We seem deep into Keats’ “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”
even though autumn is yet a month away.
Despite a dry period of several weeks
we’re luxuriating in what Emily Dickinson calls “This whole Experiment of Green.”
Navigating the paths to the Gentlemen’s Club, compost pile and back apple tree
is like walking through the aisles of a green cathedral.
The woods are too overgrown to challenge
so we're confined to walks around the block
staring at the neighbors
and getting stared at in return.
The ladies continue to enjoy their fans
but even on the hottest days the moms tend to cuddle with their teenage daughters.
We've had lots of crawly visitors
and even more dangly ones.
Webs cover much of the farm.
It's impossible to enter the Gentlemen's Club
without getting tangled in sticky filaments
as if we inhabit some 1950s Creature Feature.
Bi-weekly boxes from Northern Harvest Farm get heavier and heavier
stuffed with vegetable treasures.
Barb destemmed, blanched and froze 8 pounds of kale for use throughout the winter.
Apples are growing larger by the day
and starting to color.
Hop vines threaten to pull down the east barn wall
and beg to be used in some craft brewer's India Pale Ale.
It's hard to imagine that winter could be on the way
especially the kind predicted by the Farmers' Almanac.
The last of this year's hay is being harvested.
MeadowWild's empty storage areas
welcomed the arrival of 505 bales from nearby Happy Critters Farm.
As usual, the crack crew stacked them in the barn and milking shed
(while Barb kept an eye on future farmer Ben)
so the goats now enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a well stocked larder.
In turn, they supply the milk that Barb turns into cheese -- like the batch of quark incubating away in the warming nook --
and that tops off a morning cappuccino.
Momma Kitty waits under the van for her daily dish of warm milk fresh from the source.
After years of searching, Barb finally located some reasonably priced street sweeping brushes
one of which is now mounted in the barn
where the ladies took to it immediately
and give it a daily workout.
We weren't sure how we would get the other heavy brush into the gentlemen's play area
but friend and neighbor Jessie kindly speared it with her John Deere
lifted it over the fence, and gently let it down for the guys to scratch themselves on.
Draco checks out his new toy.
Draco was delighted (and relieved) to be selected as companion to Mojo
whose head seems to get bigger every day.
Not to be outdone by construction road closures in Duluth and Cloquet
the Munger bike trail boasted closures of its own for bridge replacements in Carlton and Barnum, wreaking havoc with Steve's favorite treks.
The trail will reopen in late fall -- which can't be that far away.
Birds are already migrating
including the loon that graced the front pond for much of the summer
and a few patches of red have already appeared.
Next up, on the first Sunday in September: a visit to the State Fair
where, as usual, Barb will attend the goat show
while Steve braves the crowds to eat and drink himself silly.
Breakfast will consist of a Rainbow Cloud Roll
"three scoops of ice cream sprinkled with fruity cereal and wrapped in a pillow of cotton candy"
and then some Carolina Reaper Bites.
According to one reviewer, "If you like pain, you’re going to love these sausage-stuffed dough knots. Sure, they’re not terribly flavorful, but that’s because they’re nothing more than delivery vehicles for over 1.4 million Scoville units of weaponized misery derived from the infamous Carolina Reaper hot pepper."
All to be washed down with a Uffda Ale (“This ale has all kinds of local connections with locally malted grains and actual lefse in the beer. Then it’s garnished with lingonberries and a crispy lefse chip.")
or a Dill Pickle Ale
or maybe a Cotton Candy Bubble Trouble
or a Mini Donut Beer
or a S’Mores Beer
or perhaps a Chocolate Chip Cookie Beer.
What the heck -- let's try one of each
and combine an alcoholic stupor with a diabetic coma.
