Monday, October 1, 2012

Dealing With the Harvest

Yesterday's pear harvest--in part--contained.
I'm postponing feeling virtuous about this labor.
At the moment I am over-tired and on the verge of being cranky.
[And, there is another box of pears sitting on the living room floor in front of my rocking chair.]


The official equinox has passed, yet I always mark October 1st as my personal beginning of autumn.
We woke to rain--soft, but enough to get my jeans and sweatshirt unpleasantly damp when I made my trek to the litter box dump and on to the barn where Pebbles was demanding grain.
I stripped off the soggy clothes and gave them 15 minutes in the dryer while I huddled in a fleece robe and set the coffee pot to its business.
The lower garden has gone shabby, the sunflowers canted off at tired angles.
The upper perennial strip needs weeding and sorting--again--so much for the long hours of spring weeding and the many bags of mulch meant to deter grass and weeds.
They flourished in spite of the heat and drought which stunted some of our garden crops.

Taken from the relatively dry spot by the car port--a backyard maple turning bronze and gold.
We have several varieties of maple in the yard, most of them transplanted from nearby woods 30 years ago by Haskell Rogers.

Rain and mist as seen from front porch.

Nandina shrubs that edge the front of the house.

The three boy kittens loyally trailed behind on my chores, their legs, tummies and tails soaked from
the wet grass.
Nellie came in and spent the next hour trying out cozy spots: above my old bathrobe which I shed when my jeans had dried.


Gina's lap and her folded wooly shirt became a pleasant haven.

No shyness here--he has taken over the cat basket!

Mima [on the pillow] and my dear old Eggnog curled up on the bed.

On the front porch Little Edward [left] and Bobby McGee tuck up on an old throw.

Meanwhile--more PEARS!

10 comments:

  1. Lucky you! We only had two pears this year because of the crazy weather. I'll miss not having maple pear butter this year. What we did have is an abundance of peppers. Just finished canning up roasted ones. Canning is a chore, but it sure nice to open the jars in the winter instead of making a trek to the grocers! Carrots are next. Ours are enormous!

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  2. Your property is beautiful. I love seeing your cats and feel like I'm getting to know them a bit. Those kittens are so sweet. I guess you are keeping them (hope so). I would be all over those pears like a cat on a mouse. They look amazing. Deb

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  3. I can sure see where all that work of processing produce would be tiring and make one cranky. But oh the joy during the winter months when you open a jar of this and that. Pure goodness.

    Your felines are all so wonderful.

    Hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  4. All those pears! Should make up for what I hear is not a good year for apples -- or peaches. I love the new kittens -- especially the ones with the grey nose smudge.

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  5. Oh well done - LOTS bottled for the winter stores.

    Your new kitten-cats are just adorable and the two piebald ones remind me of Tippy and Jarvis snuggled up together. We still miss Tippy (but your Bobby McGee looks SO like him - that white flash across his face). Nellie is gorgeous too - why has he got a girly name though?!!

    Pop across to my blog and see what turned up . . .

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  6. Lovely cat pics as always. We had a poor crop of both apples and pears this year due to a cold spring and wet summer.
    I am looking forward to seeing more autumn photos from your home as the weeks go by.

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  7. I remember so well how tiring it was processing baskets of pears, but, oh, they're so good.
    Lillian
    lillianscupboard.wordpress.com

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  8. Your pears look luscious, but unfortunately they're a fruit that only I will eat so we never have any. I envy you all your cats, I would love to have a dozen.

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  9. Little grey and white Nellie is such a pretty cat.

    Hardly a handful of pears for us this year, due to the weather. Usually we have such a good harvest of fruit. Your bottled pears will be wonderful in the winter.

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  10. A nice homey post, - I know the cranky feeling at harvest time when the fruit and veggies pile up, but there is also the lovely reward in months to come.

    The cats look so at home and comfy! Well loved, I'm sure.

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