Our Garden is Famous

Look! We got a front page feature in the local paper. Isn't that cool? The reporter called me for an interview the other day, and then they sent reporters out on Tuesday night to photograph us doing the harvest. He even had the good sense to photograph my backside from a distance (if it must be photographed at all).

I just hope I don't catch too much grief for my little comment about it taking a few years for the idea of a garden to percolate through the approval process, and how it was a shame that the girls who first came up with the idea didn't get to actually work in the garden before leaving for college. I'm sure someone will bristle over that.

And speaking of church-related activities, at the last council meeting (which I missed), the minister passed different books out to all the ministry area coordinators with a request that we read them and present a book report to council. Let's face it - I've done my time with book reports. And between projects I've adopted for the upcoming wedding, my volunteer stuff with the garden/shelter/children's sermon/Habitat for Humanity/etc., the stuff I need to keep cranking out for the farmer's market (one more pirate hat . . . ) and my commitments to my real job and my family, I just don't have an extra 20 hours for "homework." So this morning I finally gave up and e-mailed the council to say I wasn't going to do the book report - maybe next month, but certainly not by Tuesday. I'm holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Meanwhile, it seems odd to say, but this morning was the first time Nora and I walked in honest-to-goodness rain. I think she would have preferred a ride.

September

All the kiddies are back in school now (including Tasha, who was too busy for a better "first day of school" picture than this). I called the bus company and told them to just take us off their list, since Tasha will drive herself pretty much all the time in order to be there for her zero hour class. It turned out the lady who answered the phone at the bus company was Debbie, who drove my kids on the country bus for years - so we had to take a minute to commiserate how old we must be, with the kids being all grown up like this.

But privately, I've been thinking that Rick and I are just coming into the best part. Our kids are just about launched, while some vice presidential candidates and other women my age are just starting out with new infants. Our careers are proceeding at a reasonable pace, and we've reached that point in our marriage where we know each other better than anyone else in the world ever has. We've figured out a lot about where we stand on issues, from philosophy and politics to how we like our eggs cooked.

Maybe September is a metaphor for this point in our lives. Golden days of indian summer, with the hint of an occasional chill in the air. And yet, it's an invigorating season with beautiful colors and rich flavors, full of the rewards for earlier labor. And that's just fine.

Pretty, Pretty

I was a very productive person this weekend, although I still didn't get everything done I wanted to. But see?

Isn't it pretty? That's the test cloth from Sunday's shawl dying session with the silk lady. I think the color will mellow out a bit once it goes through the dye-setting period and gets washed; but the dark flower images have a gold sparkle that reminds me strongly of goldstone, and the color right now is an almost exact match for those copper dresses. I can't wait to see the final product, and of course the actual shawls. (Like it? You can see the teacher's own work at www.virtualartgalleryofsheboygan.com. Absolutely lovely woman.)

Oh, and that's the necklace and earrings I made over the weekend and am considering for the same ensemble. What do you think?