outdoors

A Reunion of Sorts

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120725 West Cemetary

 

I’ve just come from a reunion of sorts, of living and dead.  Rowe’s oldest resident passed away earlier in the week and I went to her simple service to pay my respects and offer what comfort I could to those she’d left behind.

Her gravesite is at the far rear corner of the cemetery and I walked past the graves of people who have been a part of my life in one way or another.  Headstone by headstone I read the names.  By the time I reached the service site I was thinking, “Wow, I know everyone here”.

The weather was beautiful, the service poignant.  She will be missed, not only by her family but by the townspeople, we all had our stories.

These are the occasions where I really feel my age – I don’t feel older but figure I must be because everyone around me has aged considerably.  I visited with someone who was once my neighbor, we figured it’s been over 35 years since we had talked to one another.  During our conversation we talked about growing up in a small town and how we carry all these people around with us for a lifetime.  They are stopped in time until we meet face to face only to have to come to terms with our own aging and mortality.  Kids are grown and have gone to begin their own lives and families – in our minds they are forever 6 years old.

The other amazing thing is the ease with which we converse with those we have not seen in years, like it’s only been a few months, at most a couple of years.  We talked about the foundation we were given in childhood that has allowed us to have respect for ourselves and for others.  How we grew up knowing that we could always count on our neighbors for a helping hand in an emergency.  We grew up with community.

Jim was there with his grandson – he had dug her grave.  I think Jim has buried everyone I know that has passed away in Rowe.  He is a kind, hard working, respectful man.  Seeing his grandson with him gave me comfort in knowing that he is grooming another generation in the way he has always done business.  It will not be lost.

Spending time after the service at her house reminiscing with her family I realized how we all pass on our little gifts.  We ate food from her recipes, talked of dogs long gone and settled into the hospitality that her daughters and grandchildren had inherited from her.  They are probably unaware at how much they are their mother, I don’t think we ever see that in ourselves.  It’s good for those of us saying goodbye to one generation to see them in their children.

 

Garden Update

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120722 EggplantThis year gardening has been a challenge.  We’ve had weeks and weeks of rain, followed by high heat and humidity.  The weeds are loving it since I simply cannot pull them when it’s 100 degrees in the shade.

I planted my beets twice this year and have two that survived.  The same thing went for the lettuce.  My carrots are spread all over the garden because Chester took a romp through it before I put up my makeshift fence.  Fortunately they are a very recognizable plant and they are growing where they landed.  The potatoes are insanely huge, but they too are growing all over the garden in odd places as well as the hilled rows.  The only squash I planted this year was the Long Pie Pumpkin.  They love my garden every year so I knew I would not have to worry too much about them.

My tomatoes may or may not have blight, I’ll have a better idea when I get up there today.  It’s too bad because they are loaded with fruit.  The most exciting thing happening is the eggplant.  I have never grown them (not sure why not) and they are doing quite well.  I like getting to know a new plant.  I thought I would see fruit before now because it seems like it blossomed some time ago.  Each plant has at least one eggplant on it now so I’m dreaming about ratatouille or moussaka.

Canning season should begin in earnest this weekend.  I used to do jams with spring fruit but have found that we don’t eat it – at least not as much as I can.  Strawberries are frozen for desserts in the winter.  Tomatoes are the big item for me to put up.  I always like to plan on 40 or more pints done various ways at the very least.  I will also be making bloody mary mix as well, hopefully we will manage to keep a couple of quarts until Christmas once again this year.  We always seem to drink it as we make it – it’s so good you can’t help yourself.

I have a few cucumbers – I’ve planted enough to eat fresh but not enough to can.  I always think they are going to yield more than they do.  If I was to grow enough to make pickles I think half the garden would have to be reserved just for them.

I will be picking yellow beans this week.  I didn’t plant as many as last year and I have to say they didn’t come up as well either.  Just as well, I canned quart after quart of them last year and it seems like that was the only vegetable we ate all winter.  I’ve had my fill.  The scarlet runner beans never ran.  They too had some issues with the leaves curling up and turning yellow.  I did notice a couple of flowers on them last weekend but they are bushy and only a foot high – quite the disappointment there, was hoping for some hummingbird action.  The new beans I planted this year, Organic Blue Cocoa Beans, I thought were bush beans but it turns out they are pole so I have rigged a trellis of sorts for them to climb.  Had I been on top of my game and actually reread the specs on this bean I might have laid out my garden in a whole different way.  Live and learn – that has to be every gardeners mantra.

After a very slow start my asparagus bed is looking awesome!  Another two years til harvest, isn’t gardening fun?

The garlic looks fantastic and I will be digging that up this weekend.  The onions not so much.  They are small and just don’t seem like they are doing much (probably too many weeds around them).

Last but not least are the rutabagas, my favorite vegetable.  They are doing great.  I should have enough to get me through the winter and share with everyone I know to convince them just how delicious they are.

I picked a few quarts of blueberries last weekend, I will be picking more today.  I like to have some in the freezer for winter muffins or pancakes.  The wild ones have a tartness that isn’t found in the large domestic ones.  There are a number of bushes all over the back forty, I cover only one of them and share the rest with the birds.

