I can now verify that this area does have autumn, or what isthat stuff all over my front lawn?This is my garden with it’s overhanging wisteria and the back yard gravel path.The same general direction a few hours later.
I spent a wonderful time with the Portland crew for Shabbat. I met interesting people doing interesting things.
Zaphod Beeblebrox
And a lovely couple who briefly engaged with me and then returned to their mutual perusal.
They reminded me of a recent visit to Colton where I had interrupted Rosco in flagrante with Lily, Katie and Penni.
Oh, happy dog!
Returning to my place, I have a picture from the rim of my piece of canyon that shows the small pond at the bottom,
And a picture from near the bottom looking up at the dead Douglas fir next to my garden.
And just another pic before I go, I feel I can fit in here:
A picture from VooDoo Donuts, quite an institution but they have nothing on Frosty’s in Brunswick Maine. Another institution here, the sign in the background that is the “unofficial city motto.” 😉
The sharp shinned hawk family prevails. They roar through here regularly. They always seem to come up out of the canyon and perhaps they hunt all along it. I watched two apparently both chasing the same thing, or just playing. They both suddenly dived into the bushes at the side of the house and after about 20 seconds one, then the other took off westward into the neighbor’s yard, unfortunately out of my sight. I’ve taken down even the empty bird feeders, er, bait stations, because small birds still land on them just to check.
The middle third of my property, the downhill part, going south. Across the pond, er, creek, is the uphill part. And it’s steeper than it looks. I have to take a picture of someone down there to really show what it’s like.
Finally, August 23 and no hawks for a few days. I think it’s time to try putting up the bait stations er . . . bird feeder and cross fingers.
I’ve found a wonderful nearby food stand with lots of lucious veggies and fruits. Absolutely delicious small cantaloupe I cut up and froze along with the peaches already there. I was going to dry the peaches but they were so juicy and sweet, I decided to freeze them instead. I haven’t made a peach pie in a long time, but last time I did, it was memorable. Today I finished a melange of veggies, onion, pepper, mushrooms, patty pan squash in Rogan Josh from a jar with yogurt and pieces of chicken. I’m also roasting eggplant on the grill and it makes a wonderful base for veggies. M’Weec cleaned the bowl and enjoyed every morsel.
AwwwwwStill life with basil. Why do they always want to be in that room, and in that particular location?A near neighbor sitting about 3′ in the air at the top of the bush catching rays next to the house. I’m told she’s a red racer but I haven’t found a picture of a red racer, or any snake in Oregon, with a red stripe. There are rattlesnakes here and they are the only dangerous snake in Oregon, I read, but few live near me, . They do have a (rubber) boa here though.
I’m grateful for getting most of the garden cleared of the real invasive stuff, blackberries and quaking aspen sprouts. The blackberries are highly invasive, thorny and delicious. The have these long canes that snake through everything else. That plus a vibrant and overgrown wisteria, makes my garden look a bit like a jungle. They hang over the fence from both neighbors so I harvest all I want and prune them back as much as I like. Blackberries in yogurt for lunch, delish, although I spotted my white tee shirt with several vivid purple spots when I mashed them before adding the (fake) sugar and yogurt. And such a lovely color yogurt! I love that I can just walk up to the fence and pluck juicy berries for my lunch.
I’m grateful for finding a wan but living rhubarb plant and two way wan asparagus plants. They will finally be able to get some sun and may grow. I want to transplant the rhubarb, the deer don’t like it and it will get much more sun outside the garden because it’s tucked up against a bush on the other side of the fence that’s shading it half the day.
I’m grateful for a serendipitous collection of ingredients for supper, an ear of corn, ¾ of an orange sweet pepper, a handful of cherry tomatoes, some cut up rotisserie chicken, a couple glugs of salsa (my favorite low cal tomato product) heated and served with plain yogurt. The cat loves the salsa/yogurt sauce as much as I do. I think I could eat this for supper daily for a month.
They were haying as I drove north up the Willamette Valley, a week ago on a big scale
A fleet of trucks move across the landscape raising dust and chaff in long tan clouds. I saw several vultures feasting in a few freshly mowed fields. Once the reevers had passed, huge bales a few stories high sat sentinel in quiet fields.each bale in these piles is about 9 feet longBack in Maine, just one guy on a tractor works the fields.
After toiling in the garden I looked around and up in gratitude.
Sitting in the shade in front of the house. Looking up and up to the overhead canopy.My front gate.
My patio has one lovely sturdy snap dragon between the concrete patio and gravel drive
My colors indeed, and talk about sexy, Georgia O’Keeffe, look out!
I spent part of the evening outside after sunset. I went out to check the viewing and watch the International Space Station pass overhead (well, almost overhead, or so it seemed.)
After a cloudy start to the day, the evening ended up almost clear. The sun sets about a half an hour later here than it did in Windsor, so when the ISS went over it was still some light outside. It was interesting to see how much brighter got as it reached the apex of its travel passed me, although I’m unclear as to why this was.
Certainly, it is true that I am now living in a much more crowded area, and there is a constant hum of moving vehicles in the distance, sounding not unlike the deep sigh of the wind through the white pines in Maine.
I sat quietly for a time after the space station past, listening to the peepers in my bit of canyon. The evening was cool, with just enough warmth to make the mild breeze comfortable. I’m told that there are mosquitoes in the bottom of the canyon, but up above where I was, at least, and with the breeze, I escaped assault.
And suddenly the peepers stopped peeping, as though frightened by something, some predator, and then after a while, resumed their song. This happened several times. I don’t recall noticing this phenomenon in the past, but perhaps Anne can tell me if these interruptions are a regular occurrence, given that her house lies in such close proximity to a colony of them.
A peaceful evening in which to contemplate the universe. Seeking joy in the magnificence, its rich hugeness aswirl with detail. Wondering what journeys will present themselves. I’ve found myself here where two roads diverged in a yellow wood, one door is closing, I have yet to see what the next will reveal.
July 20th
There were about 8 bees of all different sizes rooting around inside this magnificent artichoke flower, although the big one in the middle is the most visible.
I got my first share of fruit from the Home Orchard Society in Oregon City this morning after a tour. I’ll get 3-5 lbs a week for 20 weeks into November. A couple of lbs of plums, small and only some of them are ripe, a ripe fig, a pint of blue berries and 3 early apples I was most excited with their paw paw trees, all mine have failed back east but I’m told they do well here. They also have Fuji persimmons. The place is surrounded with fencing with grape vines on them, such abundance.
I have blackberries growing over my fence from the neighbors and I shall feast when they ripen, but I look forward to planting some other fruits here too. I cut up all the plums, removing the stones but keeping the skins, and added sugar. I’ll cook them down tomorrow into jam. I plan to use them in yogurt or for fish or chicken. I squished a couple of handfuls of blueberries into the plums. Now I wonder what I’ll do with that fig . . .
