The Mint Patch Monologue

Tag: nature

  • Turning the Corner

    This one into the fall, and I can feel my skin again. There was a briskness outside today, and instead of feeling encased in stagnant heat, the chill brought an awareness to my arms and my nose. The cool air went down smoothly into my lungs; I smelled the fallen leaves, I thought about playgrounds. There are delicate sheets of intricate webs hanging from tree limbs to slumped-over sunflowers, traps for the last of the flies. Around this corner there is no need for protective shade from heat or structure from harsh rain, darkness is creeping into my evenings. The cinnamon is left out, the oven has been busy. I resurrected the pumpkin sweater from the depths of my closet, and I looked carefully at wool socks while out shopping, but a new pair can wait. Everything can wait after turning the corner. If we don’t stop to savor the orange glow of fall we wont be properly tempered for winter and might freeze to death. Fall is like the last few bites of melted ice cream you really dig for at the bottom of the bowl, when it’s over all you can hope for is another one.

    The peach tree leaves are turning yellow, and I wish I could count them as they fall a bit more each day.  This week I’ll find myself decked out in flannel, raking up those leaves into a pile for the raised beds. Those are the moments when I feel like I’m in magazine photos, advertising for the newest outdoor brand. I might even pose for my own entertainment, maybe toss leaves into the air and laugh. Can you remember the last time you dove into a pile of leaves? I was always convinced there might be a snake hiding out among the swirling patterns, I was a cautious child. I insisted the leaves be stuffed into those plastic orange bags that had jack o lantern faces on them. Whimsy.

    Finally the magic, and mystic joys come to life.  A time we can believe Mr. Chicken after spending the night in that “haunted house.” Don Knots was a brilliant actor… the gardening sheers and the blood! Bless his heart, a hero in the end. I’m not a fan of horror films but I do have a checklist of movies I enjoy every year. For a complete list of my October watch list send me an email, I would love to share.

    This is a good time to build your indoor nest, drag out the electric blanket, unfold old quilts hidden in trunks, reach for those house shoes that have spent months hiding under the bed. Hats and scarves can wait of course, snow is a few weeks out and besides, let’s not get in a hurry. The sky is changing too, the sun doesn’t climb as high anymore and shadows grow long. My patience seems to grow longer this time of year too, what’s the fuss of being in a rush when there are stacks of fodder shock and dancing scarecrows to admire? Nevertheless the squirrels are in a mighty rush to prepare for winter, they are building nests too, and their busy scurrying is curious to watch.  There are folks who keep them fed at our own 47 acre Central Park, the spoiled little creatures carry mouthfuls of peanuts and on occasion, french fries.

    The slanted sunlight on the purple mums sends my soul into orbit, circling from one beautiful thing to another. A carpet of leaves, the full harvest moon, a decorated hearth, fresh pumpkin flesh scattered for chickens, hot coals, hot chocolate, plumes of rising smoke, Indian corn, candy wrappers, plaid bows, little candle flames, and buckets of gourds.
     

    Dearest reader, may you be fulfilled with the rich aromas and sensations of fall, address a letter to The Great Pumpkin, and dip your apples into as much caramel as a slice can hold on to.

    Thank you for reading, and drop me a line sometime, I DO love to chat!

    justicesarah67@yahoo.com

  • The Garden Boss

    My, oh my, the garden. I have been so behind lately on writing from picking tomatoes, harvesting green beans, and sitting in awe of sunflowers. I have put up a few quarts of peas, shelling them was the most satisfying ritual, and now that the crop has finished producing and been laid to rest, I miss the tiny discoveries and abundant sound of popping pods. My husband doesn’t even like peas but loved the practice of growing them this year. Now is the time to decide if I want to plant another row for a fall harvest, what do you think?

    My German tomato plant has given us perfectly round and red beauties; small, somewhere in between the size of an early girl and a Rosella. They have been perfect for salads. One raised bed is entirely dedicated to tomatoes, most of them volunteers from last year with lots of cherry varieties. I  can see them blushing from the bedroom window I look out, and I like them  best still warm from the summer sun.  The crisper drawer is holding a pile of cucumbers, they really do sneak up on you if you’re not careful.  Once they get too yellow-ripe they can always be salvaged as a fresh juice ingredient or thrown to your neighbor’s chickens. That’s only wishful thinking on my end though, chickens aren’t allowed within the city  limits in town so I have to go a little further than next door for fresh eggs.

    A few discarded pumpkins and gourds from last fall that found their final rest in the garden beds have renewed themselves, and almost taken over the entire yard.  I have already reaped a nice sized, bright orange pumpkin which will be roasted and saved for November pies and pumpkin rolls. Chris makes the best pumpkin rolls and gets requests for them every year, but always makes an extra one for just us to keep at home. The other vines are welcoming mysterious little yellow and white shapes that are growing everyday, to be surprised in the garden is one of life’s greatest joys.

    There is one watermelon to report on so far, a nice dark green shade and about the size of a softball. The vine is healthy and making space for itself, of course we couldn’t wait so we’ve already devoured the sweetest watermelon from the grocery store, hand picked by Chris with skills I’m not equipped with.  I have been told that not everyone puts salt on their watermelon, which saddens me. Of course the sweetness alone is satisfactory, but the addition of a sprinkle (or a little dip) could bring a tear to a glass eye.  A salt shaker in the backyard is just as important as an indestructible spade, and a love for dirty hands.

    The bean tunnel is a wonderful place to “hang out in.” Although it’s a favorite place for mosquitoes too, it’s worth it.  I’ve placed a little table and a chair inside, and have morning coffee on the weekends. If you pair imagination with gardening you can romanticize life, feel as if you are in another place at another time, or  create something whimsical that no one else on the block has. Things like this conjure up a feeling, something sought after intentionally and then exist just to be experienced. From one garden box to another, all it takes is simple fencing poles, chicken wire, plastic tubing to reinforce the arch shape, and zip ties. Of course, there are a multitude of ways in which one can experience having morning coffee from the inside of a green tunnel of pole beans; incorporate a bit of string lighting and you can find yourself in a fairy tale-like scene, maybe a place where little mice are catching up on their knitting, where you can stay up late into the night with your nose in a book.
     

    I love  the way Glady’s Taber shared her reflections on life at the end of the day. In the summers she would talk about hard work and abundance, dreadful heat, and long days. She wrote about taking a dip in the swimming pond, and sharing the water with frogs, algae, water bugs, turtles and the occasional water snake. She mastered the ability to experience joy outside in every season.

    “Midsummer, in fact, is a good time to think about values, for the earth is fulfilling the promise of spring. I reflect that growth comes from the secret life of seed and bulb. And “as ye sow, so shall ye reap” seems a new truth. Some of the hopes I had in the spring did not, of course, come to blossom. Perhaps I did not tend them well enough, or perhaps they were not suitable to the climate of my life. But some hopes came to fruition, some plans were completed, and another season I can begin again!” -Gladys Taber

    Thank you again for reading, and as always drop me a line anytime because… I do love to chat!

    justicesarah67@yahoo.com