turning the calendar on day 7

How sad to be so consumed by the day to day to have totally missed the turning of the calendar from August to September, one of my favorite months. I wrote a few cards today, all belated. In the first 6 days of this month there are 4 anniversaries of marriage, an anniversary of birth, an anniversary of death and 2 birthdays. I had company and was involved in visiting and working for long hours past my normal. Good, yes. But sad. I want so much to be in the moment and also be aware of the worlds around me, physical, emotional, communal. I need to learn how to do that and be busy at the same time if I have to be.
There was a storm her last Friday that produced only minor disruption at the farm, except for all the apples that blew down, but was devastating to trees and fields and power in the towns north of here. I had taken these photos of our apple tree just the day before.

My sister Terri, who was visiting at the time, helped me pick up the windfalls that afternoon. We stopped with these because we were both too hot and sweating from the roots of our hair.

These don't even take into account the 3 overflowing pots of apples we stacked outside the chicken yard that were too cracked or bruised for us, but good for them.
Fortunately, yesterday my friends Eli and Lovina arrived in their wagon pulled by two of their horses, and picked and picked up enough apples for Lovina to process 100 quarts of applesauce and all the apple butter she could make. She felt she could share some apples with her sister, Mary, but asked if they ran out if they could come back for more later. Looking at the tree, I'd say there would be plenty for us and them and then some.
In the later afternoon yesterday my herbalist friend Robin came to harvest goldenrod and she took 2 full boxes of apples as well! I am totally thrilled to have been able to share so many. There is a second apple tree on the edge of our property which is also loaded, with slightly smaller apples. Eli thought they'd be especially good for their cider and promised to take some a little later when they were riper.
All of the apple gathering by my friends went a long way to cheer this sad heart. Alas, yesterday Jerome had to leave for the city after being here since Saturday morning. We worked like the dickens getting projects done and yet our "to do" list didn't really get much shorter. It is so good to have him here and helps me to concentrate on how beautiful life will be here and how complete when he can finally join me.
Here he is getting ready to cut a board for more shelving and organization in the garage. We put up 3 new shelves and really organized things. After vacuuming and sweeping and sorting the work table is clear, the windows don't look half bad and you can find almost everything. We did lose 3 of the new shelf brackets, though. Darn.

Our weather couldn't have been nicer, only 60 degrees for a high on Sunday but into the high 60s low 70s Monday and Tuesday and blanket weather at night. Clear skies, lovely sunsets, and lots of stars.
I have so much to share, but will close this post by a quick word about the postcard I received through the Do What You Love postcard exchange. It is from Stephanie in Leeds UK. Isn't it perky and fun?

Thanks, Stephanie. I wish I had your email so I could write to thank you. I'll send a written note in the next day or two.
I do thank my 3 good blogger pals, Simone, Karen and Judy, for their comments to me. And after my last visitors tomorrow through Saturday morning,  my sister Mary and her husband Ed, I hope to have a long overdue visit with each of you. Ed has his doctorate and is the former head of the horticulture department at Harper College in Illinois. Mary worked for years at Amlings Flowerland (no longer in business) and more recently Platt Hill Nursery. She has labored successfully on every property she's owned, most recently her beautiful cliffside lot in LakeView Arkansas.  A few photos of their place:

                                             looking into their screen porch on the upper deck

                          looking out of their screen porch to the unscreened part of the upper deck

                                                    looking down to the lower gardens

                                                  their view off the back upper deck
By the way, Ed built all the decking himself.

I have lots of questions for both of them regarding my property and will pick their brains for ideas and suggestions. When we were kids Mary labored beside me weeding our father's vegetable garden and our mother's flower beds. 25 cents each for a full bushel of weeds! Ah, the good old days.