Fall chores
23/10/23 02:21
There is just a little over a week left in October and the talk around the neighborhood has been the prediction of frost coming this week. I am a relative newcomer here. We have only been in this house for two years and have only been away from South Dakota for three years. I am not an expert in local weather. However, I’m not convinced that it is going to get quite that cold here.A skim of frost on the windshield after a night of heavy dew is quite a bit different from a killing frost on the plants, and so far the forecast isn’t calling for temperatures to descend below about 34 degrees. Our neighbors north of the border use Celsius and their forecasts are for low temperatures in the 2 - 3 degree range, which isn’t quite zero.
Some things about approaching frost are similar here to our old home. Some things are different. We’ve had a really good tomato run. While we would almost definitely cover our tomatoes for the first few frosts when we lived in South Dakota, we’ve just picked all of the green tomatoes. It was quite entertaining for our youngest grandson, who enjoyed filling the watering can with the green fruit. Most of the time he isn’t allowed to harvest anything at grandma’s and grandpa’s place. I’ve got enough for fried green tomatoes for breakfast today, and some of them will ripen on the window sill. We have tomatoes in the freezer for use later in the year and it looks like BLT sandwiches should be on the menu this week.
One difference between our home here and our home in South Dakota is that impending frost means that we’ve got a bouquet of fresh flowers on the dining table and I’ll probably make another big bouquet sometime today. We have way more blossoms in our yard here than was the case of South Dakota Octobers. The dahlias are really putting out the flowers. After a good frost, it will be time to dig up, wash off, dry, and divide the tubers for next spring’s planting, but we don’t have to worry about that chore this week. I won’t cut all of the blossoms. We don’t have that many vases. Besides it might not freeze hard enough, so I’ll leave plenty outside to enjoy for as long as we can.
Another difference is that I’ll need to mow the lawn this week. The grass is really taking off again after being pretty dormant in August and September.
A big change for us is that the days are much shorter here on the 49th parallel and those days are much grayer. We’ll probably get some rain most days this week and when we don’t get rain it will be cloudy most days. We’ve found that we really miss clear blue skies. I love the lush green that is a gift of the wet weather, but this is the first time we’ve lived in a place where we have to go for weeks without sunshine.
Among the chores of this week will be getting honey into bottles. The bees are all bundled up for winter, with additional insulation wrapped around the hives. I’ve removed the honey supers, and I’ve left them near the hives for a couple of days for the remaining bees in those boxes to exit and return to the main hive, but they need to come inside this morning in anticipation of rain, so I’ll gently brush off the remaining bees and bring the frames inside to be uncapped and allow the rich, delicious harvest to drip into the tank for filtering. This will be my first honey harvest as a steward of bees, so I don’t know for sure what to expect. It is another opportunity to translate what I have read into action. I love honey, so I’ve been anticipating this activity for months. It will be an adventure probably worthy of an entire journal entry after I’ve completed the task.
Also on the list for this week is a trip to Skagit, the rich valley south of our area to purchase tulip bulbs to plant for next year. There are over 1,000 acres in Skagit County dedicated to producing tulips and daffodil bulbs. Late October and early November are excellent times to plant the bulbs here. Unlike our South Dakota home, where the deer ate all of our bulb plants except the Iris, we don’t have deer in our yard here. We miss those gentle neighbors, but we still get to see plenty in the fields not far from home and our tiny fenced yard isn’t big enough for the deer and the antelope to play. Actually we don’t have antelope around here and no buffalo roaming, either. I guess that song doesn’t quite line up with my retirement, another surprise about the way my life has turned out.
Of course the big adjustment for me has nothing to do with the weather or the yard chores. It has to do with the simple fact that I don’t have any responsibilities for Advent planning. I’m not responsible for scheduling and Advent Fair, a Christmas Pageant, Candlelight services, and the like. This year is one of those bonus years for church leaders with Reign of Christ Sunday falling after Thanksgiving, giving one additional Sunday between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I used to relish those years as a church leader because there was just a little more time to organize and carry out all of the holiday concerts and other events. I guess it really doesn’t make a big difference to me in my retirement mode. Others are scheduling which Sundays the bell choir will ring and which anthems the vocal choir will sing. In some ways I’m just along for the ride. Since the congregation where we now belong is using the Narrative Lectionary, I’m not familiar with the flow of texts and frankly have not been reading texts in advance. I don’t really have to prepare for Sundays these days, which is a real change for me.
