Refreshed and renewed

Last long weekend, Wednesday through Sunday, was spent at the Blue Ridge YMCA Assembly in Black Mountain, NC with friends I see only once or twice a year for an annual retreat. It started as a yarn spinner’s retreat and has over the years incorporated knitters, crocheters, quilters, weavers, various paper arts, and one spoon carver. There were 27 of us, 24 staying on site and 3 that commuted for the daytime for two of the days. I didn’t even take my spinning wheel this year, just spindles, crochet hooks, knitting needles, some fiber and yarn. One of my friends raises 80 sheep, alpacas, and a llama and she comes loaded with fiber to sell and boxes of jars of homemade jams also to sell. I did indulge in 8 ounces of her lovely fiber for spinning and began on some of it when I finished what I had brought from home. A pair of fingerless mitts were completed, a crocheted hat done, and another pair of mitts begun. There is always lots of chatter, rest, and good meals that I didn’t have to prepare.

On Monday, I called the lawnmower repair guy who had both our riding mower and our gas push mower for three weeks about when they would be ready. The return call yesterday afternoon said they were and we went to pick them up. Once the riding mower was off the trailer and the trailer stowed back in the barn, I started the riding mower and the blades wouldn’t engage. The front yard was started with the push mower, but between it beginning to rain and the grass having not been mowed in a month, it was not doable. The edging with the line trimmer was started after dinner and the rain had stopped but the battery only lasts about 45 minutes so it wasn’t finished. This morning, a second go at it got me around the house and most of the way around the garden and chickens, but again the battery needed recharging. We loaded the trailer back on the car, loaded the riding mower and returned it to the shop in the rain. If it ever stops, I will finish the edging and our hay guy is going to bring a more substantial mower over and knock the grass back.

After hardly any rain this spring, we are getting so much now. The fall hay should be much better than the spring hay. The grass is thick and growing tall quickly. Our riding mower couldn’t even handle the lawn at this point.

Last night, many tomatoes and peppers were harvested and today, the now ripe grapes picked. The tomatoes along with a bag I had frozen are simmering on the stove. They will be canned this evening. The Jalapenos are pickled, and the grapes crushed and covered to ferment into red wine vinegar for the winter. Though the garden is a mess, we will take what we can get. The rain has encouraged the pumpkins and gourds to try to take over, so there will be fall decorations, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin soup.