Not Such a Good Year

Having retired now, Brombeere has wanted to do more in the yard, particularly with the garden.  So earlier this year we bought our own rototiller and a few days later I tilled up half the garden space.  That was an adventure all its own.  But, in any case, we were off to a good start.  

Later that same day, Brombeere came out and did some planting.

Mostly, that day, she planted her tomatoes; she really likes fresh tomatoes.  She did plant some other stuff, some beans right next to them.  The beans were planted from seeds.

Brombeere had heard about using cardboard to keep the weeds down so, since we had a bunch laying around, she laid some of that out around her tomatoes in the hopes it would help.  And then, to keep the cardboard in place, she laid out some wood "cookies" we had, on top of the cardboard.  The thinking was the cardboard would eventually decompose into the ground anyway so it wasn't a lot of extra work.  And if it did keep the weeds down that would be a good thing.

The next week I got the tiller out again and did the rest of the garden space.  I like this tiller, its much easier to use that the one we rented last year. 

So, at that point, the whole garden space was tilled and ready for planting.

Brombeere also decided to plant the space right next to the garage with garden vegetables instead of the ornamental plants that had been there before.  So by the garage she planted a different variety of tomatoes she got from Blaubeere.  

We normally have waited until after Memorial Day to put in a garden in those years we've planted one.  That is because there often is a frost late into May.  This year was no exception.  All these plants Brombeere had planted, she'd done in mid-May.  

Then, sure enough, just before Memorial Day weekend, there were several nights of low temperatures, a couple cold enough that we covered everything we'd planted, just to be on the safe side.

It paid off, the frost came and went and everything we'd planted survived.  We had also done some work on the plumbing at the house so that our outside taps worked better, making it much easier to water the garden. We were off to a great start.

By the tomatoes, Brombeere planted some beans and onions.  No squash or pumpkins this year. I was a little surprised because Brombeere really likes zucchini and summer squash, and I like butternut and acorn squash.  We've grown it in the past but not this year.  

Then, one day in June, Blaubeere and her kids came over and helped us with a lot of garden work.  That was fun.  

That was fun.  They worked not only in the garden, planting herbs, but also with some other work around the yard.  Her boys helped trim several trees near the garden, in the hopes of letting a little more sunshine get to the garden.  They also helped put in a decorative space under the trees near the garden.  

So summer progressed and the tomatoes grew.  Soon they were blooming out and things were looking pretty promising.

Both in the garden out back and along the side of the garage.  At this point it was hard to tell the difference between the new varieties of tomatoes from Blaubeere and the regular ones in the garden. But it was fun to see them growing.

Brombeere also planted a bunch of marigolds along the edge of the garden, by the tomatoes.  That's supposed to help keep out bugs.  Marigolds have long been one of my favorite flowers, they're so easy to have around.

After a while the little green tomatoes began turning red.

There were lots of red tomatoes growing on all those vines.

For as promising as it had looked during early and mid-summer, we didn't get a whole lot of stuff out of the garden this year.  We got quite a few tomatoes, both the normal ones and the ones from Blaubeere, but not as many as we had hoped for.  The beans didn't do anything, which was real surprising.  We only got a few onions, much less than we had expected, considering how many starts Brombeere had planted.  Blaubeere had given us some chives, which probably did better than anything we planted, we got lots of them.  She also gave us some basil and rosemary, which did okay, but not as well as the chives.

The end of our summer was pretty busy, including a trip to Hawaii for a wedding and another trip out west shortly after the wedding.  Despite being one of the warmer Octobers on record, we were gone a lot and not here to look after the garden much.  But by then it was evident that the garden was pretty much done anyway.

Then it cooled off fast in late October and early November and frost put an end to the garden.

When I was talking with Brombere a day or two ago, about how her garden had done this year, she commented that we would have been just as well off to have made several more trips to the local farmers market, or one of several vegetable stands that spring up around here every late summer and fall.  That might have been true this year, given how disappointing the garden produced this time.  But Brombeere still derives a lot of enjoyment from working in the yard.  And while buying fresh produce from the farmers market or a vegetable stand is certainly less work, there's a lot to be said for the satisfaction of having stuff you've grown yourself on your dinner table.  We did have fresh tomatoes and lots of chives and other herbs in our salads this summer.  It was good.  So we'll write off this summer and likely give it another shot next summer.  It's a work of faith and hope, and yummy deliciousness when it works out well.

