Bitter Sweet- Recollections of Summer

I love Summer.

..... the super early morning sun.
..... the endless evenings spent outside.
..... the smell of the barn.
..... the way the Garden dirt feels under bare feet.
..... the smile it puts in my heart.

Summer is my healer to get me through the darkness and dampness of the Winter to come.

Fall is my savior for allowing me to gently release Summer for its' Winter rest.

I spend the Winter weeks dreaming and planning what I will do for the next coming Summer.

Summer is always waiting to reward me for the struggles Winter presses upon me.

I try to ignore the fact that Summer is coming to an end. Then suddenly I look down and see the leaves starting to cover Mother Earth. I like to believe that Fall loves Mother Earth so much that She drops her leaves to make a coverlet of warmth and protection for the ground.
"Please Mother Earth, cover yourself with the warmth of the Summer, because Old Man Winter is harsh and cold."
This particular Summer has been Bitter-Sweet for me. I was just not my usual self. I had some health issues, early on, with my hands that hindered me from tending to the garden as much as it needed. I lost the battle I had so vigilantly fought in the past with the garden weeds. The grasshoppers seem to sense the weakness in me and came to claim the garden for themselves. I declared war on them. We fought long and hard all Summer long. We each calculated our losses--they ate less and less, while I still reaped most of the fruits of my labor.
I canned tomato sauce & pickles. Froze corn and zucchini. Made jams and salsa.

This particular Summer began with a Farm dream. I had set goals for myself, and Girasole Farm, during the long cold Winter months. It appears the goals for Girasole Farm have their own agenda to follow, and it is not in harmony with mine.
Typically, I relish in instant gratification, but not this time. This Dream requires patience and effort.
This Dream is teaching me NOT to give up. I have been reinforced in my belief that learning is not always easy and sometimes things just don't come together like you had imagined they would. I am learning too, that disappointment is the motivation for future success.
I knew the very minute that I envisioned Girasole Farm that it came from the heart, and was meant to be. I know this because I am over half way to a hundred, and well... it just feels right. This Farm Dream belongs solely to me and I will not let go.
With the transition of Fall, I will allow Old Man Winter to come again, so I can re-think, re-plan, re-adjust and re-inspire the ideas for Girasole Farm.
Mother Earth is kind and generous, and never once will I take that for granted.
Yesterday we made some Fall container's. Summer's last hurrah.

Happy gardening

The Girasole Lady