A Season of Harvest

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The month of September has been a busy one... an early frost visit, a wild windstorm, a local fire, heavy smoke in our area, a birthday, new construction and a season of harvest in the middle of it all! I couldn't believe when I sat down to write this post that it is already the last day of September! Where has this month gone... I know it has been a very busy one. 

I'll let my pictures tell the story... 

I held a neighborhood garden harvest party in my garden. Neighbors brought a potluck dish and harvest to share.  We had a wonderful time sitting around and visiting, as many of us haven't seen each other since March with the covid.  It was such a wonderful event!




I used china for the evening, and everyone enjoyed it so much!
Most people don't use china anymore, but I still love to make use of it :) 


I love gathering flowers from my garden for a bouquet. 

My birdbath stayed busy this summer,
needing daily refills as the birds enjoyed daily baths. 

On Labor Day, we had a wild windstorm come through, uprooting trees on our property.
Thankfully there was no damage done. Because of this storm, several wildfires started, one 10 miles south of us.  Thankfully, that fire was not a threat to us. 

With the windstorm, came cold weather and 'Ole Man Frost
visited my garden on Sept. 7.  

My husband helped me to pick all my tomatoes, green beans, squash and potatoes 
because I knew it was going to frost that night. 


Some of the harvest that we brought in before the frost. 

We gathered the potatoes as well into this plastic tub, but I will be storing them
for winter in cardboard boxes. It was a great harvest! I planted about 2 pounds of potatoes. 

Inside my greenhouse, the tomatoes and peppers planted there are still flourishing, safe from the frost! 


Putting up the produce! I always can my tomatoes,
but I blanch and freeze green beans,
as we prefer to eat them freshly frozen. 

Sadly, the frost left its mark... but my sunflowers survived! 

I celebrated a birthday this month!  I met the kids for coffee and enjoyed a nice long visit with them, and then later in the evening, our son cooked dinner for us.  My daughter lives about an hour away now, and it was wonderful to have her come visit for the day :) 


Because of the wildfires in CA, WA and OR, we experienced
heavy smoke in our area for a couple of weeks. 

Captured this picture of the sun was hiding behind roadside weeds. 
An interesting perspective with the smoke-filled sky. 

Thankfully our sunny skies soon returned,
along with the brilliant colors of Fall!

And despite the visit of frost many times to my garden, still this sunflower stands! 
I can't tell you how happy this makes my heart to see this flower loving the bright Fall sunshine!

A late bloomer, this gorgeous rose with a decadent scent, bloomed late this month,
near the end of September, for the first time this year! What excitement to see such a huge bloom larger than my hand bloom this late in the year! 

On our evening walk with the dogs, it was a joy to behold the beautiful sunsets after the smoke had moved out of our area.  We never want to take for granted our clean fresh air that we breathe! 

Well, hasn't September has just flown by!  I can hardly believe tomorrow will be the first day of October.  We look forward to the brilliant colors of Fall in October, and I hope to share some of those pictures with you soon.  

With all the bad news that is in our world today, we can choose to focus on those things, or instead find beautiful things in our world to find joy and happiness in.  That is what I do each day.  As I walk morning and evening, there is something refreshing about lifting my face to the sky, and talking to the Lord, and just knowing that His creation runs in complete order because He has set it in motion.  This makes me know I can trust His ways, and His knowledge about every life situation, because He's been doing it a lot longer than me :) 

So if you are struggling with the worries and cares of life... take a walk into a forest, down by a stream, in a park or somewhere where there is natural beauty, and look into the skies, and around your world, talk to the Lord as you walk, and I do believe you will find your mind refreshed and renewed again to face whatever challenges lie in your world. 

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, 

whose mind is stayed on thee.  

Isaiah 26:3  

This verse has come to mean so much to my family recently, and in a day or two, I will share with you just why :)  


Many blessings to all of you! 

27 comments

  1. Your photos are captivating as always, Marilyn! I loved catching up on all your busy September days, and glad to know that you all weren't immediately threatened by those horrid wildfires out west. And yes, being in nature is always soothing for the troubled soul.
    Blessings!

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  2. Happy Birthday sweet lady! How wonderful to get to celebrate with family. I love the Harvest party too...how grand! The sunflower photo really catches my eye too. Happy October!

