August 20, 2022

Weather/Nature

The report locally is that this summer was hotter, but shorter, than usual. We had a hot and dry June, a hot and wet July, and in mid-August the heat began to break. We instinctively have been spending more time on the porch throughout the day and in the evenings. It is lovely weather. Some leaves are starting to drop from the early-shedding trees, and all manner of plants, grass and weeds are making their last big push to go to seed and reproduce before colder weather comes.

We put up two hummingbird feeders and are shocked at how many show up every day. They spend the whole day, from sun up to sun down, feeding on the sugar water. We’ve been surprised at how noisy and aggressive they are with each other, and they seem to have no fear of humans. We’ll see up to 10 at a time.

Down On The Farm

The last of the potatoes and tomatoes have been harvested, and the area of the garden is getting bigger that will soon be sowed to oats and clover as an over-winter cover crop.

The green beans have finally started growing. We thought we lost them with such a dry June, but they bid their time until better conditions, and now they’re really taking off. The sturdy stalk of the Tennessee red cobb corn we grow makes a good trellis for them.

As we went out before dusk last evening to pick green beans and raspberries, one of the children said with sincerity, “I just love this life!”

Best Thing We Ate

Garlic new potatoes, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, etc. these homegrown potatoes have a creamy and slightly sweet way about them and are delicious.

From Family Worship

We’ve enjoyed connecting Acts with many of the New Testament letters written by Paul. As we read the real-time chronological account recorded in Acts, we see Paul and his associates traveling to Galatia, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi. We’re given fascinating detail, like Lydia, the first convert in Philippi, or the Philippian jailer who, along with his family, was surely part of the Philippian church who Paul later wrote to. All of this adds color to our reading of these letter that Paul would go on to write. They background given in Acts has a way of rooting the story, making it much more earthy.

Other Happenings

On a sad note, our old pal Presby was run over and killed this week. He had a terrible habit of chasing cars and it caught up with him. After finding him on the brink of death a few months ago, we are glad to have had him for the summer, and are satisfied that we were able to provide him with love and a full belly. The saddest part is that Anya took to him and they’d play all day. She was there for his burial, and that first day would return to the grave and lay down a while.

We had a chicken snake eat one of our newly hatched chicks, that rascal. Everybody has to eat, but it was the last meal for him.