final days of summer

a certain feel in the morning air this week reminds me it's almost fall.  it was nearly 100 degrees for the past two days, but the sharp edge of summer has dulled.  shadows are longer and the light has changed.  the days are shorter and sun is gone by 7:15, leaving little time to wander outside or bbq when i arrive home from work.

we're still harvesting figs, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers.  i pureed some zucchini into soup and stuck it in the freezer for cooler days.  i may make another batch of tomato sauce tomorrow.

in an effort to savor the last of warm weekends, we've invited some neighbors for a barbeque this afternoon.  jim and debbie are renovating their house, so have been without a kitchen for several weeks.  jim is an excellent farmer, but hasn't been able to can any of his beloved tomatoes or or dry and grind his peppers into homemade cayenne.  i'm hoping they'll enjoy alittle home cooking (and maybe bring along some of their garden booty).  i started cooking early to avoid heating up the house as the day gets warmer.  i made a lemon cake and potato salad, prepped 3 racks of baby back ribs, trimmed a few strip steaks and coated them in dry rub.  i'll drive to lombardi's for corn before smoking the ribs for about 5 hours.  

the sheep are relaxing in the shade of the fig trees, taking morning naps.  they've enjoyed some early pomegranates this week, as i've been picking the fruit that's cracked or has been compromised by birds.  i throw the fruit on the ground hard to scatter the seeds for the chickens, who love them.  soon the fruit will be completely ripe and the sheep will walk around with red-stained mouths, looking like they're wearing lipstick.

ivan is bandage-free, after a visit from dr. martin.  aside from one small scab, his leg seems completely healed.  rosie has become his regular companion again, and now waits in the coop every morning to be carried into the pen with him.  ivan and rosie have a history together. when rosie was about 10 months old, she went broody and decided to sit on a clutch of eggs. she was so clumsy, she broke nearly every egg before finally giving up the nest after 4 weeks. when she went back into the flock, the roosters fought over her and mated excessively.  as i chased one of them off of her, i noticed blood under her wing.  she had been flayed by a rooster's spur and the cut was large.  we kept her in the house for 2 weeks, cleaning the wound each day until it healed sufficiently.  then, dr. martin performed her surgery on the dining room table.  he put her under with anesthesia, removed the dead skin and tissue and stitched her up. after staying inside for another week, we put her out in a portable pen for 2 weeks until she was healed completely.  ivan sat next to her pen each day, keeping her company.  when she was released, they were constant companions.  she was his number one hen after that, until his injury.  now they're together again, under opposite circumstances.