Soaking Up the Last Bits of Summer

We are fully soaking up the last bits of summer around these parts, trying to squeeze in all the things we love about the season and more. The other day Reece and I hit the trails on a new to us trail, amazing me yet again that there are still trails around here we have yet to explore. We had no plans but with Reece pointing out wild flowers and herbs as we walked, and asking questions about ones he hadn't seen before, it quickly became a plant identification hike, and I was perfectly okay with that.

We absolutely loved this trail and were chatting about sharing it with Justin, when we came around the corner and saw the bridge and the water, we looked at each other and smiled. We hung out there for a bit, throwing rocks, testing the water and just sitting back and enjoying the bird song and coolness of the forest. It was a moment of stillness that was truly appreciated.

Once back on the trail another surprise awaited us, a huge patch of wild blackberries. Reece spotted them first and dug in right away. Berries fresh off the vine and still warm from the sun, well it really turns a good hike into an awesome one. We enjoyed a picnic trail side right beside the blackberries, and then continued on our hike. A short time later we turned around and headed back to the car, hot, tired, and so very happy.

Moments like these in nature with my little man, watching him, witnessing the learning that takes place naturally as he explores his world and being able to be by his side through it all it really makes my heart happy and fills me with much gratitude for the journey we are on.

Around the Garden

Oh how I am going to miss these days in the garden. Heading out in the morning to harvest greens and berries for breakfast, sneaking out before lunch for some tomatoes, a cucumber and some herbs and lulling about before dinner bringing in whatever is ready and ripe to enjoy. These last days of summer in the garden are good ones indeed.

The last two weeks have been a bit of whirlwind, so much has changed. We dug up the potatoes, all 35 pounds of them. This was our first year using the no dig method and it was a great success. We will definitely be growing them this way again next year. All of the summer kale and a few basil plants were harvested and processed into pesto, labeled and added to the freezer stash. We harvested the last of the cucumbers and cleaned up the bed, getting it ready for our garlic, which will go in the ground sometime in October. We sowed some seeds for the fall garden...mesclun mix, arugula, Swiss chard, kale and beets are all sprouting out of the ground. Those little green sprouts peeking out of the ground always amaze me. We started harvesting tomatoes, lots of tomatoes. The first batch of sauce has been made, and it looks like I will be making another batch this weekend. They are ripening a little later than last year, but they are just as sweet. And the butternut squash is hanging on, at least a few of the plants and I am hoping they hold on long enough that we can harvest 4 or 5 squashes, not nearly as much as I had hoped for, but at least it is something. Keeping my fingers crossed.

With the close of the main garden season approaching my time in the kitchen increases just a little as I try to get as much as I can put up for the winter ahead. The pantry shelves are filling up with dilly green beans, gingery pickled beets, dill pickles, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry jam, and tomatoes. The freezer is filled with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, zucchini, pesto and tomato sauce. And tucked away in the basement are the onions, garlic and potatoes. I am hoping to get some salsa canned in the next week or so, and there will definitely be more tomato sauce.

Last year we finished up most of the food we put up by mid February, with the exception of tomatoes and strawberries, the latter of which we are still eating. We have definitely put up more food so far this year than last, so I am looking forward to seeing how long it lasts us.

As parts of the garden begin their long winter rest, I am grateful for the wonderful season we had, and am already thinking ahead to next year with great anticipation.

How are things around your garden?

Timelessness

Timelessness was the goal of the summer.
To live it out in the moment,
no care for the time or schedule.
To lend ourselves to the rhythm of the sun,
the growth in the garden,
to the flow and call of our hearts.
We followed, we laughed,
we enjoyed, we collected moments,
we made memories.

To move through the season in this way,
to really feel the push and pull of summer
deep in the abyss of my being was magical.

Every part of me wants to hang on tight,
grabbing the last remnants of the magic,
bottling if for another time.

But it can't be bottled.
It can only be fulfilled now.

So as the days shorten,
as the sun begins to fade,
I will be dancing in the light of that fading sun.
Soaking up every last moment of timelessness,
collecting moments,
letting them leave a tattoo on my memory,
where I can recall,
forever.

His Walk in the Woods

The forest calls us often, sometimes daily, and we heed the call pretty much every time. Sometimes it might be a walk in the forest across the road, other times we might drive to a conservation area. There are times we head out with a goal, maybe to forage for berries, look for wildflowers, do some tracking, other times we just walk and let nature guide us. Last week Reece and I headed to the conservation not far from our home, of course I grabbed my camera as I was walking out the door and then I heard him yell from the car to bring his camera too. With both cameras in hand, we headed out.

As we drove we decided we would spend our time in the woods looking for moss. As we got out of the car, Reece turned the camera on and away he went.

