A HINT OF AUTUMN IN THE AIR

Late afternoon behind the house, August 13

We faced record-breaking heat last week. According to the Lewiston Tribune of Saturday, August 11, Thursday’s high was a record for the date of 111 degrees. Friday’s high also set a record for that date at 108 degrees. It was hot, and when it’s that hot, the lows are high, too – in the 70s – so our air-conditioner ran a lot. A cold front moved through on Saturday, bringing the temps down by 20 degrees, to a pleasant 90.

The smoke is visible to the northeast

But the thing is, the lows have been downright chilly – below 60. And the air just has that feeling of fall. I’ll soon trade my summer decorations – Americana and “red, white, and blue” – for pumpkins, witches, and ghosts. Oh! And there’s that unfinished ripple afghan in Halloween colors. With cooler temps, maybe I’ll get it finished.

More smoke

But it’s a little too soon yet for those things. I say cooler temps, but we’ll be up and down for a while. The season is just changing – days getting shorter and slower to warm. A blanket is needed before dawn and a sweater is nice in the morning. Today I did what anyone might do on a cooler day – I baked cookies. Mike has discovered frozen cookies, so most of what I baked went into the freezer. And when son Clint comes over, perhaps I’ll have a bag for him, too.

Bess

They say the cooler temperatures have helped the firefighters bring regional wildfires under control, but this afternoon our valley filled with smoke again. I can even smell it. Mike said he could barely see the Lewiston Hill from the Aquatic Center because of the smoke. And it seems to be moving right up our gulch. KW

 

NOW IT'S COLD -- NOW IT'S HOT

Looking northeasterly from the south field. The fields grow brown as the rape canes deteriorate.

It was nearly 5:00 yesterday morning when one of us pulled up the blanket and the other punched the button to turn it on. We never did go back to sleep. When I got up at 6:00, it was a chilly 54 degrees. As I dressed, I laid out my flannel pajamas and made the bed with blankets at the ready, but it was all “a bit too previous.” By noon the sun was good and warm, and at bedtime the house was still too warm for flannel and blankets. Ah, such is the way of the seasonal change.

Now we see Teakean Butte . . .

These cool mornings are another way that garden plants and other vegetation realize that the season is indeed changing. Brother Chuck asked me if my garden is still producing, and I mentioned the pumpkins and the zucchini and the cherry tomatoes. We assured each other that they would continue to produce for several weeks. But –we’ll see.

. . . now we don't.

My mother used to say that by Sept. 10 it was necessary to dispel the morning chill for the health of her family, and she would insist on a fire in the furnace. That was her belief, but Mike and I don’t live that way and seem to get by just fine with jackets and sweaters – and perhaps baking something.

. . . now it disappears.

Now we see Little Canyon . . .

And the wildfire smoke? – Well, over the weekend the air cleared a lot, and now our land features fade in and out. Yesterday morning I could clearly see Teakean Butte to the north, but smoke was visible above the river. To the south, Little Canyon still held some smoke. But within an hour, the smoke was drifting in again, obliterating our view of the butte and the canyon. Oh well. At least the sky is blue above us.

I picked my one zucchini and made my mélange – sliced zucchini, tomatoes, green pepper, and onions seasoned with sugar, salt, pepper, and allspice. Delicious! Garden zucchini is definitely the way to go. Another little pumpkin is setting on, but I don’t suppose it has time to mature. KW

THE FALL GARDEN

We are relieved to be back at the homestead. Mike said he was glad to have rest from his firewood project, and I’m glad to step into peace and quiet once again. As far as the smoke is concerned (rated unhealthy to hazardous), I’m not sure it’s better here than in town. They say it should begin to clear out today (Friday), but as wildfires continue to burn and the air remains still, I wonder what will make that happen.  

Smoke to the north

I recently read an article about fall gardening. Yes, it can be done, they assure me, and yet, I’ve tried before and failed. As summer comes to a close, signaled by obviously shorter days if not cooler temps, I find myself a bit weary of the water-carrying drill. But – I have a few spinach seeds and a few carrot seeds and maybe I’ll plant them if I can find the space.

A stray beet in the midst of cherry tomatoes

And lack of garden space can be the issue if your summer garden is still producing. That’s my dilemma, especially since I’m allowing the two small pumpkins to rest and mature in my big tire. On the other hand, the cherry tomatoes are still setting on and the zucchini I planted early in August is just beginning to bear, so maybe I actually have a fall garden in spite of myself.

And speaking of zucchini, last month I bought three from Albertsons because I was hungry for my zucchini mélange. Boy! That was the bitterest stuff! This happened once before and I blamed it on the green pepper, but this time I researched to find that yes indeed, zucchini can be bitter, just as cucumbers can be bitter. How disappointing! I wonder if that bitterness comes through in zucchini bread.

Smoke to the south

As I’ve said before, I’m not a good gardener. To me, gardening is a little about skill and a whole lot about luck, especially in this dry place with deer. And in the fall, there are a lot of variables that affect luck. Will the season be long and hot? Or, will there be a sudden freeze that brings it to a halt? The growing season at Gilbert is longer than in Grandma’s day, when freezes could occur in May and again in August. But she had more summer rain.

Oh! And the pears. Every August I would buy a box of pears for drying at our local produce market, but they closed last year. I suppose I could buy a box at a grocery store – or maybe Costco? -- but we have an old pear tree in the back yard, which Mike encourages me to pick. The challenge is to ripen them successfully. I picked a washtub full on Monday (Labor Day) and left them in the fridge. Again, I’m not a pro, and the ripening process seems to be affected by variables, such as when you pick and the temperature and length of storage. Sister Harriet said she tried only once and was forever through with picking pears.

Bess awaits the next adventure

Last Friday (Sept. 1), I took down the hummingbird feeders and put them away. It appeared that we were serving just two hummers, and the storm on Wednesday (Aug. 30) convinced them to move on. KW

FLEXIBILITY

Ready to leave on XT250

I awoke at 6:20 Sunday morning to realize that Mike was still in bed. “You didn’t get up at 5:30 to go hunting?” I asked.

“No, it’s not worth it,” he said, adding that it took four hunting sessions over two days to get one day’s limit. (A limit is now 15 doves.)

“What are we going to do today then?” I asked.

“Go back to town,” he said.

Smoke fills Little Canyon again

Discussion ensued. Somehow I had expected we would return on Monday and was ill-prepared to leave. I needed to water and pack, and since the Silverado was full of wood, we would be unable to take a lot with us. I needed to think things through and organize – probably taking just my laptop and what I could fit in the laundry basket. So, Mike decided to make another trip into the Selway River country on his XT250, delaying our trip to town for a day. He was off by 9:00 and I set to work.

Two pumpkins -- woohoo!

Actually, the day was uneventful for me and the dogs. The highlight (don’t laugh) was the discovery of a second pumpkin in the tire bed. I don’t know how I missed it. It’s about the size of the first pumpkin but isn’t turning orange yet. It remains to be seen if they will mature in this hot weather with limited water. I also spent an hour in the sewing room where I’m making karate uniforms for dolls.

Elderberry bush makes comeback after burn

At 4:00, it was time for the walk. At first, Bess and Nellie seemed to come along willingly, but as we headed down the lane, I sensed some resistance. Both dogs walked right past the apple tree. (Do dogs know whether or not apples are on the ground?) And when we reached the bottom of the lane, Bess said, “I’m not in the mood. It’s too weird without Mike. See ya.” And back to the house she went.

So, that left Nellie and me, and she wasn’t keen to continue either. She moved into June's field and watched me as I hiked up Plank’s Pitch. I felt like saying, “Come on! I’m doing this for you.” I tarried at the top, thinking she might like another soak in Pete’s Pond, but she said if it was all the same to me, she’d rather just go back to the house. And that’s what we did. 

Smoky view from town house on Tuesday

Not long after, Mike arrived home, and all was right in the dog world. And he’d had a brainstorm as he traveled. He remembered the old trailer in the barn. He would load the rest of the wood in it, he said, and it would allow us to take the cooler and my sewing box. Despite my trepidation, that’s what we did, and we made it just fine. KW