Monday Ramble

It feels as if Fall has arrived a tad bit early in our parts of Ohio. Temps have been dropping into the forties at night and daytime highs only in the sixties. This old house gets mighty chilly and already we’ve had to run the furnace several times to maintain a mid-sixty degree temperature. I now have to wear socks and sweatshirts to keep warm indoors, but, this could change abruptly anytime soon. All in all, I know Fall is truly just around the corner.

I love this time of year even though it seems a little bit sad as I watch the first yellow leaves flutter to the ground from my kitchen window. When the Walnut leaves start falling I know summers end is not far off. The season is bittersweet. We long desperately throughout August for the relief of cooler air, but then when it arrives we realize that summer is closing fast. Fortunately the Fall season brings with it her spectacular display of color and sunny, crisp days to relish before the cold North wind blows in snow and rain. I doubt I will ever tire of the seasons change. This is one of the reasons I’ve never had a desire to leave my home state. Ohio offers change and beauty from season to season.

The summer has proven to be an extremely busy one with gardening and obligations. We’ve seldom had time to enjoy an evening fire or cookout. Hopefully we will have a nice fire one last time and roast hotdogs and marshmallows before the nights become unbearably cold.

Last week I made up and canned a batch of zucchini mustard pickles and yesterday I managed to freeze nine pints of tomatoes. I’m not getting enough at a time right now to make a canner full so I am freezing them as they ripen, five to ten pounds at a time. All combined I have canned well over a hundred jars of vegetables not to mention the produce I’ve frozen over the summer. Had we not experienced the ravages of too much rain and a myriad of insects at the peak of the season, our garden would have produced even more. Also, next year we will prioritize better and make our priorities better known to those whom we assist over the course of the summer. I am not complaining though, as we have substantial veggies put back for the winter and have enjoyed fresh produce all summer long. August was busy to say the least and seldom a day went by that I wasn’t picking, peeling, chopping, dicing, slicing or canning. The garden is about done now. We’re still getting a few peppers, tomatoes and squash, but with the cool weather everything has slowed down. I feel relief having finally slowed down, too and feeling much less hurried and more relaxed…a welcome pace. Not that there isn’t always something that needs tending, but nothing as pressing as perishables.

My basement is storing an adequate supply of relishes, salsa and pickles to fill gift baskets for the gift giving season, plus I have been working on crocheted gifts for family and friends. I am up to my eyeballs in yarn! Over the summer I received a large bag of yarn from a fellow freecycler. Recently my friend Janet brought me a large bag of yarns and then last week I found another large box of yarn at the Goodwill store for just $5, so I am set with a rainbow of colors for a winters worth of crocheting. Right now I am working on a multicolor granny afghan, made up of all the leftover and small amounts of yarn. It’s quite pretty and I’m thinking seriously about keeping it for myself as a living room throw for those cold evenings ahead.

Coop is busying himself today by working on the bathroom doors. It’s our intention to have the bathroom and kitchen woodwork and doors painted by the holidays. Since he has been helping the landowner all summer remodel their (soon to become) summer home up the road, we’ve put our own house projects on hold. Hopefully this Fall and Winter we’ll catch up.