How busy is too busy?

 

To say that's it's been a busy stretch would be an understatement. It's that time of year when you look around and see a few things that need done before the really cold weather creeps up on you. So I got busy, did the work, and I videoed a lot of it. 

There was cleaning up the wood yard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOMDflULKhs&t=8s 

I harvested the basil and made pesto. It's not really a cooking vid, just the way I do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k922IppD3FE&t=17s

One day, I took some time to do the little bit of fall decorating I do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC2V-dpXLVU

But the really BIG THING that happened was the tree trimmers finally arrived to take down the mostly dead oak tree. I've been sorting and organizing the logs so that when the wood dries out enough to split, it will be an easier job. That video isn't out yet, but it's coming soon. 

On top of all that at the home front, I've been out to dinner with friends, dined with family, and enjoyed the weekly Trivia Nite at a local "tavern" with a cousin. The game takes place in the ballroom so you know it's not a real tavern. I canned a batch of green peppers, chicken breast, and white bean and sausage soup.

This week, I put on my author hat and started to add my backlist to Audible. You can read about that over at Between the Keys. If you already have some of my titles, you can add the audiobook for $1.99. It's going to cost me a small fortune to get the audiobooks into my personal library, but it'll be worth it. 

It seems like I have something to do every day, and by the end of the day, I'm bushed. Heck, I went to bed with the chickens last night and slept for nine hours! 

In reality, I think it's good to be busy. Having nothing to do would make life pretty boring. Those days are just around the corner. Winter will arrive and my days will shrink to the computer, the TV, and the woodstove. 

Until then, I'll count my busy blessings.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, YouTube, autumn, gardening, woodstove, firewood, tree trimming, cooking, basil, Black Labrador Retriever, family, trivia, winter, audio books

Perfect weather!

Suffice it to say that August got away from me. I accomplished very little. Looking back through my day calendar to see what I did do was depressing. Yes, Tropical Depression Debby was a hindrance, but I can't blame it all on the rain. I think my ass grew into my recliner, which I do not like. It can't be allowed to become a habit. 

In my defense, August was stinkin' hot. Hazy, hot, and humid hot. Not the sort of weather anyone not accustomed to it needs to be doing yard work in. I busied myself with several canning projects. Broth, three different soups, and a lot of applesauce made it onto the pantry shelves. I'm not finished yet. I still want to process some beef stew, pork stew, and jardiniere (pickled veggies). 

But today was for something different. Today was my kind of weather with sunshine, almost no breeze, and the mercury in the mid-seventies. I got busy and cleaned up several months worth of downed sticks and had a little 'campfire'. 

I don't know what we did before we got the John Deere 1023. Having a compact tractor makes life a lot easier. I filled six buckets full of debris and burned it one bucket at a time. I took my time and took breaks sitting on the tractor to watch the fire, too. I kept it small and it worked out great! 

It feels good to get that much done. At least now when someone comes to visit, the lane and approaches are tidy. I call that a good day's work.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, rural living, country lifestyle, John Deere 1023, campfire, burning brush, yard work, a writer's life, outside chores, good weather, autumn

The days go by fast

I'm happy to have completed a six-week stint filling in for the young woman who took my position when I retired. She's been on maternity leave and I was asked to help keep the office afloat. It was a lot more stressful than I thought it would be, but now it's in the past. I posted a bit about it over on my writing blog, Between the Keys. The bottom line is that I'm delighted I can return to my real life here at Holly Tree Manor. 

Even with spending time back on the job, I managed to get a few things accomplished. The gardening season finished and firewood season began. The firewood for the 2024-25 winter got a big boost when I hired a service to take down the leaning maple. That maple had been leaning since 2003 when Hurricane Isabel hit us. 

The Mad Canner was busy, too. I made and canned apple pie filling and curried apple chutney, plus chicken and beef broth for the pantry. 

Autumn is waning and we're drifting toward winter. The nights have really cooled down and I've had the woodstove burning. We get some rather wide temperature swings this time of year so I need to pay attention to the weather forecast to balance using the woodstove with cycling the heat pump. On sunny afternoons, I don't need either one. 

