 Photo by Sebastian Beck from Pexels
Dear Farmhouse Diary, Blch! Weeding the side and back yards is dusty and hot. I miss the big ol' oak tree which hung over the fence from the neighbor's yard providing our two-story with plenty of shade -- although, to be fair, there was a leaf problem and the possibility the thing could come through our roof if a storm split branches or the trunk. It had to be as old as our home and I understand it was diseased and needed to come out last autumn. But. I. Miss. It. And I hate the new weeds that appear to be taking over the whole area. And the dust -- I hate the dust.
Labor Day Weekend The Boss does not get Monday off -- it is a regular school day for him. It was so good to get the Boss out of town and into the wild for a hike. Teaching -- even at the University level - consumes every waking hour if you let it. And it's even more complex with the pandemic looming over everything he does -- hiking was good for him! Horse Tail Falls in the Columbia Gorge is beautiful and the only hike open near the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire area. We followed up with homemade ice cream and the weekly Zoom talk with his clan -- everyone made it this week!! On Sunday we made an afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones and dessert. A nice end to the weekend. Picking apples and canning applesauce with Daughter and Son-in-law was a great way to spend Labor Day. -- Maybe I can plant two apple trees on our side of the fence to replace the oak tree... -- We made twelve half-pint jars and four pint jars of applesauce. I even have another bushel of apples and two humongous zucchinis from the farm's garden -- now all I need are onions and we have chutney. But I discovered on my way home there is a world-wide shortage of canning lids! Seriously? I remember my Mother using paraffin to seal jars, but the USDA no longer recommends this method. Hopefully, we can pull together enough lids for a few pints of chutney. Fires. Evacuations. Destruction. We are okay, but so many people have lost everything. Everything. We are packed and ready to walk out the door if the evacuation level changes for Newberg. We helped Daughter and Son-in-law evacuate from Canby and my car is filled with some of their precious items -- a hope chest, a handmade console table, a keyboard, memorabilia from both their families -- and lots of gluten free flours. They had left Canby when the evacuation level was at a one on Wednesday, but when it went to a level two, I asked my daughter if there was anything still at the house which they could not replace. She created a list as we drove over and we gave ourselves an hour and a half to move those items most dear. We did it in an hour. I remember when we were young marrieds and cannot imagine making the decisions they are forced to face. Both Daughters, Sons-in-law and Little Guy are safe. The extended families for the six of us are safe -- we worry and pray for those who may have lost their home in the Riverside fire. I pray they stay safe. I pray for those who have lost so much. I pray for safety for the firefighters. I pray for rain. No storm, no wind -- just steady rain.
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