This is the time of year when I glory in bringing in the harvest. It never ceases to amaze that a tiny seed, given rain, sun, soil, and a little love, will grow into a great vigorous plant that miraculously produces big, juicy, delicious fruits that feed us until we can’t bear to eat any more.
We’re overrun with luscious fruit!! Over 55 peaches eaten fresh in just about 2 weeks of gluttonous delight! Everbearing strawberries are still producing. Tiny blueberry bushes loaded with berries. Raspberries dropping off the canes (but covered with horrid fruit flies). Watermelon, cantaloupe…
Vegetables are doing well too, for the most part. I’m swamped with produce to put up for the winter.
But I say “for the most part” because the tomatoes now have late blight. It’s horrible. The fruits get gross blisters and the whole plants wither and die.
My parents visited and we fixed the hoophouse that partially collapsed in the snow last winter. This fix makes me feel much more confident that we will survive the next big snowstorm without further damage, plus we can now walk through the central aisle without dodging boards.
I’ve also been working on our high porch railing, in part to keep all of our friends’ kiddos safe from a second story drop-off; previously the railing basically functioned as a ladder.
The flowers are nice too…
Our hugelkultur bed succeeded in growing pumpkins and tomatoes, despite the fact that it is essentially still a pile of logs, sawdust, and grass clippings.
A few hen turkeys along with their mixed-age young like to journey through our yard frequently, eating grass seed and dust-bathing in the potato patch.
We found this gray tree frog resting on a grape leaf.
Julia Blyth 
Fantastic!! Strangely, Arby’s roast beef ads peppered your blog , such juxtaposition! A huge fruit year all around.
Interesting… on my computer, it’s Wonder Woman. Guess it might be worth it for me to pay the $30 or whatever for ads not to be displayed.
I had no ads visible but experienced simple delight in your success — and the beauty of your efforts horticultural and architectural is inspiring! Bless your dad for helping get you ready for the winter! It was such a pleasure to spend a little time with them while sampling your harvest. See you both real soon–OK?
Love your homemade mozzarella – it looks scrumptious nestled amid your homegrown tomatoes and basil! Your garden is amazing, and I thank you for the railing work – I know several youngsters only too happy to avail themselves of the “ladders.”