It seems by what my culture is telling me that we are reaching the end of summer. My library science classes start up again in a couple weeks, and the slight decrease in temperature each night reminds me that fall (my favorite season!) is approaching. Our sunflowers are still green, but gradually opening their heads a little bit each day. We have begun to see the first of our tomatoes and pumpkins. We have reached the time of year when what we eat is dictated by our abundance in particular vegetables and herbs. I am eating basil with everything.
Our Dreamacres experience has stirred up in us even stronger our desire to have our own farm someday. I am stoking that flame by reading “The Dirty Life”, by Kristin Kimball; her memoir of being romanced away from the city by an ambitious farmer and his farming lifestyle. With every detail- beautiful or horrific- I feel my soul aching with the desire to live a life dedicated to provision and abundance. I am astounded at what our little garden has become, having started from such tiny seeds that had to suffer under out inexperienced care. And now it is more than we three humans can keep up with, as we watch peas mildew and basil wilt that there are not enough meals in the day to accommodate.
Trevor has remained a dedicated spinner, although I can tell he looks forward to the reliability of a fall/winter schedule to give him more regular hours. The wonderful people at Dreamacres have encouraged him to sell yarn in their “Curiosity Shop”, and there are a couple other shops he also hopes to start selling out if this fall. In the spring we will start to assemble a list of fairs, conferences, and other markets to attend and start selling at.
I can’t say for certain how dedicated I will be to this blog once my classes start up again. I did set forth to keep it mainly through the summer only, although I hope I will continue to get the writing urge. I’m certain that there will always be plenty to write about, that our projects will grow and multiply. Trevor has already begun to scheme out next year’s garden, which he aims to be much more intentional about now that he’s had an experimental run. He has also applied to attend a Farm Beginnings class offered by the Land Stewardship Project that (if he’s accepted) will give him some of the basic skills and farm exposure we’ll need to start our own farm.
Aubrey turns 3 next week, and we are struggling to keep up with her constant demand for intellectual stimulation. If we are to survive the winter in this house with her, we will need to up the level of creative and educational activities drastically.
I will leave you with one last picture of the most recently spun yarn skeins, lined up and buoyant with the calling to become sweaters and scarves. Happy harvest time.
Angie Gustafson 