It’s here.
The cold and clammy claws of fall are reaching under the doors and in the windows. When I wake up there is a chill in the air and an ache in my throat. It’s tempting to stay just a few minutes longer in bed. Darkness falls at 7:45 at night instead of 10 and the chickens have long since disappeared into their house by then. Wasps are suddenly desperate. School has started. And any hope of an Indian Summer has long faded.
Unfortunately there never really was a summer this year. We hardly made any popsicles or ice cream because it was simply too cold to eat it. The large produce buy is on hold awaiting with bated breath the ripening of enough tomatoes to supply our demand. Will it happen at all before the tomatoes get blossom end rot? Unsure.
Last week I realized there was one warm day predicted for the rest of the year and threw the boys in the car, fleeing to Seaside, OR where it was predicted to be 76 for one last time. We left my husband behind to take care of the chickens and water the winter seedlings. Irresponsible I know but I was desperate to bury my toes in warm sand one last time.
I’m striving to find a balance this year – enjoy my family more – pay more attention to the household – play – sleep enough to stay healthy heading into winter. Balance in one area is always at the price of something else. It’s just a question of what I’ll sacrifice this week. I feel I’ve finally hit critical mass with the number of projects going on and realize that I need to give some of them up.
One thing I’ve done this summer is less baking, less canning, and more playing. I’ve bought loaves of local bread and tortillas about 5 times and just tried to not eat so much grain. Instead of canning we will eat more seasonally still, eat less jams and perhaps buy some canned food this winter (shudders.)
I feel like I’m going to pop. On our monthly sojourn to the grocery store today, whereby we each get to pick out one special thing, I had to stop myself from piling the cart full of fruit: pineapple, mango, melon, avocados and tomatoes. Perhaps that means our diets are lacking something right now since we haven’t had our summer glut of tomatoes and despite the fact that it’s September, the wild blackberries that you can always set your clock by are not yet ripe.
Perhaps I’m just tired or having a hard time adjusting to the kids starting school and me focusing more on work. Perhaps it’s just the change in the season or I’m coming down with something. Perhaps it’s just that I’ve finally given up hope that summer will arrive late and it’s now clear that it’s not coming at all.
But I do feel like something is about to change. I’m just not yet sure what it is.
Sigh . . . yes, I realized today that it is September and I am still waiting for summer. And the tomatoes – that is the one thing that I feel like I NEED . . . I’m short a lot of things in my freezer this year because of the off weather, but tomatoes – those make a huge difference in getting us through the winter.
Peace
I am a fall-loving girl, but I realize after this non-summer that I love the contrast – something that simply hasn’t happened. Our extended spring has become an early fall – and it does just feel off.
One thing I’ve learned in recent years – the fight to find “balance” in our lives is, in and of itself, a rather stressful proposition. Often we get into our imbalance by accepting whatever comes our way, and finding balance means learning to say “no” – which is so hard! – even to yourself (on some things). Often when I feel overwhelmed or just plain depressed by it all, I recognize that it’s because I’m grumpy that I’ve had to say no to something I want to/”should” do – and I have to either let go of that ideal or forgive myself the slip or both.
All that to say, be nice to yourself. The harvest days are coming (really!), then the holidays, then the quiet candle-and-rain nights… and then it will be spring again, and we’ll get another chance at this wonderful warmth we only see in glimpses. There’s always hope.
Sounds like how I feel every February. I am desperate for sunshine and fresh fruit. The body craves what it needs, treat yourself. Be sure and take vitamin D if you don’t get enough sunshine (10 to 15 minutes a day), a friend learned this the hard way.
Hope you have a long, sunny, beautiful fall.
-Brenda
I hear ya! The only “summer” we got was while we were travelling. The tomatoes are under cover, trying to stay warm enough to ripen, and not rot. I think my popcorn isn’t going to make it, either.