We spent over an hour and didn't cover that much of the trail, there was just too much catching our attention and requiring photographic proof. I have to admit watching my little man with his camera, crouching down low or adjusting the lens to get the best shot, melted my heart.

So, with his permission, I share some of the photos he took on our little walk in the woods. And that last one, taken by me while he was engrossed in getting the perfect shot.

Joining Country Kids over at Coombe Mill

Our Weekend

A lazy Saturday morning was spent at home, hanging out, doing nothing in particular. The afternoon was spent under the shade of a very old tree listening to the wonderful musicians at the Peterborough Folk Festival. We enjoyed a picnic, swayed along to the music, Reece played in the children's village, Justin wandered the artisan booths and I sat under the old tree knitting, writing and at times just lost in my own thoughts.

Sunday was spent at home. The first big tomato harvest was brought in and turned into sauce, and the last of the summer kale and a few of our basil plants were harvested and turned into pesto. Both were added to our freezer stash which is coming along nicely. After lunch there may have been some chocolate chip cookies made, a few paper airplanes created and thrown around and a puzzle or two worked on. It was one of those afternoons that you sink into and just don't want to end.

How was your weekend?

Joining Amanda

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

Make and Listen

Making:

~ knitting away on Christmas gifts for my nephew and nieces, three pairs of fingerless mitts done and the last pair is one the needles

~ some of these for my little man, although I might love them as much as he does :)

~ orders have been rolling in for tree blocks, I picked up some new fabric yesterday and will be sewing up some bags tomorrow

Listening:

~ not much listening around here, for some reason the music has been off and we have been enjoying the quiet...it has been nice for a change and very peaceful

What are you making and listening to this week?

Joining Dawn

Eyes Closed

With my eyes closed,
I sit
in silence,
listening.

A bird sings,
cicadas chirp,
bees buzz.

The wind rustles
the leaves
of the tree
overhead.

A crow caws,
then something
scampers
in the forest.

A chipmunk
or squirrel.
I listen.

The chatter of
a chipmunk
now fills the air.

Nature's symphony of sound.
It is simple, beautiful,
calming and rejuvenating.

I sink deeper into the earth
letting the sounds
serenade me,
slowly
filling up my soul.

On the Water

After our trip to the canoe museum last week, Reece was pretty excited about spending some time on the water. And that is just what we did yesterday.

We rented a canoe, and hit the waters in Peterborough for a few hours of exploring. We saw three great blue herons, we watched osprey seek out their meal and then swooped down to collect it from the water and ducks, so many ducks, floating around and allowing us to get up close and personal with them.

I am a water person to the core, being near water is always so soothing for me, but being on the water, becoming one with it as we paddled, it filled my being with joy. We have not been on the water since Reece was born and returning to it felt right in so many ways.

Reece as already asked when we will be heading out again, a good sign that he too enjoyed being on the water.

We finished the day with a picnic in the park, a little splash pad fun for my little man and a stop for tea on the way home. Really, it was a perfect day.

Our Weekend

A slow, simple weekend filled with family, good food, nature connection, knitting, reading, writing and lots of laughter.

How was your weekend?

Joining Amanda

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

Visiting the Canadian Canoe Museum

"The Canadian Canoe Museum is a unique national heritage centre that explores the canoe’s enduring significance to the peoples of Canada, through an exceptional collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft. We’re an engaging, family-friendly museum with more than 100 canoes and kayaks on display. Visitors will enjoy interactive, hands-on galleries, a scavenger hunt, model canoe building and puppet theatre for children. Through inclusive, memorable and engaging exhibits and programs we share the art, culture, heritage and spirit of paddled watercraft with our communities.

Founded on a collection of the late Professor Kirk Wipper, and established in Peterborough, Ontario, in 1997, the museum’s holdings now number more than 600 canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft. Together they span the country from coast to coast to coast and represent many of the major watercraft traditions of Canada.

The museum’s artifacts range from the great dugouts of the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to the singular bark canoes of the Beothuk of Newfoundland; from the skin-on-frame kayaks of northern peoples from Baffin Island in the east to the Mackenzie River Delta in the northwest to the all-wood and canvas-covered craft manufactured by companies with names like Herald, Peterborough, Chestnut, Lakefield and Canadian. Over the years paddled watercraft from as far away as Paraguay and the Amazon have helped the Museum expand its reach and scope to include International examples."

We had an awesome visit to the Canadian Canoe Museum yesterday, so much to see and do. Reece enjoyed "fishing", building canoe puzzles, playing with mini canoes and making paper canoes. As a family we had a blast with the scavenger hunt and visiting all the exhibits. I personally loved the nature poem table; a table filled with magnetic words and magnetic boards to create poems on. I could have sat there all day with those words.  

Next up....taking my little man in his first canoe on the waters of Lake Ontario. Can't wait!