Misty Evening, Harvest Moon

Tonight, the September full moon, the harvest moon, is lighting the sky. We’ve been enjoying a few days of perfect weather, with cool nights followed by sunny days that still hold the warmth of summer. The cold nights have finally freed us from swarms of mosquitos and flies and the horses, instead of huddling in their shelter all day, trying to avoid the heat and biting insects, have been enjoying life. Enjoying being horses, wandering deep into their field, feeling free. Content.

When I went out to check on my little herd this evening, I found that an evening mist was rising from puddled water as the night air cooled. That’s Diva on the left, then Czarina and the two donkeys, Teddy and Louis. When Teddy first joined us, he was the same size as Louis, but he kept on growing and growing… Now he’s quite a bit bigger. But that hasn’t detracted at all from their deep friendship. They’re always together. Can you see Louis’ ears?

They followed me up the field and into the barn for their evening grain. When they had finished, I opened their stall doors and they hurried back to their field, returning to being wild horses, breathing in the night air under the harvest moon.

Read Full Post »

September: The Corn Moon

The Corn Moon

The September full moon is called the Corn Moon. That fits the season perfectly here, where fresh, sweet corn can readily be purchased at markets and roadside stands throughout the area. RailGuy and I experimented with growing our own corn many years ago, but it is so easily available at this time of year, fresh picked from the field, it didn’t seem worth growing it ourselves. You can buy cobs of corn through the winter in supermarkets here too. But what would be the point? Corn is best when eaten as close to the moment it was harvested as possible. Clearly, there is a significant delay when corn is shipped in from the south in the middle of winter. We just wait till September and enjoy local corn while it is in season.

When we were growing our corn, Seneca Chief was a popular variety. Now it is considered an heirloom variety. About 30 years ago, “Peaches and Cream” began to make its way onto the market, and soon consumers wanted nothing but yellow-and-white corn. Peaches-and-cream has come to mean any yellow-and-white corn variety, but in fact, there are a number of bicolour corn varieties. I checked my Veseys seed catalogue and found they list 18 varieties of sweet corn. Seven are yellow and 11 are bicolour.

I miss my grown kids, who have all now left home and established their own households. However, some things are easier without kids to cater to. Like making dinner. We had a modest budget and didn’t use a lot of frozen pre-packaged dinners, eat out, or indulge in expensive cuts of meat or gourmet items. Still, we always ate good food. For years and years, every night I made dinner for everyone, day in, day out, week in, week out, month in…well, you get my drift. It seemed there was always someone who didn’t care for this or that, or was nicknaming one of my own favorite dishes “Crap on Rice”. When corn season rolled around, if I served corn a few nights in a row, someone was sure to object “Not corn AGAIN!” But now they’re gone. RailGuy and I love corn on the cob. We have it often. And no one says “Not corn AGAIN!” We enjoy every kernel.

Read Full Post »