All in all the garden is more successful than I had originally thought although the yield is not what I expected.  I will be visiting farm stands for canning this year and rethink how things were planted and dream about next years garden – always thinking ahead.  I keep thinking that one of these years I will hit upon the magic formula that make everything grow to its potential.  Of course, mother nature will have other plans I’m sure.

 

What’s Blooming – Wordless Monday

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Little Gifts

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130715 Bee Balm Moth

 

Every day I am given little gifts, natures way of showing me how wonderful the world around me is if I stay still long enough to see it.  I plant a lot of flowers (and vegetables) for the birds and bees, both perennials and annuals. Right now my bee balm is in full bloom along with a sea of Echinacea.  These are amazing, vibrant flowers well loved by birds and bees alike – and hummingbird moths.  These moths are something I wait for every summer, they are so much fun to watch going about their nectar collecting business.  There is a bright pink garden phlox planted around the patio in Rowe that these insects just love.  When it blossoms in mid July you can expect to see two or three of them hovering around in the early evening making their way from blossom to blossom.   The Mass Audubon site has an nice description of these furry little wonders.  It’s always difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that they are a moth – they are so fuzzy and bird like.

The Hummingbird moth is something you have to be aware of in order to see them.  I think that’s why I always consider them a little gift.  The first time I noticed them I asked my sister what they were.  She went to a flower and with a gentle hand grabbed one mid flight.  We examined it, she opened her fingers and it buzzed away, truly one of those memorable moments.

Take the time to observe what’s going on the next time you are near a flower garden or a potted flowering plant for that matter.  This time of year there are all kinds of creatures gathering nectar.  If you are still and quiet they very likely will come to you.

Maintaining Control

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130707 Echinacea

“Optimism sprouts from the knowledge that you are in control of your own life, not your past and not those around you. Part of being in control is taking responsibility for how you feel. This means not just admitting to uncomfortable feelings but then examining your circumstances to see what can be done to change these feelings at the source.”
― Augusten Burroughs, This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike.

I’m not sure if it’s the weather, the water or the fact that far too many people spend so much of their time with social media rather than actually being social but I’ve recently encountered (and sometimes been surrounded by) people that have no idea the effect they have on those around them.  These are people I know well and people I don’t know at all.

For a long while I thought this was just a generation thing – you know all those kids that have been brought up with the internet and less face to face socialization.  I’ve realized that it’s just the way people are now.  They don’t seem to have a filter any more. They open their mouths and say things they think are amusing or just sarcastic and fail to understand that when heard they can cut to the quick.  I thought for a while that it might be an age thing – I know when I hit a certain age I was more likely to throw caution to the wind and say how I felt because it was important to me.  I’ve since learned that I need to assess a situation more carefully before opening my mouth, or at least temper what I was going to say.

I’ve also found that I have less of a need to put myself in a situation where I’m surround by people with negative energy.  I have enough of my own.  If I am around people that are negative, complaining, gossipy I become one of them and continue to be after they are no longer there.  I’ve chosen not to do that anymore.

Last week was an amazing week for me (other than the weather).  I was surrounded by the people I love most in the world for days.  Food, family and fun, that’s what it was.  It was our vacation for this summer, it was a staycation in Rowe.  In surrounding myself with these people I realized that I was renewed, relaxed and re-energized.  We all have those “friends” or family members that suck the life out of a room – you know what I’m talking about – or the ones that bring drama into every situation.  I’ve made a conscious decision to move away from those people, I’ve had to do it for my own sanity.  Life is hard enough without someone bringing you down to wallow in their misery.

This blog has helped tremendously in my outlook on things.  I try to write about things that are uplifting or at least sane.  I’m trying to keep my sanity here.  I think negative thinking and spreading it around robs you of what is so good in the world – to laugh, love, eat, drink, and sharing your gifts with those around you.  We all need to look for the good we have to offer and then offer it.  It changes your life, it changes your outlook and with any luck it can help change those around you.

Little Nest

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130707 Wren's Nest

I plucked this nest out of the branch of the pear tree in the back forty over the weekend.  I’ve been watching it for over a month – there hasn’t been any action.

It was difficult to see nestled into the leaves at the very end of a long, low branch.  My sister and I laughed about the wild ride that bird had to have taken on a windy day.

The nest is quite small, the cup itself no more than three inches.  It is lined with dog fur and sheep’s wool, a testament to the animals in the area.  It amazes me the way it is constructed – almost totally of various grasses from large on the outside to fine in the cavity itself.  It is so perfectly round.

I have quite a collection of bird’s nests.  Some, like a robin’s nest are heavy and substantial.  This one is light as air.  It was tucked right into the small branches that hold the leaves on the pear – it wasn’t going anywhere.  This is the kind of nest you find in the fall, blowing around in the field, let loose my the dropping of a tree’s leaves that once held it tight and close.

I’m unsure of the type of bird that made this nest.  I thought it might belong to a wren but after doing a little research I’m not so sure.  There are so many different birds out back it could be anything.  I like to think of these nests as little gifts they leave behind.

