A garden in autumn

After the heavy thunderstorms that deluged our holler with rain, thankfully, I managed to slop my way back into the fall garden. The ground too saturated to do anything beneficial, I was forced to call it a night.

The evenings in our holler are something to behold. I had been told to expect thick overreaching blackness, and indeed there are nights that you feel as though you are being sucked into the abyss with the banshees that scream in the hills. However there are nights that the darkness cloaks you comfortably. The frame of tree tops encompassing the bottom lands hint of a looming lightness just about to peak from overtop, yet never arrives.  The fireflies have gone into torpor for the autumn and forthcoming winter. When they are out, it reminds me of city lights twinkling in the far distance. So many more than on the open plains.

Sleep always comes quickly. A mundane day full of back aching work tends to help with that. Only occasionally are you awakened by the banshees, or a coyote yipping in heat, or the herd of deer that saunter just uphill from our cabin startling the puppies into an uncontrollable fit of yapping.  Sleep is good. I wake with the alarm buzzing next to my head. My first step always causes me to bite my lip against a scream. Because of the knee injury, the time for recovery has caused me to rely on my left foot far more than normal, and now have a new injury that can only be heeled with time, stretches and rest. Alas there is no rest for the wicked, time and stretching is my only hope to curb this excruciating pain. I digress, boys are ushered to join the day, and with them safely deposited on the top of our ridge, a day of labor may begin.

On this day, I find myself picking up antibiotics from Urgent Care for Husband. A wound on his foot became quite infected. Redness climbed over the arch and into his ankle. The Dr had know idea what may have occurred, a round of antibiotics was sure to help. Anything as long as I didn't lose Husband. Already the infection has diminished greatly. Once I have returned home, completed another round of laundry, as a breeze has kicked up and only one day drying time was needed. Dishes are completed and more coffee is brewed, I may now return to my garden adventure. 

As I had finished planting peas before the rain, I broke out my trusty garden claw and began a new row, and then another, and yet another. Lettuce, radish, onions, carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, garlic, leeks, and potatoes have now all been planted. I am very late with the garden, and can only hope for a full month of no hard frost to allow them to grow strong enough to survive the first real snap of winter. My next task will be to gather the leaves that fall at this time of year, and place them at least a foot deep over the precious food to be. Helping them to stay warm. If the roots freeze, I will have no winter stores.