Absolute Abundance Abound.

August & September seemed to steamroll by as the garden flooded us with projects from harvesting,pruning & weeding, to mulching, canning tomato sauce and cooking up a storm day after day. Cucumbers struggled this year without persistent watering from the sky but as with all years something shine while others just glimmer. The trick is to be diverse in what we plant and to embrace what we do have and try not to stress over those in which we lack. It is a never ending balance of juggling a families schedule along with weather patterns all the while maintaining a garden that not only gives you sustenance but also mental well being. The pleasure of accomplishment must outweigh the dread of being behind on upkeep. Guilt can be motivation but the reality of it comes down to just doing the best you can to create a cycle of growth year in and year out.  I always strive for a perfect balance but sometimes the striving part is where the real balance is hidden.

A dinner cooked with 100% of the ingredients coming from steps out the kitchen door are what we daydreamed about all those years of living in Portland.   

Asian Pears, cukes, peppers, beans, tomatoes all coming in by the handfuls! 

Tomatoes finished up strong with plenty of sauce canned and ready for the cellar!

These lunchbox peppers were a hit and were a very prolific producer with a few plants we could harvest a pint of peppers, almost daily, for whole month of September.

The hot varieties are keeping Hazel busy and our baskets full.

Jack Be Little pumpkins seemed to have crossed pollinated with our delicata squash which has given them a unique size and more mottled yellow appearance than we had expected.

Elderberries setting fruit for the first real flush since planting a couple years ago.

Shinseiki Pears

This was a delicious.

This was stinky.

Swallowtail Caterpillar

Easter Black Swallowtail

Question Mark Butterfly

Bee Balm w/ Bumblebee

Dahlias, Dahlias, Dahlias!

Zinnias, Zinnias, Zinnias.

So many blossoms emerging everyday... its a full time job just keeping our growing vase collection filled with seasonal arangements!

Our Morning Glory trellis idea worked beautifully over the arbor entrance to our homestead.

A paused moment of garden beauty as a few fallen leaves and petals created this stunning moment of color and symmetry. Speaking of color and symmetry.... here is a glimpse of whats been going on down in the Rootcellar Studio as summer fades away.

Exploring materials through collage and different methods of applying paint has been keeping me inspired and thirsty for more time in the studio...

So long summer, till we meet again!

 

Smiling Faces, Filling Vases and Woodchipped Spaces.

                 

the Dandelion: a symbol of hope, healing and resilience

Seems fitting that it was the one flower we asked to be part of our wedding theme, much to the chagrin of our florist. Though they were great sports and leaned into our aesthetics quite nicely adding touches of lambs ear, chamomile and other wild foraged delights. 

As Cassi & I celebrated our 13th Anniversary (thanks Garrison, you will be missed) this past June we embraced these same symbols of hope, healing and resilience and we continue to notice the correlations between relationships of people and how they can reflect into our relationships with the landscape in which we inhabit. Every action has a reaction and in order for things to thrive they need to be cared for and nurtured, but also they need to flourish organically and from season to season adapt to the surroundings and the climate of the moment. They need to be rooted in trust that the sun will shine and the rain will fall and know on the worst of days that a rainbow may greet the horizon after the stormiest of thunderstorms. It's these lessons of life and the intricacies of relationships that we find invigorating and stimulated by while performing seemingly petty tasks in the garden but also in our relationships. Not every conversation or task has a reward of the perfect dahlia blooming in the morning sun, nor does every lil chore or kind word spoke immediately fix neglected soil. I recall the old adage... the whole is the sum of the parts and everyday we wake we must strive to do our part to create an environment in which the diversity of all things can find harmony and fulfillment in doing their part!

As we navigate a busy schedule and stress about projects needing attention, sometimes all that really needs to be done is to walk around with a glass half full and enjoy the blossoming landscape before us and observe the life that is flourishing.

As time allows we have tackled the weed pressure that has exploded between our beds this past season with a robust presence of crab grass, quack grass and pigweed. In doing so it became apparent that our few inches of woodchips and mulch had broken down into soil and without anything smothering it, we had created just the right environment for this thriving habitat.

So section after section we are pulling it all up and then laying down a new foundation of woodchips.

Its always rewarding to see perennials that were planted in seasons past coming back with vengeance and vigor. Patches that produces a handful of blooms last season are popping before our eyes this season!

Every year we plant more and more flowers and now instead of flowers peaking through a sea of vegetables we are digging through flowers to find vegetables.

Finding a constant source of beauty to arrange in our ever growing arsenal of vases is a artistic stimulating project we look forward to every week.

Along with flowers we have had a steady flow of cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, beans and most recently we pulled our garlic crop for the summer!

With a nice flush of thunderstorms even the local fungi has been making an appearance!

We did take a lil break from gardening and work in order to make a special vacation for Hazel.

Animal Kingdom

Epcot

Magic Kingdom

That's right, with the encouragement and generous support of Gramma, we all took the journey down south to see what the magic of Disney was all about! Probably not top of the list on places I wanted to go but to see the joy on Hazels face as she experienced the rides, atmosphere and characters she has grown up adoring brought great joy to us all and having a week without work, house chores and homestead projects was much needed! 

As July finishes out and we roll into August we are excited to spend a lot of time finishing our mulch project, taking daytrips to the local lakes and ponds, catching up with lots of old friends and enjoying all those things a Maine summer should be spent doing.

     

Speaking of which... we had the pleasure of attending another great show which was highlighted by being Hazels first "adult" show that she was so excited to attend with Cassi & I. Being general admission we told her the earlier we go the better the seat we will have and after all the lines in Disney she didn't shy away from showing up an hour early to ensure she had the front row seat right in the middle of the row! Hazel has been taking violin lessons for a year and performed in her first recital this past spring. I was excited for her to absorb the banjo/fiddle duet of Nora Brown & Stephanie Coleman and the show did not disappoint! Highlighted by Hazel purchasing a few records and getting them signed. A wonderful first concert experience and the start of many more when the 

venue and artist seem appropriate!

We hope you all are having a great summer, thanks as always for stopping on by and checking in on the current state of the Localrootz Homestead!