Then there were the tomatoes........

We were lucky not to have lost our tomato crop to late blight, as many neighbors did. Considering that we grew so many flowers for the wedding, it was amazing to get any tomatoes at all. There is nothing quite as nice as smelling chili sauce simmering. (Well, pumpkin pie, Jim Lahey's bread or pizza with fresh pesto are pretty nice, too.) Had to make some salsa for the dead of winter, too.

Fall is here, nights are getting cold, and Terry's focus has moved to the re-building of the shed. The garden is going to sleep soon, but not before we pick the rest of beets, carrots and lettuce. The rain has perked up the rhubarb.... but wait, I think I still have frozen rhubarb from last year. There aren't enough hours in the day to get to all of this.

Pears

While Anne was still home, but before she left for Indiana to learn all about making goat cheese, we harvested the pears. Last year I learned that you have to pick them BEFORE they ripen or else they rot from the inside out. So, by testing them with a sideways turn, you take the ones that snap off at the stem. We picked enough to make 41 pints.

Anne made puff pastry on top of which she spread almond cream and poached pears. Grandaisy, this is your loss!

Life After the Wedding

I can't believe that it was Aug. 5 since I last updated this. I have been busy...really. My part-time job gets in the way of doing fun things. The beets just kept on coming after the wedding. Hannah and I spent a day pickling 52 pints using two recipes - one plain , the other with spices. We are enjoying them in salads and sandwiches. Hannah is worried that we didn't make enough.

Mark and Patty Jenks' Artistry

The wedding arch was crafted by good friends of Hannah and Ian's. The structure in the back had metal tiles wired to the frame, two "hands" holding a candle and a bell at the top. Just before the ceremony Patty added fresh flowers. As if that was not enough,Mark also made a"Wish Basket" which was planted in the lower perennial garden. Attached to the frame was a clipboard with papers and pens so that guests could write their wishes for Hannah and Ian and put them into the basket made of rusted garden fencing. Mark made the wire look as soft as fabric. Eventually, these will go to Hannah and Ian's yard in Tremont, but until then, we are enjoying this very special garden art.

July 25, 2009

It seems like a blur, but the wedding was spectacular, if I must say so myself. There was so much LOVE in the tent and garden... no one wanted the evening to end.... so it went on until 3 A.M. The band quit at 11 after a touching rendition of "Goodnight Irene". Hannah and Ian danced while the rest of us swayed arm in arm in a circle around them. Then the party continued around the firepit where Phil, Claire, Benny and Carl serenaded us with astonishing guitars and a ukelele. Phil played the entire Beatles White album as we sang along. From there it was Paul Simon, Greg Brown and after Terry and I went inside at 2, Janis Joplin. I wish I had some pictures from the campfire, but I don't. (Laura does - maybe she will add them to her blog: www.lbinsb.blogspot.com. She has such a way with words and pictures.

In these pictures you can see Liz and Anne picking beets for the salad (Ken was such a good sport to use our LOCAL produce), Ian and his Dad building the dance floor and platform for the band, Laura and Anne making the centerpieces from our flowers in the garden, and of course, the bride, just before the ceremony. That is when I put my camera down for the evening and just enjoyed the party. If I can figure out how to use others' photos here, I will include some from the reception. A wonderful time was had by all.

Angel's Trumpets

These pots of Brugmansia, also known as Angel's Trumpets, will be used near the wedding arch that Mark and Patty Jenks will build for the ceremony. They bloom for a week, rest, re-group and bloom again. I am showing you them here just in case their timing is off on July 25. We could possibly be looking at urns of green leaves that day.

Ten Days to Go......

Hard to believe the wedding day is fast approaching. Terry spread the mulch all by himself as I twisted my back spreading the first filled wheel barrel. Besides having the worst year ever for Japanese beetles and mosquitoes, the flowers are coming along nicely. This will most likely be my last posting until after the wedding as I feel I am moving into fast forward mode.

The flowers are coming along nicely in spite of the beetles. I am out there every evening with my yogurt container filled with soapy water, flicking them into their last bath. They are even defoliating the rhubarb. It will fun to see the combinations that Anne will use on the tables.