In Joy Emporium: Letting Go

There is this time every summer that, as a gardener, I just sort of let go. What can be done is done or it may just be a weariness from all the work. It is a time for a bit of respite before the harvest and garden clean up are in full swing. That time is now, especially helped by a heat wave, it has been in the high 80's for days! I got up before 5:00am this morning and took a walk with Runa, trying to beat the heat. For the first time in a long while I grabbed my camera. It has been some time since I came to this blog "place". It has been a challenging summer. My son broke his leg in the spring. There have been many trips back and forth to the college campus. Surgery, crutches, then complications so more travel for me and times of tension and worry. Things are, finally, settling down. The boy is on the mend and so is my psyche! What has brought me peace during these times besides a supportive partner, is this place on earth. I have often thought of starting up "here" again but I couldn't come up with a good segway for return. So the time of "letting go" seems as good as any. Here is a little photo journal of my dawn stroll with a bit of news from around the land.

The pond has been wonderful this summer! I took a dip right after my walk. I jump in everyday sometimes too tired to swim so I just float and look up at the heavens and relax. The pond is quieter too. We found a new home for our ducks so one less chore and little more freedom to travel.

A couple of photos of the "let go garden". Plenty of dill! Dilly beans will be processed soon!

A rare Vern sighting. Except for meal time we hardly ever see him. He is off on his own adventures these days. Runa is my ever present companion! Here she is begging for a bean. She is such a lovely creature. I am very grateful for her friendship.

Still battling the beetles. But they aren't making me so mentally crazy this year. I sort of enjoy my evening of beetle collecting. I might not be motivated to get outside around 8:00pm if I didn't have the beetles...who knows?

My favorite kind of flower is the one that creates a vegetable and can be tilled under in the fall! This is a Long Pie Pumpkin flower surrounded by crimson clover.

A new experiment this year is letting a friend have a garden spot here. It has been a very nice addition. I have learned a thing or two from this beginner gardener. Like I might not need to do quite as much work to get a good harvest. Her garden is producing well even with being "neglected" more than my patches!