A Late Ride

I thought the biking session was over but we had some unseasonably warm weather today and the wind wasn't too bad so I slipped out for a ten mile ride. That was fun. 

That means I did manage to triple last years miles. It also is the latest in the year I've ever been out. Well, not counting when I was in Germany where we rode year round. Two nice little milestones. And there's a couple of days next week that are looking promising. Who knows, it could happen!

Another Season of Bikey Fun

This year's bike season began earlier than normal because of a few warms days that dried out the roads and warmed the air enough to get out on our bikes.  So we did!

While the roads and sidewalks were dry, there was still plenty of snow all around.    

It wasn't a long ride but it was the earliest I'd ever been out since I began riding bikes a few years ago. But it was good to get out. That was in late February.

Of course, it was still early and the temperature plunged back down to seasonal so it was nearly a  month before it was warm enough to get out again.  But it did, and so even though it was had been a  while, we eventually did get out again.  Spring was well under way and it was getting pretty nice by this time.

Because we'd gone out west, to be with Heidlebeere as she was sealed to her husband, we didn't get out again for almost another month. That was a very worthwhile diversion. 

Good riding days were getting to be more often so I was able to get out more often.  That was nice.

We had a very wet June, it rained so often that I didn't get out a single time during June.  But July began and it didn't rain as often and I was able to get out again. Then, unexpectedly, Brombeere began talking about getting me a recumbent bike.  I had talked off and on about getting one but had pretty much given up on the idea but now that Brombeere was talking it up, I wasn't about to argue about it so we ended up getting one.  I had already done a lot of research on what kind I would want so it was just a matter of going out and acting on it.  And so in July I ended up getting a recumbent.

As the season was getting on, I began to roam farther and wider on my bike, particularly since the recumbent made things easier when going on longer rides.  There were some areas around town that I hadn't been to for a while.  The last two years I hadn't gotten out as often as before, as much as I had wanted.  Even though the doctors had told me it would take a year to get over my injuries from the accident I was in a couple of years ago, I think it was taking me a little longer than that.  But I was determined to get out more than I had last year.  In July we also replaced Brombeere's bike with a much better bike, one that she found much easier to ride.

And so the summer continued on.  We got out more often, sometimes we got out together, sometimes I went out my myself.

But, in any case, it was good to be out.  And it was good not to come back from rides with aching shoulders, a benefit of the recumbent.  

As in years past, we managed to get in a couple of rides with kids and grandkids, that is always a fun part of the summer.  We got to go for a ride with both Erdbeere and Blaubeere.  I like doing that.  

Pretty soon fall arrived and the colors began changing, that's my favorite time to be out on the bike. The colorful leaves and the long shadows happening earlier in the day, yeah, that's my favorite.

The downside is that it also brings the end of the biking season.  But this year was the third warmest October on record around here so I was able to get out more often and later in the month than the last several years. That was a nice thing. 

I try to have a few special rides I like to get in each season.  We got out on a ride with Blaubeere's oldest, which was a ride from my bucket list, that was the ride to Terrell Island. Another ride I was able to do this year was get out to a county park that is about 11 miles away.  I have ridden out that way before, even got closer than I realized a couple of years ago, but never made it all the way there.  The challenge with going there is that it's an "out-and-ack" ride, which turns the 11 miles into at least 22 miles.  This year I did it, got to the park and back, a ride that ended up being 24.13 miles round trip.  When I got back I discovered that I  had missed my longest ride ever by just .06 of a mile so, of course, I had to try again. I planned out a ride that I hoped would beat the old record and took off.  When I got back I discovered I had easily beat it, a 30.67 mile ride.  That was nice.  

