CHANGING PLANS

Mike and I returned to town last Sunday morning (Aug. 21). It wasn’t quite convenient to leave the farm. The pear slices in the drier weren’t ready yet. But – I made room in the refrigerator for the drier trays and hoped that a two-day interruption in the process wouldn’t hurt much. I also watered the gardens. I didn’t pack much to take back because, after all, we would return in a day or two.

As we neared the bottom of Gilbert Grade, my phone rang, and son Clint explained that he had wrecked his motorcycle the previous evening. The bike was totaled, he said, and his hand was broken. I was at once dismayed for his trouble and overjoyed that his injuries weren’t worse and his life was intact. He wanted to know if Mike could help him bring the motorcycle back to town that afternoon, so after reaching Orofino, we turned around and went right back to the farm for the trailer. After arriving in town, Mike and Clint went to Colfax to get the motorcycle out of storage there. (Clint has since had surgery on his hand and is working through issues related to work, insurance, etc.)

Meanwhile, I decided I really needed to consult our dentist about a troublesome tooth, and I couldn’t get an appointment until Tuesday afternoon. So, we could return to the farm Wednesday, we decided. But geocaching friends said they were making a day trip to Bonny Lake near Rosalia, WA, to retrieve a geocache by means of kayaks on Wednesday. Wouldn’t Mike like to go along? I thought he should go. Such excursions are better with the support of others. We could go back to the farm on Thursday.

Wednesday morning, Mike said, “I’d like to put the Barracuda in the ‘Show and Shine’ Thursday night.” And now I’m beginning to realize that the garden on the farm is likely going to wilt again. But, oh well! It’s late in the season and not worth giving it priority.

So, we stayed in town through Thursday and returned to the farm Friday morning. The tomato and squash plants in the tire bed were badly wilted but revived with water. I picked a quart of delicious cherry tomatoes and one “Heritage” beefsteak tomato. But – while the sun is hot, the breeze is cool, whispering to the plants that autumn is on the way. And if you don’t believe it, just visit a Jo-Ann’s store. KW

[The photos here were taken yesterday, August 26. Clint's motorcycle sits on the trailer in town. The others are of various stages of field burning in the area of the farm.]