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  3. Happy Birthday so glad you were able to celebrate with your family. What a stunning setting for your outdoor party, it looked amazing and a joy to see you using china I like to do that too. You are so right taking a walk certainly does bring an inner peace and refreshes the soul.

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  4. That verse is keeping a lot of us going. We have yet to experience a frost in our town. If I can avoid the first threats, I know that I have weeks ahead without threat. I am enjoying those now, The garden looks tired, but roses are still blooming, marigolds, lantana, and the wave petunias. You share such marvelous photos showing the glory of God. Happy Belated Birthday! How good that your daughter and son were able to be there. It makes all the difference. Happy October🍂

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  5. SO many beautiful photos Marilyn! Glad to see that despite the awful storms and smoke you were able to enjoy most of the month. And my goodness, what a green thumb you have! Hope it was a Happy Birthday!! xo

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  6. Marilyn, I so enjoyed your beautiful photos today. The fires have indeed been troublesome again this year. Today our skies here are hazy as I imagine yours are too. The fire just south of you is, I believe, the one our dear friends Alicia and Jeremy were concerned about. Just 8 miles as the crow flies from their 10 acres and the wind was blowing it directly toward them. They lost power on Labor Day from the wind and borrowed our generator.
    I also can my tomatoes and blanch the green beans. At least I did when I had a garden at the house! I'm hopeful that we will again have a home in the next year or two after retirement.
    Take care and stay safe my friend. May the Lord Bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and give you peace.
    Blessings
    Betsy

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  7. Such a beautiful photo of you with your children. You get frost so early there. It’s been warm and humid here this past week. No frost damage yet.

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  8. I enjoyed this post Marilyn. Thank you so much. That birdbath is so cute.
    I often go for a walk in the forest. It is great.

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  9. September has flown so quickly . I thought that since I am retired, time might move slowly, but so far that is not the case. i too, love being out in the beauty of God's creation and just spending time with Him there.

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  10. Your photos today are just gorgeous! Your views are amazing with and without the smoke. Your garden is also amazing! You had a great harvest. I love your neighborhood party too!

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  11. Belated Happy Birthday to you. How lovely that you could celebrate it with your children.
    Using your good china for the neighbourhood party was such a good idea. I'm sure everyone admired the china and also the pretty bouquets.
    Your garden has been very prolific keeping you busy canning and freezing. Hopefully October will be somewhat less hectic.

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  12. The sunflower is absolutely gorgeous with that ray of sunshine highlighting it!! I feel like, in spite of the whole craziness to this year, that it has flown by way too fast. But I look forward to the cooler temps, and hopefully some snow this year. As you know, we rarely see any. Blessings, my friend!

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  13. I am so sorry I sent Jack Frost up to you. =) But.....your winter wonderland is always glorious. At least you get to enjoy all those glorious fall hues before then. How wonderful to share a neighborhood garden harvest party with all your neighbours. Oh, I think using pretty china is mandatory! This world is becoming more bizarre with each week. Thankfully, nothing goes unnoticed by God and He is in complete control. As always, your photos are beautiful and always evoke a sense of the peace of God. Love the photo of you and your 'children'. So glad you enjoyed a lovely birthday with your loved ones. Take care, lovely Marilyn.

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  14. How sweet to have neighbors to share and participate in a Garden Harvest Party! Love the twinkle lights!
    ***

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  15. I love the idea of the Garden Harvest Party! That sounds like such a lovely time. Glad you used the china dishes too. We are getting away from that too much in our lives, and it is time to go back to the old fashioned ways of doing things I think. Such beautiful pictures of your land. Wow, such a bountiful harvest! So happy you were able to get them picked before the frost! You have been very busy indeed. Happy Birthday to you! How wonderful to have your family near to celebrate. I also had a birthday in September and enjoyed family and friends celebrating with me. Praying now for our President and First Lady, and for our land to be healed. So glad the smoke has cleared in your area. Praying still for those suffering in the wake of these fires. Loved your happy and beautiful post. Praying for you for whatever else there is going on...

