your time is running short

It's still hot enough here, but I'm not sure how long it will last. The mornings and evenings are cool enough for a light jacket and pants, but the day gets real hot. Today I was in a t-shirt instead of a tank top and was so hot walking down the street. I went to the town beach and the water has gone down quite a bit. The grass has dried out and there is a little bit of beach after the retaining wall now. Several parents were out with their young kids and I got to watch canadian geese diving into the water for food. I've gotten the geese mixed up some with the pelicans, as they fly overhead but I think I'm realizing the differences now that someone said the geese have black wings and fly faster. You have to learn to look for these things when you're just a city girl!




Like these morning glories... I will miss them when they stop greeting me in the mornings, they have made me a glorious welcome as I drive up in the wee hours of the day. I think they come back, but do I cut them down to the ground? I think so. And what about the rest of the plants? I hope to bring the herbs in and keep them alive through the winter, not sure if that's possible, but I'll give it a try.

Our first week of school was a blur of activity. Running the kids back and forth, waking Emora up from naps, figuring out where to pick up the kids, not having near as much of the day as I thought I would, and the most exciting part: APPLE HARVEST!!








Dominique's kindergarten teacher has a farm and 3 apple trees that she invited Janet and I to harvest. We took our kids out there Wednesday and picked a ton of apples. So since then, I've been making applesauce, apple crisp, apple puree and even a little apple juice. I also kept some for eating and gave a ton away. It was fun, but I'm also glad that I'm done with them and that I have such wonderful food to pull out during the long winters here. I decided that I would love to have this as a yearly ritual, but I'm also glad we don't depend on it. Mrs MacPherson's mom came out to be our hostess, helping with the kids and giving us all snacks and a good visit after the picking was done. She was telling us about making 900 preserves one year. I would not have liked that!

So it's all well that ends well. Here I had been so sad that we didn't get a garden this year, but I have been the recipient of lots of garden produce from my parents, my neighbor, cousin and most likely my uncle will be bringing more our way. Then I was sad about not planting an apple tree, and yet here I was elbow deep in apples all week. It was really fun too because the kids and I have read lots of books about harvesting apples and this was the first time we got to really feel a part of it.

I'm really loving how lots of people garden here and how lots of people share garden stuff. So yummy and fun!!