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| FALL GARDEN |
The weather is finally taking a turn from stifling humidity to bearable heat. Time in the garden is back on the schedule. It has grown considerably over the years, although the produce is not as abundant as I had hoped. Still, it is a quiet refuge from the daily grind. The patio is now enclosed by a simple, light weight fence to keep out rampaging football players and stray soccer balls. Having that visual border has made a huge difference. I am back to morning coffee with a family of cardinals, a scurry of squirrels, and a few moments with God, as seen through the eyes of Fulton Sheen. Very nice. The Blessed Mother watches over the roses and blueberry bushes. St. Joseph is guarding my olive tree. And St. Anthony is posted in front of the orange tree.
The trees are in pots this year, so I can scoot them into a green house when the frost threatens. We lost 2 citrus trees to hard freeze last winter. I still need to replant some sugar snap peas and broccoli. Both bolted in the heat when I planted too early. Amazingly, I still have a watermelon and a cantaloupe to harvest pretty soon. It isn't quite the Urban Homestead, or even a Suburban look alike, but it is my little corner of Eden. The plan is to learn, little by little, until the garden at least pays for itself as much in produce, as it has in satisfaction.
The peppers are still hanging on, and there are even some grape tomatoes ripening on a bush. Cucumbers and squash are starting a second run. But everything is trickling in slowly. Not like my sister's garden. She has canned enough produce to last her and her dear husband quite a while.
She is headed this direction in a couple of weeks to teach me how to fill my pantry with wholesome soups and pasta sauce for the winter. I'll be grinding flour to make bread and English muffins to go with it. It will be a Little House on the Prairie weekend, with wine. And lots of laughs.
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