Some days I feel so on top of this whole thing. I’m canning like a mad lady, the garden is overflowing, the lawn is beautiful, the chickens come when my husband whistles, and the kids don’t kill each other. Always a plus.
Other days aren’t so encouraging. Like when we find a pile of rotten chicken eggs layed neatly in the hostas. Or when my son’s cucumber plant dies. Or when there’s a collection of red tomatoes staring at you and you have a fever and you don’t want to think about canning.
The garden has been slower overall this year. Some of our seedlings didn’t transplant well, then we lost several of our tomato plants and potatoes to our black walnut tree. (Thanks, juglone.) A few squash vines have died prematurely. And I think we may have given up on weeding.
(Part of our jungle.)
The goat has been breaking all of her own rules, as I’m told goats will do. Some evenings she comes to us right away when she hears us scooping grain. Other days, she likes to provide free rodeo entertainment as we chase her all over the field. Some days she gives us almost a quart of milk, but when she’s feeling feisty we’re lucky to get two cups from her. You start questioning if the time and effort put into milking is worth the small return.
We’ve also had some distractions on our minds recently- some hard decisions for my hubby, the beginning of the school year for both of us, and the arrival of our third child have discouraged us from regular chores. The chicken coop needs cleaning, the lawn needs to be mowed, the kids toys are exploding on the driveway. There’s preservation to be done and fall garden plans to be made. Homeschool decisions, books that have to be read, arrangements for fall tasks, housecleaning, and the list goes on.
Such is the ebb and flow of things. Today, I’m feeling very behind and frustrated with my lack of progress. But tomorrow brings a new day, and a new opportunity to keep moving forward.
Well then, let’s press on, shall we?
Indeed things do ebb and flow. I turned 70 today sept 2nd. It is a great day I have a wonderful husband, and a car paid off. But My knee hurts and I will have to get an operation and my body does not like pain meds. But then GOd put on a great light show for this day. And I don’t have to feed a goat.
Thank you for your perspective Laura! Happy Birthday to you. 🙂
I’m so glad you showed a pic of your garden, I usually give up weeding toward the end of summer too. But somehow I keep those unrealistic expectations of having a perfect garden. It made me feel good to see someone be real and show the imperfect along with all the amazing things you do.
But, I should say, I’m still experimenting with mulching and maybe will have less weeds next year!!!
Glad to hear I’m not alone! Yeah, our garden is an awful mess now, but we’ll have to clean it out to do some fall planting… maybe that will help it to look better? Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Oh my goodness… those walnut trees 🙁 Our neighbor has a huge one and unfortunately it’s much too close to our small garden plot. The tomatoes can only be planted in one spot and they aren’t doing well this year because the soil is depleted. We are going to trench around the garden this fall and hopefully remove sneak roots, then add a ton of leaves, mulch and manure
Yes! Those walnuts make things so tricky! We are talking about starting a new plot this year someplace completely different so that we can plant tomatoes and other nightshades without worry. It killed several of our potatoes too! I’ve heard that the juglone can remain in the soil for a while, but hopefully if you remove the roots it will help you out considerably. Best of luck!
Oh! I know this feeling so well. It’s exactly our life this year. The arrival of baby #5 in Spring along with my husband being gone half the summer traveling for work has totally left me off my game. If it weren’t for the ease of my dehydrator, I don’t think I’d get hardly any preserving done. I’ve only done a handful of canning sessions. And my garden is a hot mess. It’s gotten to the point now that I send the kids out to harvest because it’s just depressing to even look at it. 🙁 But…that’s life. The last 2 garden seasons were incredible, and I supposed I just can’t expect them all to be that way. I’m looking forward to the reprieve of Winter so that we can start refreshed in the Spring. Hopefully. 😉
Yes! I have to keep reminding myself that there are seasons in life, and not every one of them is going to be super productive and orderly! (Says the lady typing while nursing her newborn in the midst of a terribly messy kitchen.) Thanks for stopping by. Glad I’m not alone!
I can so identify with this! And while it may be the “season of abundance” for many, it’s also a time of year that is overwhelming and full of “ebb.” I’m with you. Keep your chin up and know you’re not alone! (Plus, you definitely have your hands full.)
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