 

Extreme Croquet

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130704 (1)

 

The Fourth dawned hot and humid, with very little breeze.  I wasn’t complaining since it has rained for weeks now – any sun was good.

People began gathering around 2:00.  It was to be one of those days where family members from far and wide come together to enjoy each other’s company.  After sitting in various chairs for a while we decided we needed an activity.  Extreme croquet was the game of choice with two sets of balls and mallets (and the rules be damned).

130704 (2)Everyone was in on the game – photographer, observer, player.  The youngest was concentrating the hardest.

130704 (3)Two teams made their way around the course each starting at their own end pin.  The only place they would meet was the center wicket.

130704 (4)Fully half of the players were learning what scant rules we had as they played.  Some just ecstatic at getting their ball through a wicket (in the right direction).

130704 (5)The course was large with a few obstacles making it challenging for everyone.  People’s balls were sent far from their impending wicket by their competitors.  When you hit an opponents ball you have the choice of taking another turn or hitting the opponent’s ball as far as you can in a different direction.  It seems this ruthless crowd took great joy in causing their opponents suffering.  Mind you this is not a team sport is was every man for himself.

130704 (6)The competition was steep but the game concluded with unexpected winners.

Croquet is a game I have played since childhood.  It seems like such a civilized game at first glance.  We’ve never played by the rules, yesterday we seriously twisted the way it’s normally played to allow as many people to play while moving the game along in a timely fashion. You learn a lot about the people around you when they play a game.  Some are fiercely competitive, some are not the best sports, one with injuries unrelated to the game showed brilliance in form, some have dogged determination.

When the game was over the plays were rehashed by everyone gathered with their Rhuby Rockets.  It really is the perfect game in my mind, especially on a hot July day.

 

 

 

 

 

Chester’s First Swim

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We brought Chester up to the lake yesterday for a swim.  He’d never been swimming before but we knew he would chase a tennis ball anywhere.  It was a little windy so the sound isn’t that great on the video but this clip pretty much says it all.

After retrieving the ball a few times he became a much more calm swimmer, started swimming without all of the splashing.

The most difficult part of the day was getting him to leave.

 

Rain, Rain, Rain

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130701 Crocs

 

This photo says it all.  I wear these crocs when I work in the garden in the summer.  They are easy to slip on, hose off.  After working yesterday I hosed them off as usual and left them on the patio to dry.  They may have dried but it started raining in the late afternoon and continued off and on through the night.  The forecast for today – rain.

I managed to get half of the garden weeded but really need to get out there again and finish before the weeds take over.

All this rain has wreaked havoc for farmers of every variety over the whole of New England this year.  It’s been one of those years where you think you have the right combo of things to plant because they have grown so well in the past only to find no matter how many times you plant the seeds the conditions won’t allow them to germinate.  I’ve planted beets twice so far this year and have had one sprout.  It’s not a matter of bad seed either.  I’ve planted two varieties, new seed.  I will plant them one more time, if they grow great, if not I wait until next year. My carrots are sparse, but the rhutabagas are fine.  The potatoes are finally going after a very slow start. They are also sprouting all over the garden – apparently I didn’t dig up everything last year.  They’ve survived tillage 3 times so I guess I will just hill them where they are.

The beans are a bit disappointing as well, they have had a tough time starting.  There will be a few more seeds planted there as well.  Although my tomatoes had a rough start they are looking pretty good at the moment.  I need to tie them up for the second time this week.  Onions and garlic are very happy.  There are blossoms on my cucumber starts but I’ve come to realize that I don’t plant enough to really put up so they will probably be eaten fresh and I will have to visit the local farmstands to make pickles. My long pie pumpkins look great, they are one of my favorite varieties and they are great keepers.

The potted flowers have never been happier.  Every summer for the past few years I’ve had to have someone water them on the days when I’m not here.  No problem this year.

One of the biggest problems that has occurred this year is with haying.  It’s has rained every day for weeks, for hay you need at least a couple of dry days (dry, not exorbitantly humid like it has been).  With the weather pattern that we’ve been in the hay has been in the field too long so the quality of the feed suffers.  I’m not sure what the answer is here.  There may be more steers going to the auction in the fall because there won’t be the hay to feed them through the winter.  We’ll have to wait and see.

Farming is such a difficult way of life.  You are dealing with the unknown on a daily basis.  Each week the weather is bad you adjust your expectations for the off season.  This is something that hasn’t changed since the dawn of agriculture but each year when it happens to me it is deeply personal.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

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130630 Morning Mist

 

There is nothing better than getting up just before the sun peaks over the mountains to the East.  The mist rises off of the back field and the sunlight begins to shine through it sending it’s rays to the ground.  This is the first day of our staycation here this summer.  Quiet, drinking my morning coffee in the field with the birds, once again connected with the earth and nature around me.

The dew is thick this morning and the one thing that keeps me from being relaxed is as the sun casts its light on the dew covered plants it accentuated every weed in the garden.  So after that quiet little interlude, soaking it all in, all I could think about was weeding the garden.  Sigh.