Week 14

Hi everyone,

Last week the weather was unseasonably hot and humid with temperatures up into the 90s, and then by the weekend, it was barely getting out of the 50s. Both the plants and the farmers were reeling a bit from those drastic changes, but now things are back to a seasonally appropriate 72 or so. We also got about 2 inches of rain on Monday, but things are drying out enough that we have been able to get out and do some weeding. This time of year it feels like a mad dash to the finish line, with the weeds growing and producing seeds at an alarming rate, and the insects doing their utmost to eat and procreate while there's still time. We're doing our best to keep up, but my head is definitely whirling.

But there are the great satisfactions and wonders that occur as summer fades; the onions are lovely and are coming in by crateful to be loaded onto drying racks. The peppers are producing their brightly colored fruits and the potatoes are yielding well. Sue found a monarch chrysalis the other day in the barn, and it was amazing to imagine the caterpillar's climb up the barn beam and out a large nail to then construct its perfect jewel of a chrysalis where it will transform from something creepy-crawly into a thing with wings that will fly all the way to Mexico. Totally crazy.