It's 63 degrees and cloudy in Portland, Oregon tonight. We moved back into the house in June and enjoyed a cool, (relatively) wet summer. The harvests are delayed at least two weeks this year, so blueberries were still around in September and tomatoes hang fat and green on the vines into late October. Vintners are concerned about losing some of their crop if cool rains bring virus or mold before the grapes fully ripen. We learned it as children: farmers are willing to take their chances. Committed to putting seeds in the earth and working with nature to foster the miracle of new life, they know that their crops are extremely fragile, vulnerable to natural forces that both support and threaten. But they also know that the miracle is worth all the risks.
The house is in good shape, but nine years of rental leaves its mark, and we are playing "catch-up" on painting, heavy yard work, leaking eaves, and a moss-covered roof. Every day brings new discoveries with boxes to open, repairs to make, projects to start and finish. We've found The Rebuilding Center and The Restore to be good spots to find used-house parts for shelves and counters (Marv has set up a brewing center in the basement), and Ardy is perfecting the process of "dumpster-diving" for lumber to be used in the outbuildings she is putting up to store tools and wood.
Remodeling the garden is a delight, planning paths, moving shrubs, refurbishing the compost pile...spring will a pleasure there.
It is good to be home.