I had also wanted to get more miles in this year than last year.  I'm pleased to say I did that.  Last year's total was just 123.6 miles. This year I more than doubled that.  In fact, I was just short of tripling last year's miles.  My first two years back on a bike were over 450 miles each and I didn't exceed either of those years, but I got fairly close.  Maybe next year.

In the past my biking season has pretty much matched Daylight Savings Time, beginning when it started and ending when it went back to standard time in the fall.  We managed to get out early this year, and I thought that maybe now that I had retired I would be able to extend my biking season a little longer.  But it doesn't look like that is going to be the case, at least not this year.  In looking at the extended forecast, it looks like it's going to be either too cold, too windy, or both to get out any more this year; I suspect the season is pretty much over.  But that's okay, it was a fun season, lots of good times out on the bike this summer.  I like that.  And there's always next year to try again.

And Finally it Came Down

Two years ago last July (that would make it July of 2019) we went on vacation.  We were gone about two weeks.  As we were coming home we were watching the weather out in front of us so we saw that  there was a pretty serious storm going through our neighborhood the morning we got home. We didn't think a whole lot of it, after all, that usually happens a couple of times each summer.  But as we got about ten miles from home we began seeing damage from the storm: broken and twisted trees.  Lot pf trees were down completely, tipped over and uprooted.  It was looking pretty bad.  We began to wonder what shape our own yard was going to be in.  All the way up our street we saw tree after tree with damage, some trees in our own neighborhood were heavily damaged.  We almost didn't dare look at our own yard.

We were relieved to pull up to the house and see the only damage was a limb hanging down from our biggest tree.  A quick check of the whole yard found that this was pretty much the only damage in the entire yard. A branch had broken off and got caught on another branch in the tree.  

Yeah, there were lot of leaves and a few small twigs and branches down and scattered about the yard, but nothing like we were seeing as we came into town.  We were blessed.

We got inside and found the power was also out, it remained out for four days but it wasn't a big problem for us.  We had left the fridge pretty empty before we left.  We had some stuff in the freezer that we ended up cooking or giving away.  But, all in all, our damage and loss from the storm was much less than a lot of people we knew.  

So over the next few days we got the place cleaned up as best we could.  Himbeere was a big help with that.  Since we weren't able to get the branch down right away, he trimmed it up so it was above the cars, you could walk around the driveway without it being in the way.  The branch that was hanging down had broken off and caught over another branch in the tree, way up 30 or more feet above the cars. It was a big tree. 

We all tried everything we could to pull it down but all with no luck.  The closest we got was when I tried to cut down the limb it was hanging on.  I was going to cut it off at the trunk but I couldn't get a ladder to it so that I could safely cut it, I was afraid it would come down and knock the ladder down on the way.  That had happened to Brombeere's father years ago and it hadn't ended well for him.  When we lived in Denver I had tried to trim a branch once; I thought I had it secured with a piece of rope so it wouldn't cause any damage as it fell.  That one didn't end well, either. When the branch went down it snapped the rope and took out the power line into the house.  Gave it a good yank at the house and where the line came from the pole in the alley behind our house.  Caused a whole bunch of sparks, enough so that one of the neighbors called the fire department, who came and made sure it was safe and secure.  Yeah, I had seen falling limbs do enough damage that I wasn't taking any chances with this one.

So the limb hung there all this time.  We had talked to a couple of people about coming with the right equipment to get up to it and safely get it down but scheduling had been a problem.  So for all this time it's hung there above the cars.  A couple of times visitors would point it out to us but I was pretty confident it wasn't going to be an issue.

Then we went on vacation again a couple of weeks ago.  One day, several days before we were scheduled to get back, Himbeere texted us and said the limb had come down.  He said it left a big gouge in the front lawn.  But when we got back we couldn't see any damage to the lawn; he was just joking around - he does that.

I had seen earlier in the year that the branch the limb was hanging on had died but hadn't thought anything of it.  But apparently what happened was the broken limb was on there so tight it killed the branch at the point it was hanging from.  It died and then finally broke off, bringing both the branch and the broken limb down.  

