep soooo well!)
Hub is on the Vit D, M. I'll start nearer to New Year's Day. Feeling a bit discouraged today, I finally got up the energy and went up the hill and piled wood. Came back to the house to find that our hot water tank is kaput! oh joy....
1 Dec, 2014
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That root does look like a TRex! You've been working very hard with those rocks Lori, I hope you are taking time to stretch out and relax as well!
26 Sep, 2014