My Everything Corner

I have truly been enjoying my yard this year, especially now when the garden is paying me back in full.  I'm sure you all must think that all I grow are various types of squash, but cucumbers, corn, potatoes, corn, carrots, beans, peas and lettuce have all been plentiful this year and enjoyed by everyone.   It makes all kinds of sense to grow your own food if you can, but why do I spend so much energy on pumpkins and gourds? I have been asked this question many times, and have even been accused of being off my rocker. I'm not sure that I can articulate a clear answer here and I don't really think there is a need to, but I'll give it a go.   With the gourds and pumpkins that I adorn my yard with, it is about making our ordinary fall, extraordinary. To add colour and texture and of course with anything that grows, there is that element of magic. How all of these seeds that pretty much look identical can produce so many various types of squash is fascinating. ...

Harvest has been going very well here and has actually felt like it has been running at a fairly relaxed pace, but that feeling was swept away this morning by the new forecast of imminent rains. We may not get done what we would like to before the skies cloud over, but we can hardly complain when we think about what our neighbours are going through with Hurricane Irma.   Love and prayers to our Southern friends.   There are still plenty of blooms out in the fading garden.  Cosmos mix with marigolds, and the bees are still humming. My mixed gourd patch always has a surprise for me.  This year it is in the form of a min-gourd.  They are grit-your-teeth-together cute.  

It is warm and dry and our normal winds seem to have returned. There was not even a drop of dew on the lawn this morning.  Perfect harvest weather -yep, just how the farmers like it.   Mainly the fields in this area are seeded with wheat and canola.  But you will also find oats, barley, peas, fava beans and flax, although I've heard that our family is the only one in the area to grow flax.    Growing up, my Grandpa and Dad only ever grew wheat.  At least, that's all I can remember and it is my favourite crop through every season.  I'm especially fond of the bearded varieties. It's the texture and the way it moves with the wind, and in the fall, it's the colour. Nothing beats that golden hue, especially in the right sunset. It moves me every time.  I find it amusing, how the right colour can stir the soul.