I don't mind the changing of the seasons. There is beauty in each one, and each brings a set of chores to be done. Yesterday, I worked in the woodyard for about an hour and a half, then hopped on the X370 John Deere mower to chop leaves. This time of year the leaves are a never-ending task, but I can't let them smother my poor grass. I estimate I'll need to mow the leaves two, possibly three, more times, and the leaf blower will get a workout, too. I don't mind that job, either. I love being outside. 

Dawn has passed and there is blue sky overhead. It's time to join the Lord of the Manor for morning coffee and to find out if he's feeling up to helping me any today. I'll get more rounds cut if he's on the tractor using the brush crusher to lift and hold them for me. But I can do it by myself if necessary.

That's one of the things living in the country has taught me. It is up to me. 

The Lady of the Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, firewood, John Deere x370, John Deere 1023, autumn, country lifestyle, rural living, empowered women, home food preservation, apple pie filling, a writer's life

Rainy autumn days

I should be writing or making split pea soup. I should be in the laundry room pairing up socks so I can toss them in the appropriate drawers (his and hers). I should be doing any number of things that need doing, but instead, I've been wasting time. 

It's a rainy, dreary, windy autumn day. The wind is showing me just how far along the trees are in changing color, so I guess it's not all bad. 

The view outside my window is different. With the poplar tree gone, a woodpile has taken its place. Loki has already discovered the squirrels that have taken to sitting on top of the woodpile. He's stalking them, but not having any success, I'm happy to report. 

Yesterday was the complete opposite of today. The sun was bright and the sky was clear and blue. The last blooms of the season, those the deer didn't find, are showing their colors. The deer are more interested in the acorn crop than blooms right now. 

Dreary days like today will become more frequent as the season turns toward winter. I must learn to change with them. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, autumn, winter, changing seasons, woodpile, squirrels, country lifestyle, rural living, simple country pleasures, a writer's life, rain, fall color

Another "I" storm: Hurricane Ian

The remnants of Hurricane Ian reached us last night at about seven o'clock. We've had a slow, soaking rain for over twelve hours, and now there is a bit of sunshine peeking through. I don't expect it to last long. What we're experiencing is a very different Ian from what hit the southern states. My prayer is for those who lost everything, or so much, that they will be able to either rebuild or relocate as they desire. 

We have family and friends in the south and we worried for them. A close friend is in Port St. Lucie, Florida. My stepson and his family are near Savannah. My one brother-in-law recently moved from Port New Ritchie, FL, to Charleston, SC. Oops. The other brother-in-law is outside of Norfolk, VA. Another friend is near Danville, VA. It seems all is well with them so we are thankful. 

The "I" named storms are the ones that seem to impact my area and so I'm quite relieved Ian fizzled when it hit the Smokey Mountains. Those peaks, and those of the Blue Ridge, protect us most of the time. 

Cousin D- and I had a laugh that the weather service has retired the name "Ida" as this was our grandmother's name. She, too, was a force of nature without the destruction. D- has a sister-in-law in Florida and I wonder how she and her family fared. 

And so today we watch it rain. It's a good time to catch up on some indoor chores and be grateful to be safe and secure when so many are not. 

People (especially the media folk) will scream the hurricane happened due to climate change, but there have always been hurricanes. We may measure them differently now, but we have not caused them. We may cause them in the future if we persist in erecting more and more wind turbines, so think about that for a moment. "Ponder on it a spell" as those of us living on the fringes of Appalachia often advise. 

The day awaits, as does the laundry, but first I'll finish my coffee and watch the leaves fall. That is one of autumn's simple country pleasures. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Ida, country living, rural lifestyle, autumn, falling leaves, cutting firewood, wind turbines, Smokey Mountains, a writer's life

Head first into the metaphorical wall

It's not been the best of weeks. I accomplished a few things, sure, but I definitely feel a bit melancholy as the end of summer approaches.  I'm sure part of the problem is those feelings of guilt when I leave the spousal unit home alone to go play in the woods with the dog. If you think our State parks are handicap friendly you'd be wrong. We live beside a state park and access to the trail system is blocked to power chairs and scooters by very large boulders and locked gates. But I digress....for now...

This morning I processed another ten pints of tomato sauce. I did go purchase enough tomatoes to add to my own to fill the canner with nine jars and have one left over to use in the next few days. I've enjoyed canning this summer and get giddy when I view my shelves in the basement. I've got a good variety and plan to add soups to it as the fall weather brings cooler evenings. 

