“Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky. Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.”
Psalm 85:10-12 ESV
A nice morning welcome to a September day as we celebrated the final full week of summer. I used a photo that included the fire pit, thinking it could serve as a reminder that autumn arrives on Tuesday. We even have a small amount of wood already on hand. However, with temperatures remaining around 100 over the weekend and 90’s as we look into the forecast for the coming days, the fire pit will only be used by ants and lizards!
The final cutting of hay brings mixed thoughts as another season comes to a close. It is so dry, but our friend Billy is at least escaping the heat and dust inside the enclosed cab…
…but the hay rake is on another tractor which leaves him out in the elements. This is our back pasture, and because of the drought, we will likely see about one third less hay than the first cutting. Billy is the one guy I know who’s hearing is worse than mine. He lost 60% years ago from an explosive blast and deafening impact…Vietnam!
This was now ready to roll up and had the appearance of a lot of hay, but my prediction was accurate, the dry weather and lingering heat made a big dent in the overall crop for this round. Altogether though, it turned out to be a good year.
In June, after the first cutting, there would’ve been 4 or 5 rolls seen in a drone shot from this altitude/angle.
The upper part of our little creek is currently only a dry ditch, even though it is fed by a couple of springs that are north of us. Maybe I need to venture in the direction of what would normally be upstream and see if the springs have dried up!
Unlike the hay field or the dry creek bed, it appears that the cotton crop has fared well and the harvest may be very good. Cotton loves the hot weather and does well even in dry times because it puts down deep roots. Pam and I rode by a few of the fields near the house yesterday to see how things were going for the cotton farmers. We liked this view with the Appalachian Foothills and Lookout Mountain in the background.
While gathering a few acorns for Pam’s tea party table, I couldn’t help but observe how precise, skilled and well equipped the local rodents are when mealtime comes around. My, my, what sharp teeth and strong jaws they have been given by our Maker. Hickory nuts are very, very hard, but just another fast food drive thru for a hungry bunch of squirrels! BTW – it’s usually hickry nuts, or hickor nuts here in the south…maybe even shorter, the “c” not really being necessary! Or is it the “k” that’s not needed?
It is widely rumored that a lady of high standing once made a very unkind and demeaning statement about the people in the land where she was queen. I personally hope I’m not remembered for such a thing. Supposedly she said something like “let them eat cake”. I considered the statement and determined eating cake was great advice, an excellent idea, especially this pecan coconut cake…which I boldly ordered. This was at Bottega, but Pam has the recipe and makes it equally as good. Maybe I shall be remembered for “eating cake”, and that will be ok!
I mentioned this early Monarch visitor in a previous post. The poor guy looked kinda weary from the journey and I don’t think he will be one who makes it into the promised land. As mentioned earlier, my best photo was not so good, but this being the first and only one to visit so far in the late summer, I decided he deserved some notice. Strangely, I see Monarchs in September along the wildlife trail where I walk, which is only 12 miles from us…but we almost never see one in our garden passing through in the late season until well into October.
I planted quite a few sunflowers on into the summer after our first group had faded. I thought we might enjoy a second crop, but had to water the beds a lot. I planted two rows in one bed where the first “batch” had grown so well. Not one single plant ever came up. In a smaller spot where the wildflowers were spent, I planted a few more. For all that effort, we now have a sunflower in our garden. Yes, “a” sunflower, as in “one”. There is potential for a couple more, but we are perplexed as to why the sunflowers, as well as several rows of zinnias, did not emerge…and we watered these beds! A few new zinnias sprouted and are beginning to bloom.
Prolonging blooms and extending the life of the garden has been a real challenge this summer. We are down to a few remaining holdouts like this chaste tree which always blooms again if I take time to cut it back after the first blooming. This is the only spot the lone Monarch stopped during his brief visit.
This week we chose to mention and display the few remaining flowers we have in the garden, believing after this weekend it is time to move on with autumn. I told PJ, “I’m over it, let’s go find some pumpkins”! Then we passed by the dining room window Friday morning to make a discovery. This daylily finished blooming in June and should’ve been done for the year. It isn’t a plant I have even watered. Looking slightly above the bloom you might notice two more buds. We’ve long since stopped trying to figure this stuff out!
Most of you know we live a few miles from a large body of water known as Weiss Lake. I like to get by the lake periodically and post some shots of various sights, wildlife, and other interesting lake things. This week was busy and unusual for us and we did not have our normal time to roam or photograph. But, it so happens that Appalachian Media was doing videography and media work this past week and sent us a photo from the region where he was working. Seth said he actually took a break from work and went for a swim here…the Adriatic Sea. That’s a long way from Weiss Lake and a long way from his office!
I waited until late in the day when it was slightly cooler to remove all the spent zinnias from one of the beds. I was working out by the Sunshine Cottage when the sky quickly became golden, then in a very short time…
…orange. I happened to notice a jet passing through the scene so I zoomed in to get a closer look. Vapor trails can be neat in their own way. I guess it would be nice if humans didn’t clutter the skies, but we are up there, so maybe vapor trails add a little something?
Have a blessed week and happy beginning to official autumn. The harvest moon is coming!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch,Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
What a beautifully peaceful way to wrap up the season. Watching the haying process is always such a deeply grounding sight. I think it officially signals the shift into autumn. For sure the slice of pecan, coconut cake does!