It actually happed at a good time; there was only one vehicle in the driveway, Himbeere's truck.  They both missed the truck and fell to the empty driveway.  Himbeere, after having a good chuckle about the gouged lawn, told us he had hauled them off to a friend's place where they will add them to the next bonfire they have.  Once again we were blessed.  And now the broken limb is down and gone.  All's well that ends well.

One of a City, Two of a Family

Before moving to Egypt to escape the famine, Jacob, or Israel, had been living in Hebron, some 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem. This was where his grandfather, Abraham, was buried, as well as his father, Issac, and others of his ancestors. This was part of the Land of Canaan, the land that had been promised by the Lord to his grandfather and father, but a land currently occupied by other nations (Exodus 13:5). 

During the 17 years that Israel lived in Egypt, after he moved his household there, before he died, he kept faith in the promise of the Lord to his father and grandfather that their descendants would eventually inherit the Land of Canaan. As he neared the end of his life, as he blessed his sons, including Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manassah, Israel prophesied, "God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers" (Genesis 48:21). 

Israel's son, Joseph, also prophesied that God would visit Israel and bring them out of Egypt and into the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Genesis 50:24). When Israel had died his son Joseph had seen to his burial in Hebron (Genesis 49:33, 50:1-13). So, with the promise of their fathers in their minds, and their fathers having been buried in Hebron, the sons of Israel lived and raised their children in Egypt, with the knowledge of the prophecies that they would eventually leave Egypt and go back to Hebron and the surrounding area. They themselves had promised to take Joseph's bones out of Egypt with them when they left (Genesis 50:25).

Some sixty-six people moved to Egypt with Israel to escape the famine. As time past, those 66 people grew into a nation, becoming enough people that the new rulers of Egypt, "which knew not Joseph", became worried. As the record states, "The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them" (Exodus 1:7). So to keep them from overrunning the land, the Egyptians put taskmasters over them and enslaved the entire nation (Exodus 1:8-13). For 400 years the Israelites suffered and labored in bondage but they retained in memory the prophecies and promises of their fathers, of a promised land, they prayed for deliverance, they "sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage" (Exodus 2:23) until the Lord sent Moses to deliver them. They also had the righteous teachings and traditions passed down to them from their fathers (Genesis 18:19). Exactly how large the nation had grown to is not clearly stated in the scriptures but scholars place the number in the hundreds of thousands.

The Lord sent Moses to Egypt, armed with an array of miracles to persuade the Egyptians to let the Israelites go. Moses first explained to the Children of Israel how the Lord would deliver them and the Israelites were willing to let Moses try but as the process unfolded the Children of Israel were sometimes impatient. When the Egyptians finally asked the Isralites to leave, the Children of Israel were happy to go but after they left and the trip proved to be difficult and trying, and the Israelites began complaining, even asking to go back into bondage (Exodus 14:10-12).

Each time they complained the Lord had a miraculous solution and still the Israelites complained at so many of the trials as they came (Exodus 15:24, 16:2-3, 17:2-3, 32:1, Numbers 14:2 (16:41), Deuteronomy 1:27).

Indeed, much of the Old Testament gives the impression that the Lord was constantly struggling with an ancient nation of Israel that was continually at odds with Him. But surely not everyone was wayward and disobedient. Surely there were those who were righteous, faithful, and trusted that Moses would lead them to the better place they had heard talked of by their fathers all the time they'd been in Egypt.

For example, after Jethro came out from Midian and met Moses in the wilderness (Exodus 18:1-12), Jethro saw the ordeal Moses endured as all the people brought all their problems and grievances to him to solve. In response to Jethro's inspired suggestion to appoint helpers, Moses sought to "provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers" (Exodus 18:21), Moses did just that.  He sought out men so he could "teach them ordinances and laws, and ... shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do" (Exodus 18:20). That Moses was able to find "able men out of all Israel, and [make] them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens" (Exodus 18:25) suggests that there were a significant number among the Children of Israel who were righteous enough to be what the Lord inspired Moses to look for. 

It seems that a vocal minority can make it seem like everyone is complaining and murmuring, but behind the noise of the doubters was an army of faithful followers who trusted and helped the Lord and his prophet move the work forward and get Israel out of Egypt and into the Land of Promise.