Harvest

Unseasonably green woods snake through

toast colored soybean fields

reach toward fresh, 

deep breath, inhale, exhale, rooted, solid ground beneath me, 

blue sky.

Little cotton ball clouds watch over us. 

"Home" Again

Week back in Missouri, back "home." It's been 20 years since I left for college and the Pacific Northwest. While I've been back and forth quite a bit over the years, so much seems to have changed since I last really looked. Driving through town today with mom, she pointed out the library is no longer the library and the old high school is completely gone. The other day, at my nephew's football game, I saw for the first time that the building I went to 5th and 6th grade in is also completely gone. I have a lot of good memories of the library and it actually makes me kinda sad to know that I'll never be able to go back. There's a really pretty, much larger, new library, but feeling wistful. Kinda like I went to bed one day and woke up 20 years later.

On the Fence

To Gas or To Chop?

So Jovi and I are in a bit of a stalemate. Perhaps someone can help us? We are going to take care of our open fire place this fall. Currently our fire place has no damper or glass doors so it's highly inefficient. It's just a big hole in our house for all practical purposes. Jumping on the bandwagon that it's going to be a cold winter, I'm determined we're going to do something about it asap. Jovi's fine with this too. The problem is, do we install a gas insert or a wood stove insert?

The internet is usually where I can turn to solve these arguments, but the jury seems out on this one as to which is the more efficient, more environmentally sound choice. Here's our pro/con list as of now:

Gas: No work, just flip a switch. No storing wood with potential pests near the house. No need to figure out wood storage. Puts out as much heat now as the wood stoves. There's a cool model with "spa stones" instead of fake wood. Fossil fuel contributing to global warming.

Wood: "Real" fire. Can be carbon neutral if we can find a sustainable source of wood (have to find that). If you can't, it's contributing to global warming too. Works in an earthquake if the house is still standing - course we already have gas to the house. Like many people, I don't find burning gas in my house comforting but slightly nerve wracking.

September Berries and Dog Spiders

September Berries

Warm, dry weeks
Lead to
Fermented blackberry breezes


Dog Spiders

Little bundles of blown coat
Scurry across the floor
Stop myself from stomping on them

Newest Project and The "Good Garden"

Just some pictures of the garden before and after and the porch swing we are refinishing. 

Garden Competition

Jovi's garden is beating out mine this year - hands down. We'll have cherry tomatoes ready soon and the plants are almost 4 or 5 feet tall! We've also harvested two heads of purple cabbage already. My garden? Well, I'm throwing in the towel soon and prepping it for a long winter's rest with lots of compost and goodies like chicken poo to help it grow strong. I'm packing the compost bin with tons of goodness to heap onto the garden beds by October. Hoping to build permanent beds in this year too so we can set up a regular irrigation system.

Wish us well too as we await an appraisal as we try to refinance! Cross your fingers for a new roof and gutters next year.