peeler healer

I changed clothes three times today.  This morning, the temperature was 65 but it was humid, so I wore a sweatshirt and jean capris.  By noon, I was starting to get warm, so I put on a long sleeve t-shirt.  By 3 p.m., the sun came out, and the temperature rose to 75 degrees...that's t-shirt weather.  This is pretty common for early fall around here!  I'll be glad to finally put away my summer clothes.

More early fall stuff...it's apple picking time!

Where you have apples, you have critters...

deer scat

...and bugs.

unknown beetle larvae

Todd got the ladder out again and picked as many as he could reach.  I decided to start working through the pile so put on a podcast and peeled for two hours.  The next day, I could barely move.  The lamest middle-age injury ever...I'd pinched a nerve in my upper back (Todd helpfully reminded me that I've actually incurred much more ridiculous injuries than an apple peeling one)!  Thankfully, my mother-in-law ordered this astounding and life-changing gadget for us:

We also bought a deep freeze to accommodate the apples and tomatoes this year (and, in leaner years, individual muffin-tin ice cream cakes).  My back is almost back to normal, so I can start tackling this job:

I'm also experimenting with apple recipes.  So far, I've determined that I just don't like apple crisp...the filling is always too dry and the topping seems a bit sparse.  Apple cobbler is a little too decadent (so much butter!).  I've had better luck with plain apple cake, substituting pumpkin for the oil and reducing the sugar.  I'm still experimenting, but will post a recipe when I settle on one.

The weather had continued to be warm, and I'm still seeing lots of creatures.  

Rabbits...

Lots of katydids (they're drawn to our porch lights):

So many turkey vultures:

Even an intrepid eastern box turtle.

He was being bothered by one of the many yellow jackets that were swarming the apples:  

Look at that gorgeous shell!

Leaves are changing, slowly...

Like clockwork, boneset has burst to life along the sides of our daily hiking trail.

Boneset has been used for centuries for its amazing anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.  It was the go-to herb for dengue fever (colloquially, "breakbone fever"), an illness that caused incredible pain in the bones.  Boneset alleviated the pain, giving it its unique name.  I look forward to it every fall.  It's nice to see delicate white flowers against the bright colors of the changing leaves!

Otherwise, loving all the berries...

shrub honeysuckle

...and lazy cats, lolling in the early fall sun!

Frances

"The Barnacle"

Have a great week!

bobcat habitat

It's that strange time of year when summer and fall overlap.  On one hand, we still have flowers.  Late-season roses are blooming...

...along with the companion morning glories that I planted, that don't quite match up in color but makes the climbing roses look more full.

I'm still pulling tons of flowers from the garden.

Lots of critters still around, like this round-backed millipede...

...and megachile apicalis, this little bee...

...and this spider wasp.  

As the name implies, they hunt spiders and paralyze them with a sting.  They drag them to their burrow and lay an egg on the corpse.  When the egg hatches, the larva has an easy food source.  Spider wasps have a notoriously nasty sting, one of the most painful you can experience from an insect ("electrifying" is the word most often used).  Like with most things, if you leave them alone, they won't bother you.

Lots of creatures and flowers, but more and more signs of fall.  It's apple time...

This year's apples are small but plentiful.  I've already processed about ten pounds and I've barely begun!  There will be a lot of apple pies this winter.  I dice up about 4 pounds of apples, add a bit of sugar/spices, and let them macerate in their juices for three hours.  Then I bag them up and freeze them.  They are ready to pop into a crust whenever the desire hits!

Lots of tomatoes now, too.  I have lost track of how many pounds of sauce and dehydrated tomatoes that I've put away!

Leaves are starting to change, too.

In part, though, it's because it's been SO dry.  We didn't have any rain for three weeks, and 90 degree temperatures.  Leaves were shriveling everywhere.

see all the dead leaves around Claudia?

It's definitely going to impact our fall color here, but at least we've got a bit!  

Our turkey poults are getting so big!  Soon they'll melt into the forest for the winter.

We've got so much activity on our trail cams.  A coyote in the back field!

The fawn and mom pair are still tied at the hip.

We've got a camera down by the big pond, facing a game trail.  So...many...animals!

Yes...that last video is the largest bobcat I've ever seen!  It showed up for a few days in early September but we haven't seen him around for the past week.  So exciting!!!

I'm going to keep an eye out for more activity...and cooler temperatures.  Have a great week!  

Review Part Two

Covid has been a lingering situation for me in the past week.  I don't feel that bad, but I'm tired and lightheaded.  Congestion has been heavy, too.  I haven't felt like doing much, other than reading (I finished 5 books) and occasionally knitting.  I finally went back to my morning exercise today and it feels so good to be on the tail end of this sickness!  

More years in review for Septembers past...2020 to 2023.

A few late-season flowers still looking great!

Harvest time!

Quilts are out...

...and cozy knitting projects.

All in all, signs of a changing season...

I will admit to a certain amount of grumpiness this year, though, that I can't attribute to being sick.  Normally September is rainy and cool, but we haven't had a drop of rain all month.  It's been wiltingly hot, 90 degrees for the past week...90 degrees today...and 90 degrees daily for the next week with no abatement in sight.  I'm so excited for fall and cooler weather, and it feels like summer has lasted for so long (even though it's been a fairly moderate, nice summer).  I throw open the windows in the morning to catch the fresh air, dramatically sighing when they have to be closed up for the air conditioning.  I have a bad attitude, and I don't care.  BRING ON FALL!!!   Surely by October...right?

Have a great week!