AUG’ 20

29

I am up extra early as I've got a very full morning ahead. I need to bake whoopie pies for the bake sale. Maybe squeeze in a WOD. All before popping over to the neighbors' for breakfast with a plate of sausages in hand. But, first, a mug of tea and a little writing. A slice of heavenly peace.

It seems we've finally caught a break in the weather. The temps have been in the 70-80ish F range and it has rained in the late afternoon for the last two days. I can feel the earth breathe a sigh of relief. I am hoping this will give the strawberry plants and mums that I rashly dug up and transplanted a fighting chance.

Willa achieved a major milestone this past week. She can now pedal on her bike solo! I don't rightly know why but this is such an exciting development to me. Biking uphill is a bit of a challenge and she uses a running start to get going but she'll figure that all out by and by.

Some of the other kids on the block have started school online. BVSD has asked the children to keep to the regular school schedule. I think this is a bit cruel in that it is unnecessary, totally arbitrary, and disconnected from the children's actual needs (as so much of schooling actually is). I think it was much better in the spring when the children were given some work to accomplish at home that they could finish at their own pace and, then, do with whatever time remained to them things that they wanted or needed to do. The children have put on a brave face but I can tell that this is a hard adjustment that they are having to make. My heart breaks for them. As I've mentioned before, I am hoping that, as soon as everyone settles into the new routine, my neighbors and I can figure out creative ways to meet the kids' need to gather and be in one another's company.

Yesterday afternoon, Davis and Willa went out to pick up some redwood decking that someone posted for free. Davis is going to use the materials to start building Willa a treehouse in the yard. We are all very excited for it. John, my father-in-law is coming over to help later today, and it will be nice to see him.

My earlier attempts to seed my fall/winter harvest were a bust. It took me a while to put two and two together. Seeds prefer to germinate in soil temps of 65-70F. I realized that there was no way, even with shade cloth, that I was going to get seeds to germinate in 90+ degree F weather. It's a sign of the times, I guess. The world is warming. Next year, I'll be prepared to germinate my fall and winter crop indoors for transplant. For all that, we're getting a nice and steady stream of zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, tomatoes (galore), okra, and a bi-weekly cucumber (blame the chickens). But, when you add our CSA produce to the garden haul- meals come together effortlessly and I more or less kind of go with the flow with whatever veg we have on hand. Oh, and we like to get a few things from the Farmer's Market as well- peaches, corn, and, more recently, heady-smelling melons. Someone tipped me off to some small potatoes that might be available at the Munson's Farm stand...I'll be missing all of this in the depths of winter.

My favorite season of the year is nigh upon us! Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are coming up and that is when I feel like fall really begins. I've already drawn up my high holiday menus- so excited! As the nights begin to grow longer and we spend more time indoors, I feel especially reverential about our home. We start celebrating Shabbat again. (Keeping Shabbat in the spring and summer is tough because, technically, you’re supposed to wait until sundown to begin and that is way too late for Willa!) And, of course, I am looking forward to all of the other holidays to come. My pumpkin patch is spilling out of the garden through our fence. I think that I will eventually have enough pumpkins for every kid on the block.