Ice on the Vines

My vines are coated in ice.  When it thaws, all the leaves will be gone, and I'll prune.  It's a beautiful sight to see them glistening in the evening light.

Waiting to Prune

I will prune my vines for the first time this year.  The last few leaves are clinging.  Once they fall, I will prune vigorously both of the vines.  For now, I'm enjoying resting.  We've had several challenges with the family this fall.  I haven't had the emotional energy to do more than wait for the next cycle.

The two younger children were begging to plant carrots this afternoon.  I took the opportunity to explain to them the seasons of the year.  I taught them about planting seasons versus dormant seasons.  Even though the garden isn't producing vegetables, it is producing educational opportunities for my children.  And, for that, I'm thankful.

As The Grape Leaves Fall

I will be pruning the grape vines heavily this winter.  I wait for the leaves to completely fall before I attempt any work.  I did not harvest any grapes this year.  The north vine produced wonderfully, but life intervened.  I was too preoccupied with other tasks at hand to worry with the fruit.  The vine was healthy enough this year to bear fruit. That is enough.  The children took preeminence.  They required more involved care this summer.

I am happy with things, though.  I needed this season, just as it was.  I don't serve the garden.  It serves me.  I work their for my own pleasure.  The grapes are their own beauty.  One year or one season without maximum productivity does not diminish their worth in any way.  They can grow, produce and not be harvested.  Next year, they may grow yet further.  They might not bear as much fruit.  They still have worth.

I love my garden, just as it is.  It does not exist to show off to the world.  It exists to be my joy.

Deciding Against an Autumn Garden

After much deliberation, I decided against an autumn garden this year.  We are homeschooling the eldest child, and busy with other tasks here at the Cottage.  I used to have Saturday mornings for my gardening.  Earlier this year, we had to change our schedule during the week.  Now, I have to accomplish errands on Saturday mornings, instead of getting them done during the week.  The boys are older, besides.  We've had birthday parties and fun events for them on Saturdays.  I find the window for gardening has closed in a way I hadn't expected.

Also, I've discovered that I enjoy writing far more than as a hobby or organizational tool.  I have been writing professionally.  Between homeschooling, caring for the children, the home and writing part time.  I no longer have the energy for two gardens per year.  The autumn is a busier time than the spring as far as lesson plans.  I am in no way giving up my Cottage Vineyard or the blog, but I am scaling back on the veggies and flowers.

The garden is still producing, despite my neglect.  The beets are flourishing as ever.  The garlic chives continue to expand.  My spinach survived the summer heat.  All the other plants have either died or been harvested.  The grapes thrive.  I will be pruning them severely this winter, in hopes of having an even heartier season next year.

My roses have also been pruned, by order of the city.  They were overgrown.  Due to the children's needs over the winter, I was unable to prune them as needed back in the winter.  They grew over the limits allowed by city ordinance.  I hope all of them come back from the pruning even healthier, especially our Old Lady.

The Tiny Life

Here at the Cottage, we are not in for the Tiny Life.  But, we are one step above it.  At 1100 square feet, we are half the average of a new home in the United States.  Across the world, we are well above average.  Five people in a three bedroom, one bath home is plenty.  With a garden - no, with a vineyard and swing set and play yard and a small garden, we have one happy family.

Tiny life is for another set.  We are not about those extremes, as appealing as they may be from one perspective.  Cottage is quaint.  Cottage is old-fashioned.  Cottage is historic preservation.  We are not here for a radical statement against social norms (in most things.)  Our cottage life is not about testing the limits of comfort or solace.  We are a normal family as far as our home is concerned.  Here at the Cottage, we conform to many aspects of normal life, even though we make tweak at the edges.

Cottage is warm, comforting and authentic.  Cottage is not making a radical political or social statement.  Cottage is good.  Cottage is hospitality.  Our little home is a loving place to be.

A Late Summer Lull In Gardening Activity

The fall garden is just around the corner.  Planting the fall garden is just around the corner. For the next few days, we have the remnants of summer.  The carrots continue to progress slowly.  The parsley plant is small, but hanging on to life.  I'm enjoying this quiet, and the absence of pressure to get out there and work.  If I don't get the seeds into the ground by the end of August, I won't have a season for the next few months.  I will have to make due with tending the remaining spinach plant, keeping the beets thriving and thinning the garlic chives.

There won't be a grape harvest this year.  None of the bunches survived, and I'm not sure why.  The south plant grew voraciously, but didn't produce.  The glorious abundance of the north vine assures me that the fault in harvesting is all mine.  Had I known better how to manage it, I would have had more lessons to learn this year.  I'll be more prepared next year to harvest.  I was too focused on getting ahead with planting new vines, rather than managing the two I have.  For now, I'm going to allow them their autumn.  After the leaves drop off, I'll prune them heavily.  I didn't last year for fear of killing them before they were established enough.  Now, I know they are ready.  I'll spend some time over their dormant months reading about what comes next for my vineyard.  The hesitancy is passed.  The feeling that it's so fragile and easily destroyed is behind us.

So it is with our boys.  I'm posting more about them on another blog these days.  As far as the vineyard is concerned, our boys growth parallels nicely.  We have a delightful - and concurrent metaphor - in both the boys and the vines.

The New Look of the Cottage Vineyard

It was time for something fresh and new.  Do you like the new format?