Harvests

We had a lovely dahlia season here and we are still enjoying kale, swiss chard, potatoes, butternut squash and some beets from the garden.  Even with my inattentiveness this season, the garden continued to give!

This little dahlia, Irish D Porter, may be favorite new addition (it was my only new addition but well worth keeping).

The rest of the dahlias were beautiful as well, though they did not fare well during the Nor'Easter.  

The roses suffered this year, perhaps due to the late freeze, and sadly I'm having to take more and more out due to Rose Rosette disease.  We got a few beauties but you can see on the leaf how much stress from pests and disease they have.  

This year, I sort of planted zinnias, cosmos and other flowers willy nilly and I quite liked the effect.  Several things we had in the garden were self seeded bonuses!

We got loads of potatoes.  This year I'm trying to save some as seed potatoes for next year.  We will see!

Of course, I did bring flowers inside to enjoy but we now have an issue with our older cats (almost 18!) where they eat the flowers/greenery and then throw up.  Gross, but probably anyone with cats is familiar with this issue!  The irony of growing so many flowers and to be limited on bringing them inside is not lost nor that funny to us!  However, I finally made pasta with my flowers.  It's been on my list of things to try for so long and when I tell you it was one of the quickest meals I've made, I'm not exaggerating.  I couldn't believe how relatively simple it was (fyi- I do have a pasta attachment for my kitchen aid!).  I fit it in after a day of working!  I didn't get great pictures because by the time we were eating it was dark but I'll definitely make again!

A Life Update

I'm behind on updating the past month or two.   My sister and I have been cleaning out my Mom's house, which is a job, even with my Mom being so organized and tidy.  It's evidence of a life lived and that is so surreal, and sad, to dismantle.   We are coming to the end of that process and now I'm trying to weave the things I've kept into our house and it's feeling a bit chaotic and cluttered.  I'm feeling the need to clean out my own home!  Though we've had a few frosts, it's still pretty warm for the end of October but we do have some pretty fall color around!  I'm completely behind on most things farm related and trying not to be stressed about that and to remember this is just a season of life.    

It seems that Grace has been the busiest of all of us.  In addition to her move into the city, she went to Japan!  Her Uncle Bill works for a Japanese company and has been working there for several long stints.  He invited her to go explore Tokyo while he was there (a place to stay!) and she eagerly took him up on it!  She had a fantastic time and was so glad she went!  She wrote about it in depth in her newsletter!

She has also started a new job!  She working at a travel magazine that she has been following for a long time and it was basically her dream to get a job like this!  I couldn't be more thrilled and excited for her!

The weekend after she got home from Japan, she turned around and headed to Pittsburgh to visit Harris.  She met his friends, went to a football game and ate some good food!  

I went up to see Grace and I got a bonus visit with Holle!

I went with members of my Garden Club on an overnight trip to the Hudson Valley to see some gardens... in the middle of a Nor'Easter!  We had a grand time and saw some beautiful houses/gardens!

I'll do an update on the farm soon as I have managed to actually take a few photos here and there.  

A Weekend Camping Trip

 

This weekend we went on a quick camping trip to Upstate New York and it was so good!  The drive up had some beautiful fall foliage and our camping site, while a challenge to get into, was lovely.  We met our good friends, The O's, and while at dinner the very first night the host asked if we were visiting for the "Sheep and Wool Festival." While we were not there for that (and indeed had never heard of it) we immediately decided we should go. 

Therefore, the following morning we made our way to the festival and were blown away!  It was huge!  Everyone had on their own knitted creations, there were hundreds of vendors, events, lots of yarn and, of course, sheep!  I found a farmer who raises the kind of sheep I'm hoping to get and he spent so much time  talking me through many of my questions.  Also, we tried maple syrup cotton candy and it was amazing!

On the way home, we made a stop at Storm King, an open air museum on 500 acres.  Apparently, it has the largest collection of modern outdoor sculpture in the United States.  I knew nothing about Storm King going in and was so super impressed with it (apparently, that was the theme of the weekend!).  The sculptures were amazing, but I was much more in awe of the landscape, it was so beautiful.  It didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous fall day!

this mirrored fence was absolutely amazing!

Also, Gretchen took this picture, and Bryce and I decided we should be on the cover of Garden and Gun!  Ha!

I was really so, so happy to get out in the Airstream.  I love taking trips in it, it's definitely a happy place for me.  

A Flower Crown

Over the weekend, Bryce and I went to a fundraiser for our local Watershed.  The theme was "forest formal" so I decided to add a little pizazz to my outfit by making a floral crown! 

I went outside and picked bits and pieces from the dahlias, shrubs, and grasses.  Pretty much everything and anything was fair game.  

The resulting crown was so very pretty, especially when laying flat!  I have to admit that on it looked slightly ridiculous as the one dahlia was really too big.  But... I wore it anyway.  Perhaps that is what I like best about my 50's, I'm not too fussed about being different or looking silly. 

Beginnings and Endings

 

Flowers and a homemade meal make a new apartment feel a little more like home.

As summer comes to a close, there seems to be lots of endings and new beginnings happening, especially with the children.  It's an exciting time in their lives.  

Grace is moving to the city!  She and a dear friend found the cutest fourth floor walkup that I think they are going to love!  Grace's room is the size of a little pea but she doesn't seem to mind.  

Even though technically we've been empty nesters for a while, this feels a little more permanent.  It's likely that Grace may never live at home again and that is a sad ending for me, even though I'm thrilled for her and it is exactly the goal!

She has also taken a new, exciting job!  It's with a travel magazine and it combines so much of what she loves in her private life and her work life.  I hope it's as good of a fit as she thinks it may be.

We are getting toward the time of endings in the garden, no sign of frost yet, but you can tell the end is near.  Production is way down and things simply look tired.  As I've mentioned, the garden, field and landscape took a back seat first to Mom and then to the shock and grief of losing her.  On instagram, a follower said, "the beauty of a garden is there will always be another season.  They are resilient like us."   I've leaned on that thought quite a bit!

Harris is at the beginning of the end because it's his senior year.  It sounds like he's doing all the things- football games, friends and fun and I'm really thrilled for him.  Unsurprisingly, I don't have a single picture of him doing any of these things!

Our garage is finally finished and we really are pleased with how it turned out.  More pictures coming.

July and August

 While most of the summer was dominated by Mom's hip surgery, we did sprinkle some fun times in, especially toward the beginning of the summer.  We spent the 4th of July with friends on the river.

Grace hosted a girl's dinner party.

Our friend, Brian, and his son visited us for a few days.  We met Brian at YHC and then he and Bryce were roommates at UGA!  It was so good to see him!

Bryce and the kids went to see Rush in concert.