I admit that this summer has been without pauses. Much of the blame rests with the unexpected shift in Ed's schedule. I did not help matters by including three summer travel adventures this year and by being content (hungry?) to spend many hours with Snowdrop.
Honestly, I liked the pace and for the most part, stayed above water! I feel we accomplished a lot. We learned a tremendous amount and we grew more patient when the days didn't always turn out the way we may have hoped.
When things get crazy around the farmette, what does suffer is the land. Not my flower fields -- I keep an eye on those and do spot weeding and pruning as best as I can. I should have transplanted more and I probably wasn't aggressive enough in the side beds, but for the most part, they're doing very well.
What we neglect are things that we can't immediately see. The grass doesn't get mowed regularly. The orchard didn't get pruned. The grapes are crazily branching out in a very unprofessional manner. The tomatoes? Well, we're picking a lot, nearly every day, as every year...
But they have to grow in chaos because we've stopped tending to the bed a long time ago.
All that is not too important. By next year, the veggie patch will be moved, we'll plant again, the cycle will repeat itself.
Where our lackadaisical manner really has a cumulative negative impact is in long term projects that we start with great visions and aspirations and then we let run away from under our control in subsequent years.
We worked so hard to clean up the raspberry beds the past two years! It takes only one summer for them to get weedy and overgrown again. The same with the asparagus bed which, after all, is a many year investment.
All this to say that after breakfast...
... Ed goes off to work and I attack the raspberries and asparagus. And so my arms are scratched, my back is stretched to the max, my hands pick up a few tough calluses.
But at least I will be able to say that we did not lose our grip on the berry canes and the asparagus stalks this year.
In other farmette news, the two new girls, Oprie and Apple are still huddling together and keeping close to the coop. Which is a good thing. The two big girls pretty much ignore the newcommers. I expect as the new ones get bigger and gain confidence, they'll tag along with Butter and Scotch. For now, Oprie and Apple have each other. And me. I do check on them constantly -- from misty sunrise...
... to dusk.
In the afternoon, I'm back at the house of Snowdrop. Does she wonder -- where has everyone gone? Ah well. The cats remain. Are they her friends?
She thinks so. And I don't think she's wrong.
I resume the mush feedings. Since she is wearing a Helsinki dress, I reach as well for the Helsinki bib.
Snowdrop is enthusiastic, eager, messy and playful. In other words, she eats about as much as she did before: just a few spoonfuls.
She is, as before, energetic, adventurous and very curious. She requires constant oversight!
And finally, one more photo. From our traditional walk around the little lake. The photo shows, I think, that even fast growing Snowdrop remains our own girl -- the one we know and love.
Good night! We all need a good rest tonight. Sweet sweet dreams to all.
Honestly, I liked the pace and for the most part, stayed above water! I feel we accomplished a lot. We learned a tremendous amount and we grew more patient when the days didn't always turn out the way we may have hoped.
When things get crazy around the farmette, what does suffer is the land. Not my flower fields -- I keep an eye on those and do spot weeding and pruning as best as I can. I should have transplanted more and I probably wasn't aggressive enough in the side beds, but for the most part, they're doing very well.
What we neglect are things that we can't immediately see. The grass doesn't get mowed regularly. The orchard didn't get pruned. The grapes are crazily branching out in a very unprofessional manner. The tomatoes? Well, we're picking a lot, nearly every day, as every year...
But they have to grow in chaos because we've stopped tending to the bed a long time ago.
All that is not too important. By next year, the veggie patch will be moved, we'll plant again, the cycle will repeat itself.
Where our lackadaisical manner really has a cumulative negative impact is in long term projects that we start with great visions and aspirations and then we let run away from under our control in subsequent years.
We worked so hard to clean up the raspberry beds the past two years! It takes only one summer for them to get weedy and overgrown again. The same with the asparagus bed which, after all, is a many year investment.
All this to say that after breakfast...
... Ed goes off to work and I attack the raspberries and asparagus. And so my arms are scratched, my back is stretched to the max, my hands pick up a few tough calluses.
But at least I will be able to say that we did not lose our grip on the berry canes and the asparagus stalks this year.
In other farmette news, the two new girls, Oprie and Apple are still huddling together and keeping close to the coop. Which is a good thing. The two big girls pretty much ignore the newcommers. I expect as the new ones get bigger and gain confidence, they'll tag along with Butter and Scotch. For now, Oprie and Apple have each other. And me. I do check on them constantly -- from misty sunrise...
... to dusk.
In the afternoon, I'm back at the house of Snowdrop. Does she wonder -- where has everyone gone? Ah well. The cats remain. Are they her friends?
She thinks so. And I don't think she's wrong.
I resume the mush feedings. Since she is wearing a Helsinki dress, I reach as well for the Helsinki bib.
Snowdrop is enthusiastic, eager, messy and playful. In other words, she eats about as much as she did before: just a few spoonfuls.
She is, as before, energetic, adventurous and very curious. She requires constant oversight!
And finally, one more photo. From our traditional walk around the little lake. The photo shows, I think, that even fast growing Snowdrop remains our own girl -- the one we know and love.
Good night! We all need a good rest tonight. Sweet sweet dreams to all.
I wonder whether, as a teenager, she will suddenly ask, "what was that with all the stroller walks?"
ReplyDeleteShe never protests going for a walk. Never. Always seems happy to go. Except that she mostly tunes us out once in that thing!
DeleteAs a new Grandma, as you wrote in your New York Times guest piece last year, I learn to take my cues from the parents. They are The Parents and they do know what they're doing! They are both such admirable people.
ReplyDeleteBut I do wish they wanted to dress their darling girl in a wardrobe like Snowdrop's. So cute and cheery! and photogenic!
Faces in your family photos yesterday were so touching. I'm glad all went smoothly. Here's an idea - take a little break and a not-little glass of wine, and just relive the high points of the weekend. Sometimes we let events just slip into the past, out of mind. Do you ever go back through Ocean and just savor snippets of favorite times? Or are you saving that until you're old?
I have a fear of being like my mother, who chooses to remember the lowlights instead of the highlights. Maybe she doesn't "choose" that, but it's how she is. On the phone I try to pull her to the bright side. I plan what cheerful bait I'm going to use :)
For myself I use our many photo albums to bring back the warm and peaceful memories.... not think, like Mom, of how this one was manipulative and that one was that, etc. I mean, I can be petty too, but I've learned to turn that off like a light switch. Smallness hurts no one but yourself. well, enough. Just that I consciously take little "cherish" breaks in my daily life. most days.
And by the way, "Ocean" is part of my morning happiness routine, so thank you for this, every day.
The things we fear we are rarely come to be.. You're probably like the best of your mother and your own unique person -- deliberately forward looking, life affirming soul. Your work with kids says as much. As does your writing here, on Ocean. It never fails to touch me.
DeleteI do go back in time, sometimes. Often I'm trying to recall a detail, or a timing of an event. Ocean is useful for that. And yes, there is a nostalgic element to it, though I'm not really someone who sits in the past. Which is odd, considering that I am writing a memoir and I blog so extensively!
DeleteLooks to me as if you'd better get Snowdrop into eating tomatoes! Wow, what a collection!
ReplyDeleteAnd that collection repeats itself every few days until frost. We have a freezer full of tomatoes. I make a lot of chili in the off seasons!
Delete