Color and harvest

Today's color shot.

Today's harvest: Bok choy, which I served in an Asian beef soup. Delicious.

And now, it's back to work...

The Height of Fall Color

This was taken from our backyard fire pit.

From our bathroom window.

Love the long shadows, but not the raking.

I can't decide if the height of our fall color was on Friday or today. Either way, it's pretty spectacular around here lately. That also means our bodies are about to be aching from all of the raking it takes to clean up about an acre's worth of forest. (We leave the other four acres au natural.) And once all of the raking and shredding is done, then we throw all those mulched leaves back on the garden beds. We never put on pounds during the fall!

Today also marked my return to a three-day work schedule, giving me more time at home than at work, which we all know is one of the keys to true happiness. To mark the occasion, my Gift Goddess of the North, Michiela, somehow unknowingly sensed the moment and sent me a massive box full of books that say "Nan" all over them. From cookbooks to gardening tales to best-selling novels and nonfiction, Michiela always sends the most fabulous care packages. As soon as gardening season ends, reading season begins, and I'm so well-stocked now!

The man's a natural. Grrrrrr.

And now, you ask, what do Mason and I do if we're not painting, planting or puttering (or brewing)? Golf. The other day we finished our chores early, so we broke out the clubs for the first time in four years and worked on our chipping. We started chipping toward the south lawn from a berm near the future bunkhouse/brewhouse/guesthouse, but after Mason's powerhouse swing nearly smacked the cabin, we found a new site chipping to the back lawn. Mason's natural athleticism is annoying. Me? Well, at least we didn't lose any of the balls in the forest of downed leaves.

Something New is Brewing

Mason's fly-sparging his mash bed. That's beer-speak, y'all!

The leaves are at peak color, the sun has been gloriously warm every afternoon and Mason's been brewing up something new: all-grain beer. (Because he doesn't have enough to do, like finishing the bedroom wall, shredding a huge pile of leaves, etc, etc...)

The new brewing technique takes a lot more time, but less money, so you can understand the appeal.  Give us a month or two, and we'll let you know how the first batch turns out. Until then, we'll just keep drinking our high-dollar homebrews.

That's a lemon tree seedling in the pot;
some microgreens that got macro on me; arugula;
lettuce and peppers in the background.

In other news, we've finally set the last post for the perimeter of the veggie garden, where the lettuce is doing fantastic; started to finish the bedroom wall; planted hydrangeas, a Florida Sunshine illicium, lilies and a sad little spruce tree; and just been keeping up with all of the chores of a house in the woods.

And yes, I know, it's been nearly a month since my last blog entry. I promise, I'm trying to be better. In a couple of weeks, I'll be working one fewer day every week, giving me more time at home. Yes, this makes Mason very happy: one more buddy on the mountain to hang with.

Can you see that HUGE spider web?