Raspberries!

I never knew that raspberries would flourish so well in the waning days of summer.  This second flush of berries impressed us far more than the first: they're bigger and they're more plentiful.

All told, we've picked almost 10 pounds of raspberries.  I realize that berries are most often sold by volume, and not by weight, so it's hard to compare the value of what we find in a supermarket.  Of course, we all know that there is no comparison between homegrown berries and supermarket berries.  =)

However, if you sadly do not know this for yourself, drop by our place sometime next September, and we'll share the pleasure of allowing you to experience it for yourself.  MmmmmMMM!  Words cannot describe it.

The hard frost is coming soon, and our harvesting days are drawing to a close.  We praise God for the blessing of the bounty.

Cat-alog

Pile o' Cat comes in sizes S, M, L, XL, and LOL.
Size shown: M.

Stink Hole

Under that board lurks a hole.  In that hole skulks a tank.  A septic tank.

It sounds sinister, but it's actually good news:  given the age and the purpose of this building, we weren't completely sure we had one.  The previous owner absolutely refused to allow a septic inspection before we purchased the place, so we went ahead on the assumption that it would absolutely need a new septic system installed, and we settled for a percolation test to see how suitable the land would be.

Talking to the neighbors in the old parsonage one day, it became crystal clear why the previous owner refused that inspection: he thought the church and the parsonage were on the same system.  This seemed to be common knowledge with the renters and the landlord of the property next door, but it seems not to be so.

Talking with the owner one day, he indicated that his tank was on the opposite side of the parsonage yard.  However, we could see very plainly from the hole that Paul had already dug that we also have a tank on the opposite corner of our building.  This was very welcome news to us.

The question now is whether or not we can have the tank pumped.  On one hand, it is an old steel tank and if it is not sound, it could collapse.  On the other hand, if the rest of the dirt is dug out, there won't be any significant weight to strain the integrity of the structure, and pumping it could be safely and easily done.  Then, after a few showers and the tank has been filled, the hole can be refilled.

While the septic system really does need to be brought up to legal standards, we no longer feel like we're living on borrowed time.  It would just be really nice to be able to deal with this before winter arrives, so we're praying over this project, too.

Thanks for joining us.

Leaf Mold: A Real Windfall

"Mom, please don't take a picture of me.  I haven't had my shower yet."

And since it was her birthday, I said, "I'll just take a picture of what you're doing."

So here she is, helping us create gardening gold with a resource so cheap that it falls when the wind blows.  It's a real windfall!

Mowing the leaf pile chops the leaves into small pieces for a quicker decomposition.

She collects them onto the tarp and carries them... to the compost?  No, we don't want them to compost with our other plant material.  Since leaves break down through fungal action instead of the bacterial action like the compost pile does, we put them into a pile of their own, where they break down into a beautiful soil amendment that can improve the moisture-retentive quality of soil by as much as 50%. 

We had exactly enough fencing leftover from our compost bins this spring to make this cage for the leaf mold.  Perfect!

Aelsa dampened the leaves to get the process started, and now all we have to do is wait for more of this windfall to come our way.  I have a feeling that it will:

From the maple tree in the front corner,

from the fruit trees in the back,

and from the burr oak tree in the back corner.

Join us for raking, anyone?

Escape!

What happens when the window is wide open so the paint on the window sill can dry?  Is this a trick question?!  Of course the cats try to escape.

Yes, Mama Catt climbed head first down the entire ladder... three different times.  She became pretty quick at it, too.

Pipes really wanted to follow, but she was too timid.  Robin tells her to "Get off."

Elliot brings Mama back,

 but even this couldn't keep her in:

Since she lived on the street by herself for a year, I often wonder if she would leave for her freedom and never come back.  I don't really want to find out.

Mulch to Think About

Some weeks ago, a friend of ours sent us this link to a film featuring the woodchip-mulching technique that a man uses to sustain his garden in the rain shadow of a mountain--without ever watering it.

Ever since, we've been praying for a wood chipper to borrow.  After all, God seems to have provided us with plenty of raw material to work with:

The tree we cut down to allow more light to shine on the patch where we'll transplant our strawberries:

The part of a clump of trees that fell down when the boys were climbing on it (no worries; no one was hurt):

And the vines that grow so obnoxiously on, over, and around the southeast fence:

A man in town told Paul he thought he might have a chipper we could borrow, but we're still trying to get connected on that.  So we're still praying.

Pray with us?

Undo, Redo

If only it were as easy as ctrl-Z and ctrl-Y; we would be able to get all six windows done before winter strikes.  But by now we'll be pleased if we can strip and then repaint the frames and trim around just two of our windows.

Undo.

Redo.

Undo.

Redo.

If it looks like I don't know what I'm doing, it's because I don't.  However, I've glazed a few panes since then, and I'm much handier at it now.

And while I'm dreaming about ctrl-z, I sure wish I could tap my fingers and undo the breaking panes of glass. For one, those old panes reflected back little wavy distortions characteristic of old glass.  For another, replacing them will cost us more money than we'd like.  Finally, missing panes of glass delays the whole project from being completely finished.

But we're still making progress.  Undoing.  Redoing.

Radish Tops

The radishes looked like this before we left at midday on Wednesday. Can't wait to see what awaits us in the 3-H when we get there!

Cats' Eyes

Given our absence for the past few days, do you think they'll be looking for us?

Or hiding from us?

Getting the Stains off the Glass

Water and a wet rag took the window from this:

to this:

The principle at work is to start mild and then use increasingly heavier cleaners only as needed.  I really wanted to see what wonders the #0000 steel wool would do to it, but we don't have time for me to be picky.  It does look better than it did, anyway, and that's good enough for now.

The Last Pear

They look like a cross between apples and pears, and Asian pears taste and crunch that way, too. So sweet. Mmmm....

Paul found this pear on the other side of our back fence after we thought we'd seen the last pear on the tree. It's a perfect specimen, completely unmarred by epicurean insects. What a fitting way to signify the close of a fruitful season.

I Can See Clearly Now

The stuff on the window panes refused to go quietly with a razor blade, so I did some research.  A professional window cleaner on the internet recommends using #0000 steel wool in cases like this.

Boy, does he know what he's talking about.

(That's not a crack you see in the window; it's the arched window resting with the rest of the windows that don't have cracks.  *sigh*)

Now I'll have to ask someone like him about the best way to safely clean stained glass windows.