Another thing weighing on my mind is something that seems to be an annual event in my greater community. Three young men, all in high school, were killed in an automobile accident a few days ago. The car driven by one of the young men attempted to merge onto the Interstate and struck a tractor-trailer. The local police determined the car was moving at a high rate of speed. What they don't say is lack of experience was certainly a factor. My heart goes out to the families, families that will never be the same. There were losses in my day as well and even though I am not family, I don't forget. 

I hope that when tomorrow dawns I wake with renewed energy. I don't like feeling "mopey" and having no ambition. The spousal unit, a very smart man, suggests that I've needed a bit of a break. He may be correct although I'll refrain from saying that to him. I think my funk has put him in a funk. He's hovering. 

So tomorrow, in the mood or not, I must rise early and go for a long walk. It will do me, and Deuce, a world of good. A break is a fine thing, but I have much to do as the days shorten. I'll have plenty of time for "breaks" when the mercury dips below 32F. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

**I learned after posting this that one of the young men killed last week is the nephew of an old school friend.**

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, country living, rural lifestyle, home food preservation, motivations, community mourns, walking the dog, state parks, canning, a writer's life, car accidents, seasons, autumn, end of summer

Future tense

Future tense: a tense expressing an action that has not yet happened or a state that does not yet exist

I must confess that, so far, retirement has not been entirely as anticipated. We've been busy, both doing and planning. I thought I'd spend a lot more time on the patio with my laptop, but that's not been the case. Catching up on home & garden projects is satisfying, as is getting our ducks in a row to be able to do a few fun things. Tomorrow we're having new front tires put on the van which is the last step before we take off on a day trip.

This should have already been done, but the heat wave slowed us down. The last three weeks or so have been brutal and working outside needed to be done in small increments. After an early morning tending to the garden and/or cleaning up after the tree trimmer, it was too much like work to get the van to town for tires. The heat has passed and the time is tomorrow. 

It's actually been raining most of today - a blessing of soft, gentle rain that soaks into the ground. I spent most of my day writing which was a welcome change of pace. I need to get that story finished and out the door. It's taken far too long as it is. 

I have more canning projects on the horizon. The last of my own tomatoes went into nine jars as tomato sauce. What few tomatoes are still on the vine will go to the table. The heat wave affected the plants and they withered and stopped setting flowers, so no more fruit. When I go to the local orchards to get pears, I may price tomatoes and decide if I want to get a bushel to finish out the amounts I planned to can this season. 

Even if I don't make my canning goals, it has been a good season. Any amount of food without additives is a win. 

Now we've turned our focus to autumn chores. I've called the chimney sweep and am waiting for him to return my call. There's firewood to split and stack, and the lane needs a top dressing of gravel. Once the leaves fall, a few low-hanging branches need to be pruned. 

I'm enjoying being home even though I'm working a lot harder than I did at the day job. 

Am I bored? Nope. To a country girl, this is all play. May it continue to be so.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, home canning, country lifestyle, rural living, splitting firewood, gardening, tomato sauce, autumn, pruning trees, tires, day trips, a writer's life

The leaves will always win

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year. Like a lot of people, I can say it's my favorite season, but I think each one has something to recommend it. Autumn has beautiful leaves - until they turn brown and hit the ground. Then they become our Nemesis.

Holly Tree Manor is a three-acre estate. Two of those acres are still wooded, so we have leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. We don't rake as a general rule. We use a mower and chop them up so the leaves can decompose and feed the grass. But there are a few places around the house and the shed where we use a blower in an attempt to keep things tidy. 

I'm attempting to learn how to make a cohesive video. This is important given my partner's health. There may come a day when he can no longer live at home. I fear he will need more care than I can provide. If that day comes, videos will become an important way for him to connect with my day-to-day life and see how things are at home. 

I'm not very good at setting up a camera angle, but I'll get there. It helps that Deuce is the star of the show. The original video of leaf blowing is up at Youtube. The edited version is below. I think a good tripod would be helpful and I think I'll ask Santa to order one for me. 