Usually there’s some sort of transition time. Not this year. Being an El Nino year, I’m not even going to bother with a winter garden. It’ll freeze out for sure. I am going to go visit the farmer’s market, though, and get what I can there. I noticed that our local corn farmer finally has corn in.
BTW, a couple of years ago, I went in to the doctor in January, and she was routinely testing women for Vitamin D. I had practically none, even though I drink a lot of milk. She said that no-one that the clinic tested had nearly enough, and that us Western Washington-ers should be taking 2000 IU a day during the winter. This is what Canada recommends. I started digging deeper, and found that your body doesn’t absorb enough sunlight for Vitamin D production unless the UV rating is at least a 3 (which doesn’t happen between November and March), and that the 10-15 minutes a day is for bare arms (which doesn’t happen here in January either!).
So I started thinking: How did northerners get enough Vitamin D during the winter? They ate salmon and herring, both loaded with Vitamin D.
Well, ladies, this is certainly one of those things that makes internet connections so interesting. I’m out here in the Southeast near the coast and we’ve had the opposite. We never had spring, just rushed straight into a super hot summer in late April and suffered in the heat because of it.
Tomatoes are a fickle being, because we’ve had a shortage as well, since it was just too hot for them around here. It will probably feel down right chilly for us next week when we finally get below 90.
Sorry you’re missing summer- I’d sure love to send you some of our heat if I could.
I’ve had a hard time with the transition to fall too; even though we had a good solid 6 weeks of really hot weather, it still wasn’t enough and September is wet so far. I’m only just starting to enjoy my beans and zukes! I echo the vitamin C and D comments. I also think that even though we have principles that we’re trying to live by, sometimes it’s really important not to fight our cultural comforts TOO much. If that pineapple looks to die for, enjoy it. REALLY enjoy it. That’s the difference–you know it’s a treat and you don’t take the path it took to get to you for granted. My mantra isn’t so much balance as “what matters is what you do 80% of the time” . As opposed to 100% of the time, which can get draining and inspire rebellion at just the wrong moment! (like when staring at a 7.99 flat of nanaimo bars at the bakery…
)
Be kind to yourself
I suppose there are worse things then buying food from the store! I’m so glad you guys got to Seaside for some nice weather- the coast is glorious, isn’t it? (As an aside, there’s a local May-October fruit stand that gets all their produce from E. Washington that appears to have excellent prices- we picked up peaches 20 lb/$11 last week. Bill Pace, in Bellevue. Probably not organics though, but I haven’t spent much time there this year.
Celina, tomatoes are the most important thing for me emotionally and I’m not even a tomato fanatic. Who knew how important they would be? I don’t remember many references to them in any of the Little House books but then it seems like they ate an awful lot of beans and johnny cakes for dinner. How depressing would THAT be?
Joy September has always been my favorite month. It’s when I feel rich as I put away food for winter like a squirrel. Maybe it’s because the tomatoes aren’t ripe and I’m not putting away food I just don’t feel that right now. I also have a hard time accepting defeat and that is what it feels like right now. We had enough tomatoes for summer meals but not the rest of the year.
Thanks Brenda! I just started on Vit D last week and I think I need to start drinking more dairy kefir again for the B vitamins. Hoping those and adjusting to life without the boys now that school has started will help.
Kristi they not only ate fish they ate fermented fish and lots of shellfish year round since they didn’t have to worry about red tide. We’ve really changed the balance of things in so many ways.
Raven I sure wish I could take you up on that. I foresee a warm weather vacation in my future this year for the first time ever.
Toni I may have to check out nanaimo bars since I’ve never heard of them. Good advice. I think I need to loosen up some of my criterion.
Myrnie thank you! I love the Oregon coast – it’s too bad you are allowed to drive on the beaches in WA because it really changes everything right down to the type of people who hang out on it. On those can’t drive on beaches they hang out right at the parking areas where we are happy to hike to a spot where there are more families and you don’t have to worry so much about what your kids will witness or overhear.