Still, the seasons are flowing. The weather is changing. I am a part of cycles that are bigger than my one life. A few fall chores are very welcome. I haven’t stopped praying for peace and grieving with the victims of war, but a little distraction from the flood of news is welcome and the bees and flowers give that gift without any effort.
Some things about approaching frost are similar here to our old home. Some things are different. We’ve had a really good tomato run. While we would almost definitely cover our tomatoes for the first few frosts when we lived in South Dakota, we’ve just picked all of the green tomatoes. It was quite entertaining for our youngest grandson, who enjoyed filling the watering can with the green fruit. Most of the time he isn’t allowed to harvest anything at grandma’s and grandpa’s place. I’ve got enough for fried green tomatoes for breakfast today, and some of them will ripen on the window sill. We have tomatoes in the freezer for use later in the year and it looks like BLT sandwiches should be on the menu this week.
One difference between our home here and our home in South Dakota is that impending frost means that we’ve got a bouquet of fresh flowers on the dining table and I’ll probably make another big bouquet sometime today. We have way more blossoms in our yard here than was the case of South Dakota Octobers. The dahlias are really putting out the flowers. After a good frost, it will be time to dig up, wash off, dry, and divide the tubers for next spring’s planting, but we don’t have to worry about that chore this week. I won’t cut all of the blossoms. We don’t have that many vases. Besides it might not freeze hard enough, so I’ll leave plenty outside to enjoy for as long as we can.
Another difference is that I’ll need to mow the lawn this week. The grass is really taking off again after being pretty dormant in August and September.
A big change for us is that the days are much shorter here on the 49th parallel and those days are much grayer. We’ll probably get some rain most days this week and when we don’t get rain it will be cloudy most days. We’ve found that we really miss clear blue skies. I love the lush green that is a gift of the wet weather, but this is the first time we’ve lived in a place where we have to go for weeks without sunshine.
Among the chores of this week will be getting honey into bottles. The bees are all bundled up for winter, with additional insulation wrapped around the hives. I’ve removed the honey supers, and I’ve left them near the hives for a couple of days for the remaining bees in those boxes to exit and return to the main hive, but they need to come inside this morning in anticipation of rain, so I’ll gently brush off the remaining bees and bring the frames inside to be uncapped and allow the rich, delicious harvest to drip into the tank for filtering. This will be my first honey harvest as a steward of bees, so I don’t know for sure what to expect. It is another opportunity to translate what I have read into action. I love honey, so I’ve been anticipating this activity for months. It will be an adventure probably worthy of an entire journal entry after I’ve completed the task.
Also on the list for this week is a trip to Skagit, the rich valley south of our area to purchase tulip bulbs to plant for next year. There are over 1,000 acres in Skagit County dedicated to producing tulips and daffodil bulbs. Late October and early November are excellent times to plant the bulbs here. Unlike our South Dakota home, where the deer ate all of our bulb plants except the Iris, we don’t have deer in our yard here. We miss those gentle neighbors, but we still get to see plenty in the fields not far from home and our tiny fenced yard isn’t big enough for the deer and the antelope to play. Actually we don’t have antelope around here and no buffalo roaming, either. I guess that song doesn’t quite line up with my retirement, another surprise about the way my life has turned out.
Of course the big adjustment for me has nothing to do with the weather or the yard chores. It has to do with the simple fact that I don’t have any responsibilities for Advent planning. I’m not responsible for scheduling and Advent Fair, a Christmas Pageant, Candlelight services, and the like. This year is one of those bonus years for church leaders with Reign of Christ Sunday falling after Thanksgiving, giving one additional Sunday between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I used to relish those years as a church leader because there was just a little more time to organize and carry out all of the holiday concerts and other events. I guess it really doesn’t make a big difference to me in my retirement mode. Others are scheduling which Sundays the bell choir will ring and which anthems the vocal choir will sing. In some ways I’m just along for the ride. Since the congregation where we now belong is using the Narrative Lectionary, I’m not familiar with the flow of texts and frankly have not been reading texts in advance. I don’t really have to prepare for Sundays these days, which is a real change for me.
Still, the seasons are flowing. The weather is changing. I am a part of cycles that are bigger than my one life. A few fall chores are very welcome. I haven’t stopped praying for peace and grieving with the victims of war, but a little distraction from the flood of news is welcome and the bees and flowers give that gift without any effort.
