Summer bows out

 As Fall beings to settle in, we are finding ourselves at the land more consistently now. One day a week, and some times only half a day by the time we get out there, isn't really enough, but we are grateful for the chance to keep chipping away at things and to keep seeing things in the different seasons.

A recent walk over the by the blueberry bushes revealed this striking knotweed! I love the color 😍

For the first time, I harvested turkey tail mushrooms! I made sure to have the i.d. doublechecked by a certified mushroom expert before I took the chance of grabbing a look-alike! I thought that maybe they were too old, but he said they were perfect for picking.

It was time to start hitting the phragmite now that the water level is low enough for me to get to more of it! With the pallets that Woodchuck laid out for me to prevent me from sinking in the mud, I was able to get quite a bit done! This is what they look like when cut and you can also see that the water level is so low, the roots are exposed! But there's much more to them underground. 👇

My method is to inject glyphosate into the cut, making sure to puncture through the hard membrane first that is similar to bone marrow. 👇

                   I also noticed the "buds" this year! This is the start of a new phragmite. 👇

It's always my goal to finish an entire project, but my legs and hips were hurting from up and down and squats and back and forth. This is a lot for one person to wipe out in one day, but I'm happy that I got to even more this year than last! I'll have to keep an eye on the ones left so I can cut off seed heads. 👇

Once we were done working on our own projects, we met back up for a walk and to continue dreaming of what the land will look like once we have it under control and in maintenance mode, and once we are living there. I spied this walking stick on a bramble 😍👇

Back at home, there is just as much beauty to be found! Butterflies abound and I always wish them safe travels. 

After having just watched a video on infusing shea butter with jasmine flowers, I found Confederate Jasmine at two homes in the current town we live in! I love the smell of Jasmine, but I don't intend on the making the infused shea butter. 👇💮

We were able to open the windows for a couple of days, but even with lower temps, the humidity has been too high to keep the air shut off. Pierogi enjoyed a good whiff of fresh air and hearing the animals that she only gets to see through closed windows. 👇🐱

It was also time to clear out my car of the nature trinkets I've gathered along the way! Woodchuck nearly smashed all of the insects 😟👇

It struck me one day while I was working in the woods, just how lucky we are. Not just Woodchuck and I, but "us" as humans. To be here, to borrow this beautiful Earth and nurture it. As the trees dropped their leaves around us, I realized just how special it was to be let into that "other world" that goes on without us, but to witness it changes something for the good inside of us. To bear witness the trees vulnerability, the shedding of the old, and to have their company reverses so many bad emotions within me. I truly am a lucky girl to keep stepping into their world and to hopefully do some good for them. 💖 Now to share some of them with you.... 

                                                            A VERY big grass spider 🕷👇

                                                                    A snail 🐌👇

Some friends enjoying the goldenrod (speaking of! I saw a video on how to make a decorative wall hanging broom from goldenrod that you hang outside on your porch. Notes taken!) 

We have this beautiful Shiny Sumac around the prairie and while everything else turns yellow, this goes through stages of red, as shown over the next three (3) pictures! 

                                            Great Spangled Fritillary enjoying some thistle!  

I am calling this the disco spider, but I believe this might be a very small Nursery Web Spider?

Once our walk was done, Woodchuck had a little work to do at the barn while I had to keep watch on the burn pile. It was our last chance to burn before a ban went into place. Once I put the ashes out, I was able to go see the damaged part on the barn that he had removed. It was very......mangled and dented.😐

We spent as much time outside on this particular weekend as we could! The Full Moon with Lunar Eclipse was a show that didn't disappoint!

And the next day was beautiful and sunny! I used that time to harvest more marigold seeds (and seriously, I need to stop because I have more than enough to last me YEARS now!)

We already have our list of things to work on on the next trip out! We will be dreaming of the land, the trees, and the animals in the meantime. 💤💭💚