The first of my bonus daughters got married in a beautiful, tear jerking ceremony last week. I imagine that there will now be a string of weddings, much like we went through a rash of bar and bat mitzvahs, then Sweet 16s, then graduation parties. It is the next stage of their lives but it is making me feel very old. I have known these girls since they were 3. How can they possibly be old enough to marry already?
Installing a couple of new exterior doors and replacing all the rotten wood. We anticipated rot along the bottom where snow accumulates but on one of the doors the entire header was shot. So instead of an easy install we wound up having to remove siding, cut out all the rotten wood and replace a huge section of the garage header. It was a hell of a job that took days instead of hours, but I am grateful that we still have the strength and know-how to do these repairs. And we feel we did something good for the house as well.
My peach tree has an over abundance of baby peaches loading down the branches. I harbor no hope that the squirrels will leave me any once they are ripe but the whole process of trees bearing fruit both fascinates and delights me.
Along with now being able to pick a fresh salad every night.
And finally the monsoon season seems to have ended with a heat wave so I am walking my dog early in the morning and seeing the neighborhood in a whole new, summery light.
What a beautiful time in your life. I'm SO impressed by your carpentry skills.
ReplyDeleteI thank my father every day for teaching me carpentry, among other skills. It is one of my favorite hobbies.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSquirrels like peaches? Interesting.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. Thanks for the pics. :-)
I suppose I cannot say with 100% certainty that it is squirrels destroying my orchard crop. But every year, as soon as the fruit is almost ripe, every single piece of it disappears. All in one night with no evidence that it even existed. Last year I was left with 1 cherry and 1 half eaten pear.
DeleteBonus daughters - so lucky!
ReplyDeleteSuper impressed with your home repair skills! And, I totally get the notion of do something good for the house... (even the header was rotted? Wow!)
We don't get enough heat or sun to grow peaches. I hope you get a couple before the vermin do!
A salad so fresh it came out of the ground 10 minutes ago! That's some good eating!
xoxoxoxoxox
Something is very wrong with the siding design that has a J channel over the doors which basically collects water and lets it sit there, thereby rotting the headers. Or more accurately, our's are probably installed incorrectly. It is a problem that we will address next.
DeleteI am debating trying to wrap one branch in chicken wire : )
I love having fresh from the garden food. I only wish our tomatoes would come the same time as the lettuce. We won't see those until late July.
You are an amazingly handy woman. I wish I could do the same. It is strange, the seasons of life. I'm not old, only 54, but I feel like my life is winding down. I've lost friends already and everyday take care of people my own age who are dying of cancer. My life no longer feels like there is an infinite number of days. Even the seasons are numbered now. If I am lucky enough to live to be eighty, I will only have 26 more harvest moons to enjoy. Feels weird and a little sad. But also makes me realize how precious time is.
ReplyDeleteHandiness was a product of necessity and not being able to afford to pay someone else to do the work. But I do enjoy the work . . . when it goes well.
DeleteYeah, I'm feeling that mortality thing too and I agree that it does give more emphasis on just how precious time is. I only hope to keep relatively healthy til the end so I can enjoy it all.
In awe of your carpentry skills (although I'm one heck of a welder...ha!) and so super jealous of those peaches! I have always thought we were too far north for them, but now that I think about it, there's a peach farm less than 2 miles from my house. I'll have to get my son interested b/c he's the gardener of the house and I'd love to have a couple of them in our yard. I managed to snag two strawberries this year before the raccoons took all the rest - I feel very lucky!
ReplyDeleteI love the expression bonus daughters. I have the weddings of a couple of them ahead - but hopefully not for years!
ReplyDeleteSadly, the bunnies at all my lettuce.