It has been almost 2 months since I last posted a blog entry!!! As my grandma used to say.."I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off". Usually, in the summer, that means I am out in the gardens all day- every day, keeping them looking nice, harvesting, drying, making remedies, teaching classes, planning for next year--based on this year's successes and failures, taking hikes up into my woods.....and keeping up my blog!! Not so this year. It has been busy in many areas of my life, but nothing has been "usual". My gardens are a complete mess, due to neglect and weather, the harvests were way down, no time to teach, relaxing hikes???No way. 

     But, now...it is all winding down. The pressure is off. I can just go outside and do what is left to do, but with no rushing. The one thing that is keeping me pretty busy is this bumper crop of tomatoes! I pick and freeze and eat and my grandson goes out and picks cherry tomatoes as if he were in a candy store. I made a really nice batch of Pesto (I like to use walnuts or pecans. All the recipes call  for pine nuts, but am I the only one that thinks they taste like musty mice???). After the drought, it started to rain--all the time- so mowing grass fell by the wayside, but no mowing led to an extraordinary amount of Heal All (Prunella)--that, as it's name implies, can be used in a lot of formulas, tons of chickweed and a lot of herbs just coming alive after being stunted during the early summer heat. Still, I won't use most of them except for eating and crafts--because right now, I am just about the enjoyment....of everything..the Fall colors, the pumpkins....the crisp air (though I await Indian Summer)...the coming of Halloween.