After months of anticipation, I have finally tasted the first of my homegrown tomatoes! It started with just a couple each day (all of which I immediately ate) but by midweek, I was harvesting enough cherry tomatoes to make for a delicious pizza. Amazingly, my first tomato harvest wasn't even the high point of the week. I took a couple of much needed days off work, and with the opportunity to hike while avoiding weekend crowds, I met up with a friend to revisit the Dirty Harry's Balcony trail where Andy and I did trail work back in 2017. On a August weekend in a typical year, this hike would probably have felt entirely unremarkable, but this year is far from typical, allowing me to see the magic of the young forest. The fresh earthy scent of the trees energized me, and the soft bed of pine needles muted my steps as our small group climbed up the trail. I pointed out a few spots along the trail I remembered working on in 2017, excited to recognize them so easily. We took our time, hiking at an easy pace to save our breath for conversation, catching up on all that had changed in our lives since we'd last seen each other. It was a short outing, but also perfectly rejuvenating.
Read moreLife: Week 33
The bruise colored sky of a welcome summer rainstorm
After the brief retreat of uncomfortably hot and humid weather, summer returned this week with extreme vengeance. Temperatures climbed to nearly 100°, leaving both me and my veggie garden feeling horribly wilted. Thankfully we had a dramatic summer storm roll in Friday evening, followed by a cooler, rainy Saturday. I was so happy to hear raindrops drumming on our covered patio that I ran outside to stand in the dark, soaking up every bit of the rainfall. The one upside of this latest heat wave — it ripened the first tiny but delicious plums from the unruly tree in our front yard. Still no progress on my many green tomatoes though. I may need to start searching for green tomato recipes!
Read moreLife: Week 32
This feels like a particularly peculiar moment to come back to weekly blog posts. With Covid-19 keeping me close to home, aside from the slow and subtle shift in seasons my life week to week changes very little. Then again, it seems that now more than ever I'll be thankful to have a record of the subtle shifts in my life through this pandemic. It’s also a reassuring reminder that, while so much remains unpredictable in the world right now, nothing will last forever. It may feel slow at times, but seasons change, and life goes on. Last week's heat wave broke, and over the course of this week, I found myself happily digging out more than one sweater I'd stashed in the back of my closet. We had a few delightfully rainy days, enough that I had the chance to do some Saturday morning weeding in a warm rain. The weeding was long overdue - our backyard has rapidly become a broad sea of yellow, and it feels as though I wouldn’t grow dandelions more effectively if I were to actively try!
Read moreLife: Week 30
Among the many things I’ve missed during this pandemic, trails are top of the list. While there hasn't really been any point over all the various closures and stay-home orders that I haven’t had at least some option for hiking, I just haven't felt comfortable with the risk of being around the large numbers of other people likely to be out on my favorite trails. Thankfully, as time as passed and we've learned more about how Covid-19 is and isn't spread, the growing consensus seems to be that the risk of spreading the virus is reduced outdoors. Armed with that knowledge - and not one but two options for face coverings! - I finally felt comfortable joining a small group of my Alpine Trails Book Club friends for an absolutely glorious hike. We met up at Ebey's Landing, a trail I've hiked many times. After so much time away, it felt like I was seeing the trail with new eyes and the combination of sun, ocean breezes, flowers, and the company of some of my favorite people was just what I needed.
Read moreLife: Week 29
Summer is in full swing in our backyard. So far, kale has been the most reliable crop I planted in the raised beds Andy built for me. On more than one occasion since early June, I would have gone so far as to say we were drowning in the stuff. After months of waiting, I’ve finally pulled up the first carrots and one little onion. The carrots may be delightfully deformed, but they're also delicious! I’ve also been watching my tomatoes like a hawk, checking every day for progress toward my first homegrown tomato. I’m feeling especially protective of my tomatoes as the deer that wander through our yard almost daily have repeatedly nibbled at my precious plants. Thankfully Andy designed some ingenious row covers to keep the deer, birds, rabbits, and really anything other than me and maybe the slugs from eating the contents of our raised beds. A good thing too, since I was nearly ready to drag a sleeping bag out between the beds to keep the deer away!
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