This past week has passed very quickly. My life has settled into an ordinary rhythm with just ordinary tasks. I spent the early part of this week working in my gardens and finally catching up on some of the weeding that has been neglected for years. At the same time, I put my flowerbeds to rest for the winter. On Tuesday, I harvested the rest of my beets and cooked up a pumpkin that had been given to us. On Wednesday, I made curried pumpkin soup and cleaned the beets. I still need to finish freezing the pumpkin puree and I believe I will make some beet pickles with the beets that I have cleaned. Also on Wednesday night, I went to dinner and a musical show with a couple of my friends from the "Grace Notes". While I was at the concert, BAM...exhaustion hit me mid-week and mid-show. I have been struggling ever since. I listened to my body Wednesday night and left the concert during the intermission to go home and go to bed. Yesterday, Thursday, I did our groceries and errands. It wiped me out. Today was a warm Autumn day and I took advantage of it to do some laundry and dry it on the line outside. I also mowed the lawn and took the opportunity to mulch the leaves with the lawn mower.
After cutting the grass, I decided to rest on the patio with a cup of tea sitting on the table at my elbow. The tea patiently sat there waiting for me to sip it. The wasps were sluggish and "dumb". It was easy to swat and kill them. While I sat in my lounger on the patio, I could hear the wind dancing through the trees. I found this very soothing while the leaves chattered in the wind. There were gusts of wind which caused the leaves to blow through the air and run across the green, lush grass in the wind. While sitting and watching all this, my clothing on the line caught my attention as it bucked and danced in the wind while it dried them. While I listened to the wind, it was accompanied by my wind chimes. These soothing sounds were abruptly interrupted by a motorized tractor labouring in my neighbour's yard and also by a train horn from the nearby railway tracks. I always have a sense of relief in the silence which is broken by the wind rushing through the trees.
As I mentioned, I was hit with exhaustion part way through the week. It manifests itself in sore hands, achy muscles, weariness, restlessness and a general feeling of being unsettled. As I sat on the patio, I was still exhausted but I was soothed by the surrounding bits of nature. When I first sat down in my lounger, the sun was gently warming me as it seeped through my sweatpants and into my weary bones. As I surveyed the patio, I noticed the various items that still need to be brought inside and put away for the winter. I looked at my little garden statue sitting on the patio. It was given to me many years ago as a Mother's Day present. The mother, sitting on her bench holding her baby cherub, is cracked and broken but her baby cherub is still whole and healthy. I look at this statue and it is a mirror of how I feel. The last several years have caused my body to be cracked and broken but my children are healthy and whole as I have tried to protect them from some of the harsh truths of life. Anyway, back to surveying my patio and I noticed another sculpture and several lanterns that need to be brought inside before winter. Then I noticed my teal coloured metal loon decoration. As the wind blew through it today, it spun and wobbled crazily. I found it hypnotizing and very relaxing to watch it spin. Soon it too, will have to be put away before winter. Our fire pot also needs to be brought out of the elements. I don't believe we will have any more little campfires this season. At the same time, my garden bistro set needs to be put away along with our patio table and chairs.
I sat long enough on the patio that the sun moved further west and my chair was now in the shade. I realized that there was a chill in the air to remind me it is Autumn and not Summer. On a day like today, I am happy to be off work and able to enjoy this last fling of a warm day. I was able to see the trees were getting ready to sleep for the winter. The leaves are drying out and curling on the branches. As they are partially dried, this explains the chattering sound as the wind blows through them and attempts to tear them off the trees.
Our bird feeder is still hanging in the tree but less birds are around to partake of the free meal. Today, a pair of mourning doves were grazing and eating seeds under the feeder. While they enjoyed their meal, a fat grey squirrel ran near them and the mourning doves scattered. The squirrel made its way to our pear tree and then over to the oak tree where it seemed to find some acorns. After the squirrel was near the oak tree, the mourning doves settled back down and returned to pecking at the fresh, cut grass. I could also hear some chickadees chattering away at the same time as sparrows chirped nearby.
Along with all this beautiful nature, my wind chimes were creating soothing and slightly sad music in the background. While listening to them, I recognized that the minor third was most prevalent in today's music. These wind chimes were a souvenir from our trip to PEI in 2014. The stained glass pendulum always reminds me of the ocean water and white breakers of the waves. The stained glass is full of swirling blues and whites. With the wind chimes and the opportunity to enjoy the nature in my backyard, it was a lazy, calming and meditating sort of afternoon. Other people might feel this way on a hot, sunny beach at the ocean's edge, but I like the moderate temperatures and green grass. In my backyard, I do miss the sounds of the waves. But today, if I listened closely, I could just hear it in the gusts of wind in the trees.
As I mulled my thoughts this afternoon, I remembered my former neighbour from when we lived in the country. She passed away very recently. Most of what I know about gardening, I learned from her. She used to have a wide variety of vegetables and fruits and used her bountiful harvests for freezing and canning. She was always a generous woman and shared her knowledge and bounty with me and my children. A few times, I did some hand stitching on her quilts with her. She was a lovely, warm and loyal Christian woman. I have many fond memories and am saddened to know that she has passed away. She will be remembered.
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