I used to laugh sarcastically when anyone mentioned September being autumn here in Florida. It always seemed to me that we never quite had anything but autumn, starting in November, and ending in February. Some years there are a few weeks of actual “winter” in January, but autumn certainly didn’t start in September. I remember…
Perfect Gardening Days
Ferocious squash vine Saddleback caterpillar on the old hammock I’ve been having writer’s block. Everything seems so rainy and boring – hardly worth writing about. I get my kids fed, and chores done, and then I escape into a Diana Wynn Jones book. I am in the middle of The Dark Lord of Derkholm,…
Rain, Rain, Rain
A gorgeous Imperial moth that was in the barn Really the only one word sums up the past few days – sopping. Buckets of rain. Three inches in one afternoon (in the space of a couple of hours). That was the day I felt like I was walking through a sprinkler. The afternoon sun was…
Changes in the Air
May got half of a poke bush stuck on her head! In-town it is still very hot and muggy, with clouds of mosquitoes. But at the farm there are hints of fall. It’s still hot, and it’s still humid, but there’s something about the air. The smells are different, and in the eveinings cool breezes…
Early Morning Sun and South Florida
On Saturday Ethan went out to do the chores very early so we could drive to South Florida to visit Ethan’s Grandmother for her birthday (she’s 97 this year!).It’s amazing how different it looks out there in the morning. We are usually there in the evening for the late afternoon/sunset. The shadows, light, and wildlife…
Quote 1
Not much to say today, but I wanted to share a short quote from Louis Bromfield’s The Farm, which I think is especially poignant for these times. (Published in 1932, it is too bad that this is largely a forgotten book. Incidentally, Ethan picked up this book at a Starbucks while he was travelling for…
Better
I’ve been feeling better this week. The weather is slightly drier and cooler (whew!). This time of year down here is like February for everyone up north – you don’t go out much, and when you do the weather drives you back inside after a little while. At least I don’t also have to shovel…
The Truth
I was just looking through the blog archives for a specific picture, and realized what a crummy job I’ve been doing writing here. I’m sorry, for myself and for whoever is even trying to read here. The truth is, I hate being on the computer. It wastes my time and leaves me feeling icky. The…
In the Jungle
This is a picture of the garden. I know, I can’t see it either. It’s a massive jungle of weedy plants, with some yuca poking bravely out. The roselle is there, too, somewhere. I’ve been working on my fall/winter garden now, fighting the jungly chaos with scythe, wheelbarrow, and pitchfork. I have four of the…
Rain and Wild Pumpkins
This is one of our wild pumpkins the pigs planted. They are all different shapes, but this one looks like a pure Seminole pumpkin to me. Other ones have longer necks, and you can tell they are also something else…trombocino? Tahitian melon? It’s growing, loving all the rain we’re getting. The past week has been…
Little Pumpkins
We hardly got any pumpkins from the neglected garden this year. The squash vine borers really got them badly while I was away. After last year’s harvest of over 40 pumpkins, I am disappointed. I like pumpkin – it is wonderful baked, in soups, or sliced up with radishes and pickled. Even pumpkin on the…
Creepy Guy Antics
Last week, before we knew Ethan would be sent out-of-town for work, we had separated Flora and her calf (who ended up being called Ninja – he was always hiding somewhere. More than once we thought he was lost). The other cows were right on the other side of the fence for a few days,…
Toadstools And Fairy Rings 