Sensing the Season

The race is on...

lately there have been some beautiful autumn posts and pictures.

(out by our gate)

What goes through my head is

"Waaaaiiit! I'm not ready yet."

The pears are on,

The tomatoes are on,

The plums and cukes are still on.

(one day's worth)

All of these need preserving.

The dehydrater is going full bore.

The canning pots are standing ready.

The pantry shelves are still receiving.

The tree with eating apples is not quite ready yet.

The celery is taking its own sweet time.

We had about 6 weeks of 100 plus degree weather

this summer and had to keep things alive through it.
I want to reap and preserve as much of the bounty as possible.

There is still so much to do.

We still need to:

begin pulling and cleaning up the garden

as certain things begin to fizzle out,

get firewood,

as trees finish up, prune them (this is their year,)

clean chimney / ready wood stove, and

deep clean kitchen after harvest which isn't finished.

Yes, I realize this just seems like some

crazy person's to-do list,

but really it's about living with nature.

I don't want to rush it.

Don't get me wrong, I love autumn,

the rich warm colours,

and the crisp cool nights.

If we take our cues from nature

and the critters,

late summer is for squirrelling away our winter store.

The chipmunks have been busy,

the quail nesting earilier in the evening,

the bear foraging on fallen fruit of all sorts,

and birds soaring to warmer climes.

This is where we find ourselves.

I mean really find ourselves.

It's living right with nature:

it's just what is here now and

making the most of the gifts we are granted.

It's not rushing forward into the next season.

Our society forces this upon us by putting

Christmas decor out in October

and St. Valentine's candy out at New Year etc.

Neither, is it grasping to what is gone.

You might try swimming in the river,

but you won't last long - the water is cooling down.

All of this said,

maybe just appreciate the sense of season,

the now season.

It's an in between season with no real name,
no longer summer and not quite autumn.

It's the gift of today,

and isn't today just beautiful?

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches