It Must Be August

It must be August, as we are roofing, and there are raspberries, and I have a whole crop of winter garden starts begging to be put in the ground immediately. We are eating fresh tomatillo salsa and cucumber salad, fresh strawberries in our breakfast cereal, and crisp green beans, lightly steamed with butter with our dinners. The zucchinis are out of control, and we are anxiously awaiting that first, garden-ripe, home-grown tomato, which I just noticed is beginning to yellow around its shoulders--AT LAST! We even have bell peppers and eggplants. There are pickles fermenting on the counter, and the fridge is full of produce from our garden and the local CSA. I hear that pears are ripe, too. It's not too far until the first apples, probably just a few weeks. My raised bed crops are poking their seed leaves above the soil, ready to get big before the nights cool down: arugula, beets, carrots, radishes, scallions, and spinach. It's amazing to me how the garden schedule really doesn't let up until it begins to rain in November. To keep food on the table, I need to continue to plant from February all the way through August, culminating with the garlic and winter wheat in October.

Regarding roofs, the crew just started raising rafters on the main house today. Earlier this week, they did most of the carport rafters, and they have been working on trimming the main beam, getting it ready to build the clerestory, which will support the north side rafters.