It’s been over a week since one of the girl ducks disappeared and yesterday the other one did as well. I’m holding out hope that they are off having adventures, but I’m worried that a fox may have gotten them (our next door neighbor says there is a big one hanging around her barn.) They had recently stopped sleeping in the coop at night and if they were foolish enough to sleep in the woods they could have been gotten.Poor Tom. I feel very badly for him being the only duck in the midst of all the chickens. I hope he stays with us and doesn’t fly off to find others.
We’ve reached the point in the summer where I’m kind of like “eh,I give up”-flowers are looking not so vibrant, the garden is fizzling, and so on. Tomatoes are still ripening, but the morning glories are crazy taking over the garden beds. We had a very exciting discovery on our fig trees-figs!
I think I was a little disappointed that they didn’t taste like Fig Newtons! But the were gently sweet and fruity, somewhat delicate tasting. Definitely the most exotic produce we’ve ever grown.
We’ve also got tons of grapes this year. They are sweet and tasty, but oh so tiny and seed filled!
I’ve planted beets, spinach, and red cabbage again and am hoping to get a nice fall crop.
We’ve continued to ride bikes together this week and on Saturday Paul and I went for a ride just the two of us. For seven years now we’ve been saying we should get a babysitter and go riding ourselves and finally we did. While my mom was with the kids we ventured out and did a 22.5 mile ride. Since the most I’ve ever done before was 14 miles, and that was 7 years ago, this was a pretty big deal for me. Also it included many difficult hills, but I was able to make it up them, which I’m proud of. It was so nice to just be out and riding along roads filled with farms and hilly views. Watching leaves gently swirl to the ground a few times it was clear that fall is on its way.
Clark starts school in less than two weeks and Paul is on vacation for the next 9 days. We’ll be trying to cram as much summer of fun as we can into those remaining days, including a short getaway to the Adirondacks. Good heavens–I’m trying to type this with two guinea pigs on my neck. There, that’s better. I’ll wrap up with a picture of Nibbles:
So what? Sew buttons! 
Wow you’ve got a lot of time left for summering! The kids around here started back to school this past Wednesday, and the week before that in a neighboring town. Have fun!
Indeed we do! In New Jersey we go back to school after Labor Day. When I was a kid it was always Tuesday or Wednesday, but where we live now it’s not until Thursday of that week. I think I could not handle it if I (or my kids) had to go back to school when it was still August-that’s summer, baby!
Oh, I hope the duck ladies are okay! I have the same late summer garden ennui – because I let Weedville happen, I don’t think that I’ll have much produce from the garden this year. How neat to have figs! I wouldn’t even have thought of growing those! Also, twenty-two miles!? That’s amazing!!
Thanks, Anne. I’m hoping that we’ll try to get out again and keep up the mileage, especially going into autumn when it’s so beautiful out.