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  16. Your Falls there are just so beautiful... it takes my breath away! I'm always amazed when you capture a picture like the dandelion with the sun right behind it, or the meadow with wood fence and the sunset in the distance.. I LOVE meadows with trees around them! I bet your Harvest Party was just wonderful too.. and using the pretty china is something we don't do much anymore do we? I don't even have "good" china anymore which is sad. I do have Christmas dishes so I usually bring them out early so I can enjoy them for a couple of months. So glad you got to see your children and that's a wonderful photo! I didn't have any veggies this year.. just a few raspberries that didn't do very well due to the heat and dry.. and a few strawberries. In fact, there are still some bearing as I speak! We haven't had a frost yet but it's gotten close a couple of times. It's amazing how one day everything is green and beautiful, and then next it is all crumpled and black from Jack Frost. I hope he holds off from here for a couple of more weeks as I've loving our flowers and roses still blooming! I MUST add Isiah 26:3 to my scripture book that you sent me! I love that verse and it is very relevant right now (and always really). Our town and county is doing well with no new cases of Covid, or maybe only a few in a 3 county area. I am so grateful. These 3 counties are all being very diligent about being safe, wearing masks and social distancing, and still not alot of things open. Take care and I think of you often! xoxoxo Marilyn J.

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  17. Belated Happy Birthday. What fun to have a Garden Harvest Party with your friends. I use my china dishes often. My mother has a friend who got rid of all her "everyday" dishes and now only uses her bone china - she's in her 80s and wants to use it while she can. Such a great idea!

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  18. You do know how to party! Great photos.
    Amalia
    xo

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  19. Happy birthday dear Marilyn !

    may you see many more with loved ones ahead :)

    your kids are precious indeed ,i am glad you were able to spend some time with them ,images of your garden fills my heart with joy and serenity :) this bouquet is so very very pretty !
    how amazing your sunflower survived storm ,i am sorry that fires are causing lots of trouble in your area ,inhabitant are in my thoughts and prayers !
    sky after smoke looks captivating , huge rose is beautiful
    happy harvesting my friend ,congratulations for such delightful gain by the grace of lord!
    it was wise to have party after covid ,such a relief to get back a normal world to live in
    more blessings to you and your's!

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  20. Hello Friend,
    What a great harvest party. And so very important to keep in touch with others during these times.
    I have been getting together with friends as well, I had a nice lunch date Friday with my friend Judy. It was so good to catch up.
    Take Care and as always thank you for the uplifting blog post.
    Carla

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  21. Such a lovely time you must have had sharing time in your garden..it looks so pretty!
    I adore your bird bath...so sweet to have those little visitors. Your flowers are still so beautiful despite your frosts. I'm so happy your garden has given you so much bounty to store away for the winter months.
    Happy Belated Birthday...I'm so glad your children could spend time with you!
    Your evening walk at the end captured me. What a beautiful way to end your day!

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  22. Oh Marilyn, how I love visiting you! How wonderful to have a harvest party in the outdoors and to visit with friends. Your china I such a pretty pattern. I decided long ago to not be afraid of living for fear of dying.
    Happy belated birthday wishes to you!! You sure have been busy with all your canning and freezing. I can’t believe that you had such an early frost.
    Your photos as always, capture my heart with their beauty. That last one of the sunset was stunning. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful ways of enjoying life and for sharing the meaningful verse. Blessings are sent to you....

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  23. How nice that your daughter is an hour away. We enjoyed a couple nights in your pretty state this month. Happy belated birthday to you.

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  24. Your beautiful pictures and words are such an inspiration to me! Isn't it great when we can get our adult kids together! My son lives out of state and comes to town a few times a year. It's always so wonderful when he's here and we get together with his sister and nephews! My heart is full!

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  25. Marilyn, oh your post spoke to me! I am learning to let things/worries of the world go and embracing God's gentle leading. Your garden party looks so pretty and china! Very special. Your harvest is amazing. I planted a few potatoes this year and am pleased that the few I did plant produced more than a few. Small but still I am pleased. Thank you for sharing your heart and photographs with us. I'm your newest follower! :-)

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  26. Lovely post. You always have such beautiful photos to share. I enjoyed them all.

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  27. Belated birthday wishes.
    Lovely seeing your photographs here.

    All the best Jan

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Your comments are blessings to me, and I appreciate each and every one, they are precious to me! I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my blog... this is what makes blogging worthwhile! Have a blessed day!

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