The breeze ruffles in the trees. Third cups of coffee are poured. Snooze buttons are hit one extra time. This is it. This is the sprint, the rally, the grand finale. This is the last caress of summer and the first chilly embrace of autumn. We have had a truly lovely month or so of visits, of loved ones journeying to the Northwoods. Of lake jumping and ice cream cone dinners. We are so grateful that each and every one of these beloveds came to see us, trekked 6hrs, 9hrs, whole days to visit the tip of the country...(Third Coast feels). I'm in the liminal space of staycation and work, fervor and rest. But, it's making it really hard to buckle back down and get busy, at a time when busy is needed. The garden is celebrating by abundantly gifting all the heat of summer bests...the plucky cherry tomatoes, the sturdy slicing tomatoes, the hearty beefcakes, I mean beefstake tomatoes, the rich sauce tomatoes. All bringing their own flare to the banquet of summer's best. There's hot peppers, mild peppers, bell peppers. There's basil, and cukes and zukes. If you aren't making salsas left and right, I'm not sure what you are doing with yourself. Now is the time for putting up and putting by. Freezing, canning, drying, stocking the larder for the starker days to come. Gratitude, now's the time for that.
PS We've added another round of defiant chicks to bolster to our egg supply. Look for more beautiful pastured, organic, free-range egg offerings just as soon as these ladies grow up and get crackin, er laying.