The weather is cooling off, the season is winding down, the adventures are ramping up. Where does the time go? My last posting was in early, rainy June, when summer vibes were a promise on the horizon. I haven’t finished much this summer, but there’s a lot cooking. I’ll have a painting to show you next week. Someone said to me in spring that you can be very busy all summer simply being outside, and I latched onto that statement like it was my season’s mission.
I spent a lot of time reading
This summer I chewed through six books. Topics ranged from foraging, to the medicine of art, to taxonomy. I tweet a short review of each book I finish on my Twitter and Blusky feeds, along with a photo of the cover. I get all my books from the library, and have become an annual donor as my way of justifying all my late-returns to the new-non-fiction section.
I spent a lot of time dancing
Dance has continued to grow as a means of creative expression. The troupe is growing and performing at more serious venues. We have a studio showcase in the fall that we’re learning a lot of new material for, and it’s a big commitment. Dance has also brought drumming back into my life, but without the benefit of professional instruction. I could really use a tutor!
I spent a lot of time outside
In the garden, in the canoe, or sleeping in my new 60-second-pop-up tent, this is the season to be outside. I can already feel the air turning to fall. While it was hot, I toured the Berkshire Botanical Gardens for the first time in the summer, perused the Lenox Art Festival, picked blueberries, and spent time on a local lake beach. This time outside recharges the creative batteries, and helped me with a painting I was working on that involved a lot of grass.
The garden is thriving this year, with a few notable exceptions. I intentionally scaled back on what I’m growing in an effort to cut down on manual labor. This particular year wasn’t looking good for weeding every weekend–when does it ever–so I tried to make things easier on myself by planting less. It won’t surprise you that spacing plants out more makes for happier plants. Even if the yield is less overall, I’m getting bigger yields of basil and peppers by planting fewer radish, carrots, turnips, and greens.
Disappointment has come to my squash beds, however, where I have three lush vining plants and not a single squash. I should by now have several green pumpkins, but I’ve got nothing but flowers that bloom and fade with no fruit. It may be the drought, or depleted soil, or some unknown disease. I will be buying whatever boring squash the grocery stores have this year, I suppose.
In the kitchen, I have dug deeper into the fundamentals of bread-baking in order to make my own recipes with a solid knowledge-base. I have switched to cast-iron, increased my temperatures, and added seeds and oats. We also got a new dishwasher! It is such a privilege to have clean-dishes the first-time and an easy-to-clean stainless tub.
Before I return indoors for colder weather, I have a lot more fun and creation planned for fall. There will be scenery, costumes, and art for me to share with you as the landscape transforms itself over the northern country. Did you make or grow anything this summer?
