Now, where did I leave that?

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Sunday Sundries

Happy Sunday! Alas, the day is racing to a close. We set the clocks back last night (okay, actually, this morning). I don't mind the earlier sunset; it suits this time of year. But I do mind the inexorable movement of the clock on a Sunday, ticking us closer and closer to Monday morning. Sigh.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of working at a local organic farm for their annual bulk sale of Winter veggies. It's a fourth generation farm, and they are all so grounded and warm. It was awe-inspiring to see so many people coming to buy cases of organic potatoes & beets & onions, boxes of butternut squash, bags of broccoli and assorted cuts of grass-fed beef to feed their families through the Winter. It's clearly a popular event local folks rely on, and the farm provides free cold storage for some of the veggies. Linda greeted & guided people; I helped with taking payment. It was a sunny, windy, very cold day despite alpaca socks, heavy shirt, flannel shirt and a sweat jacket, but we really enjoyed it! And taking partial payment in the form of squash, beets and stew beef was awesome. The whole day reminded us of the immeasurable impact of farmers. I've told Linda that I'd like this bumper sticker in my stocking this year:








Says it all, huh? 

This afternoon we finally fulfilled a goal of several years. It's one of those things that we talk about every year, but just never quite got to:











 
Under all that straw is a raised bed with newly amended soil (compost-manure mix & aged straw), and planted so carefully in that rich dirt is.......GARLIC! 63 cloves of 5 different varieties (Music, Roja, Rosewood, German White, Carpathian). All Winter it will sleep. In late Spring we'll harvest scapes (remember that pesto I rhapsodized over?), and late next Summer we'll harvest our very own garlic! I look at that bed, neatly (really, it is) mulched with straw to keep it snug, and I think magic. This weekend hit home to us again that if we'd gotten together a decade or so earlier, we'd have chosen a more rural life, not a large scale farm by any means, but one with alpacas, goats, an organic farm stand, and alot more honey bees. 

And speaking of magic, or perhaps the miraculous, here is Scrapper, now a robust 4 weeks old:










  
S/he's a cutie. The hope is that in a couple more weeks she'll be weaned & there will be a litter of kittens at the shelter she can be introduced to so she can learn proper cat behavior, and eventually be adopted. She's come so far, thanks to Linda's hard work and determination....

  The day is fading, the wind is still blowing. I'm going to have some tea, light a few candles, and relax by the fire. Wishing you a peaceful evening and gentle Monday...

13 comments:

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Ashling, at nearly 65, I still want goats and alpacas but we don't have enough land for them to live the way I'd want them to! I am however more than happy with what we have!!! Scrapper is adorable & quite the little whippersnapper!!!...:)JP

Robin Larkspur said...

As far as I know there is no place around where I live that has an offering like what you have spoken of. I would love to take advantage of locally grown veggies. Good for you two for getting out there and enjoying the day. I agree that if certain situations had been different, I, too would be on a small farm-like place. Not in the cards this time around.
Little Scrappy Scrapper looks like she is thriving! What a cute kitten!

the wild magnolia said...

i will be looking for the bumper sticker for myself. having traveled through the midwest this year, i have a great respect for our farmer's, the large and the small and even, the tiny.

i think it a most wonderful and wonder filled accomplishment for you and Linda to have become a part of these local organic growers of nutrition.

prayers for kitty baby to find a loving home.

go garlic, go garlic, go garlic. this is a big deal. bravo ya'll.

Kelly said...

That kitten makes my heart melt. I love the organic vegies and the bumpah stickah. Sorry, attempting a Maine accent here and it came out Southern. LOL

Nancy J said...

Ashling and Linda, you have a wonderful home where you share love, comfort, caring for others, gardening and more, sharing on your blog with us in other parts of the world, that in itself is a huge joy. I too, think, if only we had... and realise at that time we were doing what we thought was really OK, and we were happy.The alpacas, goats and the rest may still be in your life later on. Fond greetings from Jean.p.s. Little kitty is doing so well, so much TLC,,you both give of yourselves and from your hearts.

Jen said...

The raised bed is gorgeous! And 5 kinds of gariic? Such bounty. So glad Scrapper's doing well and that you had such a great weekend.

turquoisemoon said...

Ooh gee...5 kinds of garlic??? Too much fun. I always wished I had moved to Colorado way back when... Guess we all had dreams that still remain dreams...and that's ok too!

AkasaWolfSong said...

Oh Ash...you are speaking to my heart tonight. I've just spent a little while over here catching up and everything is touching me...most especially your walk and reconnecting. Being an air sign myself I can totally relate and truth be told I struggle with this too from time to time and then have to kick myself in the but to get a move on.
Little Scrapper is just amazing! You can tell he's received the best love a kitten can get. You Girls amaze me too! Raised beds and garlic planted,,,why if I'd could I'd come to live near you so I could help out. Till then...hope you get that bumper sticker, you can find a time to carve out ritual for yourself on a daily basis, and let's help one another stay grounded!
Thank You for your kind words today...I needed them exactly as you spoke them.
Much love to you and Linda and the rest of your tribe!!! :)
Eternal Blessings,
Akasa

PatsyAnne said...

Thank you so much for the "Scrapper Update" - s/he is the sweetest little thing and your comment about finding him/her a litter to learn how to be a kitty made me laugh. I can see The Scrap with a little notebook taking notes and trying hard to be a kitty, a real kitty!
AND I envy your trade off of work for food - back to the basics I always say, but can never find a way to get it to work for me.

Elena said...

Hi Ashling, thanks for visiting my blog and your nice comment. Love that little Scrapper and oh you have such a magical sounding life. Great bumper sticker and I LOVE your friendship post. You were right on the mark.

Our Neck of the Woods said...

I really want to plant garlic! We use a lot of it so we need to plant our own.

Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

Linda said...

LOL I planted some too!!! Isn't it fun...this is my first time...my daughter was the one who got me going...I CANNOT wait until next year! :)

Ashling said...

@ Linda--we'll need to compare notes next year!