For a few days now we’ve been busily squirreling away garden goodies. Although the various weather forecasts disagreed, the predicted temperatures were cool enough that we, in a valley, expected frost last night. And, yes, we got it.
The garden was mostly covered with tarps and sheets, and it will be a few hours before we can assess the damage. I expect that Miss 14’s lovely morning glories will be gone, and the few pumpkins that we could not protect will not ripen properly. First frosts can be spotty things, but judging by the even crunchiness of grass blades and uncovered squash leaves throughout our garden and yard, this one seems fairly consistent.
With the enormous amount of rain we had this summer, our garden has produced well, on the whole, and we are thankful for the delicious, healthy food God has given us—cucumbers, beets, tomatoes, herbs, melons, garlic, onions, beans, squash, pumpkins, radishes, peppers, broccoli, and so much more.
And now it is time to start thinking about fall, to harvest the rest of the garden, to treasure the golden days before the snow comes. My husband has been chopping wood, the chimney cleaners are coming soon, and we have straw for the chickens in the winter.
Next week school begins.
I am not ready for any of this. I do not see how it will be possible to manage all of this.
So today, during rest breaks between all the other necessary work, I need to take some time to plan what to do, what to say no to, how to prioritize, and how to adjust our routine. I need to ask God what it means, practically and right now, to love God with my whole being and to love those around me—family, friends, church, and various communities—as myself. And then I need to organize my life so that those things will happen.
May God bless us all with wisdom as we prepare for the next season. May he give us what we need to live for him in our everyday lives.
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Wow, frost already. I’m hoping for a few more tomatoes to ripen before we have a frost which is probably a reasonable hope, here in London. Our garden has been amazingly productive, this year so I’m thankful and busy!
Most of the garden survived the frost and I, too, am thankful and busy. It’s too bad harvest time coincides with the traditional start of school!