Did Himself get a laugh out of my war on the leaves? Not really. He's fought the fight himself in years past. He knows we wage skirmishes, never expecting to win a battle, much less the war.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

 

Standing Guard

I'm not sure when, or why, I decided to apply my writing skills to the occasional poem, but I'm glad I did. 

Thanksgiving 2017 was the first holiday I spent without my mother. I knew then that my days of big family celebrations had come to an end. It felt rather strange but I knew I'd been set free in an unexpected way. Some of the shackles I lived with fell away upon the realization that as you get older even the family you love isn't always good for you in every situation. 

It wasn’t until it was gone that I realized the amount of stress I suffered at these family gatherings where, without my grandfather to buffer other individuals, my every imperfection was on vivid display. With the passage of time, the sharp edges of memory are blunted and I can once again recall those times with childlike fondness.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Standing Guard

(Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2017)

Long ago I tread a path
A misty woodland way
I had no company along the trek
So the trees could have their say

They spoke to me in silence
With movement seen not heard
And I replied in quiet kind
Walking without a word

The day ahead held demands
Devoid of mist and air
I could not whine or complain
Or do what trees don't dare

Beneath the ground unseen by all
Their roots do intertwine
Reminding me the path ahead
Leads home to all that's mine

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor

Autumnal equinox

The word equinox comes from two Latin words  - "aequus" which is "equal," and "nox" which is "night." Obviously, equal hours of night and day, light and dark, occur at the autumnal equinox. But it's more than that. 

The autumnal equinox is not an all day event. It occurs at the specific time the sun crosses the celestial equator. In the year 2020, that occurred at 9:31 AM, Eastern Daylight Time. The fall equinox brings the promise of the new season at the end of summer, the loss of humidity (thank heavens!), and cool evenings spent on the porch watching the leaves fall. 

Being it is the year 2020, I've heard plenty of quips that this fall is actually the fall of civilization, but no. It's autumn - the best time of the year. 

Did you know the actual date of the fall equinox can vary? It's usually on September 22, but due to the earth's orbit and the Gregorian calendar, it can change. It actually takes the earth 365.25 days to orbit, so the equinox is generally six hours later than the prior year. Then leap year happens and sets it back a day. A September 21 equinox hasn't occurred for several millennia, but it will happen in the year 2092. I think a lot of us will miss that one. A September 24 equinox hasn't happened since 1931, and won't happen again until 2303. So we're stuck with bouncing back and forth from September 22 and 23. 

This year on the manor, the maple leaves are turning right on time. Yesterday, I was walking out the lane and looked up to find the top leaves in one of the big maples had turned yellow and orange. Small beginnings herald what will become a storm of leaves. 

Already the evenings are too short. I got busy and did a last minute task, that being painting the ramp to the front porch. The sun had dipped when I started and it was actually chilly working without it. Thankfully, it was a quick job and I'm glad it's finished. I never run out of things to paint.

Even chilly, it was good to be outside in the fresh autumn air. It allowed me to bend over and dip the brush in the paint without sweating into the open paint can. Some things are simple pleasures even as they're annoying chores. 

It's a downward slide to winter from here, but it's a journey we'll savor. Autumn truly is a blessed season. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor

Gratitude in a September walk

Last Sunday I went for a walk in the woods across the road from my house. I'm grateful it's parkland and no houses can be built there. The manor is in a conservation district which means there isn't room for any houses on my side of the road, either. I'm grateful for that, too. 

I walk in those woods frequently, but every walk brings something different. On this walk I saw a little wildflower growing out of a stump, bright orange toadstool/mushroom fungus growing at the base of a tree, and an old tree limb with white mold or whatever growing on it. None of it is new to me, but I was grateful I got to see and photograph all of it. 

I also spotted a few red leaves on the tips of a maple tree branch. Autumn is coming and I'm ready to embrace cooler days. With my life-long dream of spending my days on the manor about to come 

true, autumn is the very best time for new beginnings. 

Now it's time to work on the dream of turning an unused bedroom in my house into a butler's pantry. I can't wait to see all my stockpots, baking dishes, and small appliances on a shelf we can both easily access as we get older. No more climbing onto a step stool or going up and down the basement stairs. 

Life at Holly Tree Manor has always been good, and now it will be better. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

A short video of our babbling brook: