TRANSITION SEASON

The transition from Summer to Fall is in full swing. Even the visiting birds are switching. I saw a flock of Canadian Geese. It seemed like they were heading north. Maybe its just been too hot here. This summer has been strange with its high humidity here in Southern California. All over the world, theContinue reading “TRANSITION SEASON”

JULY FLEW BY

I’ve been out traveling and walking through the woods of Massachusetts and Maine. This was a pathway around the Housatonic River in Dalton, MA. A soft little pathway that winds next to the river. This fungi was one of many we saw. I couldn’t seem to identify it on my phone. The Housatonic River startsContinue reading “JULY FLEW BY”

WELCOME LAMMAS

Goodbye July, hello August. Hard to believe how quickly summer is leaving. Today we celebrate first harvest known as Lammas, and the quickening of the days getting shorter. I try to hold on to everyone of these longer days, refusing to come in until the sun starts its decline. This summer has been cooler andContinue reading “WELCOME LAMMAS”

ITS JULY – TIME FOR PIE

July is bursting at the seams right now with fruit. I’ve been busy picking apricots, blueberries and black raspberries for pies and jams. I also picked up some California cherries for jam making. I am trying something new this year as well. I kept all the cherry pits and I am making a cherry liquor.Continue reading “ITS JULY – TIME FOR PIE”

SOUNDS OF SUMMER

Last weekend I was sitting outside after the sun went down and I heard, for the first time at this house, crickets. The sound of crickets at night is purely the sound of summer to me. I am not sure why we have crickets in the neighborhood now, but I am happy to hear theirContinue reading “SOUNDS OF SUMMER”

MARCH AS SPRUNG FORTH

It’s March and the rains are still coming, but much lighter than the storms of February. Still we hope to have a March miracle. We turned the clocks forward and for the first time, I felt like I truly sprung into spring. I noticed blooms on my apricot tree. I am hoping the strong wingsContinue reading “MARCH AS SPRUNG FORTH”

AUTUMN IS UPON IS

Harvest time is here. I picked my slim wine grape crop the other day. Most of the grapes had developed a fungus and turned black. The abundant rain we had this year, followed by a very cool spring, encouraged the fungal growth. Due to my broken knee, I was unable to get in the vineyardContinue reading “AUTUMN IS UPON IS”

A TALE OF TWO VISITORS

Two fat little sparrows are sitting outside my window on a trellis staring at my ripening grapes. I’ve already lost a lot of the muscat grapes to the birds. They seem to feed on them in the very early morning hours or perhaps the evening. I only know when I go outside in the morningContinue reading “A TALE OF TWO VISITORS”