Bounty and Respite

The gardens continue to give and give and give.

 I am so grateful for this bounteous year.

Even the fruit trees have produced big crops, more than we can process. The deer and other wildings feast on dropped fruit every night.

Today I am freezing corn; tomorrow, we will start on applesauce. The jars and the cellar are filling fast. I've even dumped my old dried herbs and replaced with freshly dried ones.

Onions have been dried, others stored whole. The potatoes need to be dug and the beets await.

I can see the season slowly shifting; the trees seem to be giving a sigh as they release a few leaves; there is a distinct golden tinge to much of the roadside vegetation that isn't goldenrod or the other yellow wildflowers mingling with the blue chicory and other late summer wildflowers.

Afternoons are still hot, but mornings, evenings and nights cool enough that no air conditioning is needed. I do not like July; it seems like a month to simply endure. But August offers occasional respite and we can see the coming of cooler days. August has become one of my favorite months.

It is good to focus on such homey things as gardens, putting up food and weather in the wake of the weekends horrors and turbulence. We need a touchstone these days, a place to return to, to remember that all is not turmoil and anger and hate, and that there is still much good in this world.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Morning

Is there anything prettier than lace curtains blowing in the wind, and roses peeking in at the window? We suffered through July to get to August, and we're being rewarded with the best of summer.

This morning I was up early for my walk. I have given up on getting Larry to go with me; it's hard enough to motivate myself! So I get up now and get out as early as I can. This morning I was on the ridge just as a glorious red sun rose over the hilltops. No camera with me so you will have to envision how it looked--mist in the hollows, the hayfields newly cut, a soft breeze, baby blue sky and pink clouds around that scarlet orb.

I returned to the house and got busy pruning. The flowerbeds took advantage of my absence and went wild. Five wheelbarrow loads of cuttings, weeds and deadheads later, I am still not done. The rest will have to wait because peaches and tomatoes are waiting for me. But I took a break and wandered around the yard, picking and eating ripe peaches and Concord grapes.

This is the part of summer I like best. I am no fan of July, although it redeems itself by being the month when several of my loved ones have birthdays. Other than that, I'd be happy to skip the whole month. But then August comes with its shorter days, long, slow evenings and cool nights, ripening fruit and slower-growing grass. It's like we can take a long breath and breathe out slowly. There is still plenty of work to do; the gardens are at their peak early in the month and weeds begin going to seed, potatoes need to be dug and all that garden bounty put up. But the frantic pace of June and July is past and we can actually slow down a little and just enjoy the result of our labors.

I think I'll run back out and get a few more grapes before starting on those peaches. There soon will be no grapes on the vines and this beautiful month will be over. Best to enjoy it while we can.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The Blue Moon

My granddaughter Haley Ford captured this picture of the full moon, noting, "This blue moon isn't as big as I thought it would be." I love her humor and her unique perspective.

I was curious, though, as to why this moon, the first full moon in August, was being called a blue moon. Weren't blue moons the second full moon in a month? That's what I had always heard and assumed to be true. So why was this a "blue moon"?

I went looking for the answer to that question. Probably it has been addressed ad nauseum by telvesion weathermen but since I don't have television, I was in the dark (well, it was pretty light, actually because that moon was bright last night).

The conclusion is that yes it is and no it isn't a blue moon. Apparently the early definition (pre-1938) was that a blue moon was the 4th full moon in one season. Since seasons are 3 months, that would be an  extra full moon in one of those  months. However, the definition was mis-interpreted by a scientist in 1946, who took it to mean two full moons in the same month. His interpretation was later broadcast on NPR and other places and has become the accepted definition of a full moon today. According to the website Space.com, there are 7 blue moons in a 19-year span. So however you define it, a blue moon is still a pretty rare occurrence, and something to take note of as we rush through our daily lives.

Each full moon, as you probably know, has a name--several names in fact. This August moon is known as the Full Sturgeon Moon, Corn Moon, Lightning Moon and Fruit Moon, among others. You can see an intriguing list of moon names here.

The moon will still be pretty full tonight, so why not enjoy it for a little while this evening? It will be a while before there is another; in fact, the next blue moon won't come around until July 31. 2015.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

What I Like About August

 10 things I like about August:

 Sunset in Elkins, WV

Shorter days. We long for the coming of June and Solstice when the days stretch from 5am to 10pm, but by August I am ready for something more reasonable. I want to stop work before I drop from exhaustion and enjoy the shadowy dusk as it creeps up from the hollows and across the gardens.

Cool evenings. It may be hot during the day, but evenings begin cooling off by 6pm and it's possible to turn off the air conditioner and enjoy sitting outside again. After July's record heat, the coolth of August evenings is a blessing. 

at the end of Joe's Run, this little cabin rests quietly beside Mill Creek

Longer mornings. In July the heat is with us by 9 or 10 am. In August the nighttime cool lingers until almost noon, so the air conditioner is off and the meter turns more slowly. We can enjoy a quiet cup of coffee on the patio for morning break and watch the sun chasing long shadows across the hills when we're on the road early in the day.

Night music. Cicadas, tree frogs and unidentifiable insects and critters fill the dusky evenings with song far into the night, like a concert to reward hard work.

August moons. They come up red and set that way, sending a rosy glow over evenings and mornings. Too pretty to miss.

Meteor showers. This August we are graced with the Perseids on the 13th, a show not to miss, all for free.


Abundance. The gardens pour forth everything from squash to corn to herbs, grapes to wild cherries to peaches. It's a time of richness, of too much of everything. Even in this drought year we still have more than we can use.

Hints of Autumn. Some trees are giving up on summer already and their leaves are turning yellow and red, harbingers of what is to come. The roadside wild things are in poor shape from lack of rain, but the blue chicory and white Queen Anne's Lace are rampant and lovely to look at.

Goldenrod and ironweed. Bright gold and royal purple begin to brighten summer-weary fields like visiting nobility.

Black Krim tomatoes. This is the first year we've raised these and I am so impressed with their taste.

Ripe, ripe tomatoes. Early tomatoes are often eaten too soon in our eagerness to taste their freshness, but by August we're more complacent and willing to let the tomatoes deepen into that rich ripeness that drips off our chins.




What's your favorite thing about August?