This fall, because of a convergence of incredible weather and no breakdowns, we were able to finish our harvest in one week. Yeehaw. A lot of the subsequent weather has been cool, wet, and unsettled. Anyone with standing crop or swaths on the ground has been unable to get back out there. So we are elated and grateful that we’re done.
Aside from the relief that comes with finishing we find ourselves with all this extra time. This fall we have the luxury of time that allows us to do more. I can’t count the number of times we’ve eaten a Thanksgiving meal, prepared by others, on the tailgate of a pickup. Or parked the combines and driven to town to gobble the meal down.
We’ve also used the bonus time to pour the concrete slab for the new garage. That will allow construction to begin. If the weather holds it should be possible to close it up before the snow flies. Frankly, it can’t happen fast enough for me, but I’m trying to be all mature about this lesson in patience.
We spent time over several days picking up stuff in the yard that unfortunately was left where it was dropped or stuff that we thought we’d use again someday. The load I took to the landfill was far from pretty. I knew some sorting was required, but had no idea I’d spend an hour there separating wire from metal from paint and caulking from tires from appliances from what remained as household garbage. The next loads will be better sorted at home.
In the house, I’m ferreting through cupboards and closets looking for garage sale items and things to donate or consign or sell on Kijiji. I’m also winding up the work of the festival I coordinated and am trying to box up what is not immediately necessary but essential to keep year over year. Unfortunately, all this creates a number of boxes of disparate stuff that may have to be stored awhile.
There’s been time to clean the eaves troughs. I even tackled the garden shed, that repository for Grady’s sandbox toys, empties, garden tools, lawnmower, and assorted crap. I’m just grateful I didn’t see a mouse through it all.
But there’s always more to do no matter where you turn. Nowhere more so than in the flowerbeds; cutting perennials back, watering in amongst the trees. One of my beloved Therese Bugnet shrub roses, an easy grower and fragrant beauty, is sick. She needs to be put out of her misery and yanked out.
There was even time to wash the windows. Let the sun shine in, baby. In the midst of all this activity we had to replace our tub surround.
Tackling lots of new and overdue projects is exciting. The usual feeling of overwhelm is reduced. Now, if only our energy holds out as long as the weather, we may have something to show for it, from where I sit.
Hazel Anaka’s first novel is Lucky Dog. Visit her website for more information or follow her on Twitter @anakawrites..