Birds & Tomatoes

This morning I did my yoga on the patio again *pats self on back* because in the not-too-distant future it's going to be too cold or too wet to be out there saluting the sunrise.  I am glad (really, I am) that I set my alarm for 6 o'clock every morning last week so I could get up and yog plus have time for my roomie, cda, and I to not have to tussle over whose turn it is in the bathroom because I've been awakening (with a little help from my bladder; God bless middle-aged plumbing) just before six the last two mornings without the assistance of a buzzing alarm.  It's so civilized to get up before sunup, put on some yoga pants and a camisole, grab my mat, go out, plug in the fountain, unroll my mat and start my practice just as the first rays spread across the sky.  Then I come in, make coffee, write in my Bullet Journal, and read the paper like a grown-up.  I am very much enjoying not having to zip off to work anymore.  Still miss the paycheck but we can't all be like congressmen and get paid in perpetuity.  (not bitter, no, not me)



Birds!  I was thrilled to see this little female hummingbird at the feeder after I'd gone inside.  She had a nice long drink and then flew around so I got some action shots.


 

Then I noticed this gray bird that kind of blended into the drying grass pecking around over by the garden.  I was amazed when I cropped the photos to see that it's some kind of woodpecker.  It never came over to the feeders so I'll have to dig out a bird book to see exactly what kind of woodpecker it is.  Maybe it's a flicker but I'll check to be sure.

Yesterday was tomato harvest day.  In the morning I picked an ice cream pail full of WI 55 heirloom tomatoes.  In the evening while the charcoal got going I picked a big bowl of Sweet 100s cherry tomatoes.  This morning I cut up all of last week's leftover tomatoes on the counter and most of the WI 55s to put into the microwave to cook, then this afternoon I'll put them through the sieve and cook it down to thicken it a bit.  I'm thinking I should cook some onions, celery, parsley, and bell pepper to put through the sieve too and make some tomato sauce to brighten our winter cooking.  What a good idea.  Do that, Barbara.


When I walked down to the bluff to write last week I was amazed to see a pretty big tree that had been growing over a limestone slab had fallen in a storm.  I could see the underside of the tree and its roots and was amazed that it had grown to the size it was basically sitting on a rock with only a few roots snaking down into the soil.  Isn't nature amazing?  Of course the fallen tree let in more light so there's a little fir tree growing up right where I didn't want it to be but I figure you get the idea.

September 25--Hans Thomas, Summer in the Black Forest, Germany.  The four men in the field worked like a machine.  Three of them swung their scythes and the fourth raked and bundled the cuttings.  Greta thought what they cut was some kind of grain but she didn't know if it was people food or animal food.  She supposed that it didn't really matter, they probably treated the cut stalks the same way.  One of the men shouted and she looked up ready to rebuke him for calling out to her but then she saw the slash of red across his white shirt and watched as his knees buckled as he fell.  One of the other men stood stock still, face pale and blood glistening on the blade of his scythe.  For a moment Greta thought that it was his own blood draining from his face and dripping from the blade.  That made no sense.


Here's the view from the bluff.  Wouldn't you find this an inspiring place to write?  Twelve women sure did last week.  Stay cool.
--Barbara