The raspberries have finally started to come in, but this looks like it will be a low harvest year for those. Strawberries have stopped, but then there was new foliage and new blooms, so perhaps a second harvest on those. One of the neighborhood kids LOVES strawberries and has occasionally asked to help me pick them, although I haven't seen him since I got back from Starwood. He is very interested in strawberry jam, however. We have also gotten about half a serving of green beans. And there may finally be sprouts on the brussels.
It is time to take in the last of the lettuce, I think and maybe throw some more seeds out to 'see what happens.' The tomatoes and peppers are getting a slow start, but I anticipate that will fix itself. Two of the cucumber plants look like they'll not make it and the bean seeds I planted later only yielded two plants that are just kinda...there. I do still have a pretty bean pyramid structure ready for them, in case they take off.
Tonight, therefore, we'll be celebrating our first harvest, commonly referred to among druidy parts as Lughnasadh. The calendar says that is on Aug 1, but in keeping with my plan discussed elsewhere of going with the energy of the land, we're doing it today. I had hoped to time it with the tomatoes or the sunflowers but as those both got in later than anticipated, that may put it after the Equinox! As part of that, we'll be sacrificing last year's Corn Dolly to the fire, and blessing the new one I just finished making. Here is last year's:
The shawl she has on was one of my first crochet attempts last year. She's made of corn husks not from corn I grew (because I don't...yet) but from the area. Ohio is corn country (some call it maize) and so that's what I use. Because it's for our land, I augmented it with a piece of bean stalk, and some flowers and herbs we're growing.
Here is next year's. She is unadorned, as of yet.
Hopefully this will bring on the harvest of many things
Janet had a visit with a social worker to get her on a program whereby they will take her to "adult day care" five days a week and maybe get some other assistance. It's a temporary fix, however, as she continues to decline. Today was a good day though. We went to Goodwill so she could drop of clothes, because "Someone else might get some use out of them." Then to Walgreen's so she could get some Gas X and finally, Tim Hortons. Coffee and a doughnut has become our thing while running errands.
I sat outside for a bit after dinner, eating my new favorite dessert of cherries and almonds, listening to the birds. We appear to have a late nest of robins, as a mother (I'm guessing) and juvenile were bipping around the yard. They need to get on that eating of bugs they are allegedly so good at.
I had hoped she would participate some in the evening festivities, mainly distributing fairies and placing Elsie. I purchased the fairies when we bought the house and hoped to decorate the yard with them. Finally the yard feels like a place worth decorating.
I also found a place for Elsie the Owl. Elsie had been sitting by the backdoor, looking like an extra cat out of the corner of an eye. Elsie's head also had the eerie habit of spinning around for no damn good reason. Sure, maybe it was slightly nudged by someone as they walked by, but it just wouldn't stop. The first time it did that, Jim said, "Oh, that thing needs to GO." Agreed, and now she's outside where hopefully she can freak out whatever is eating the flowers.
Regardless, Janet didn't feel good, which she blamed on having to take too much insulin (really it's because her glucose is too high, but whatever. Picking battles.) Jim came home and ate, we had a fire, we made offerings and got omens. The wheel keeps turning.
