We're halfway September and only a week away from Fall (Yeah!) but it's only now that I'm seeing the first trees and shrubs putting out a little bit of color.
Looking back at last year's posts it seems like everything's a little later this time around.

The big ash tree in the meadow of our neighbors down the road is showing some yellow at the top and the poison oak covering the base of the oaks on our property are just now turning red.
And yes, I stayed away from it this year, lesson learned! 

                                                            

We finally had some good rain last night, almost 1.5 inch!

                       

Which probably made our landlord very happy since that means he doesn't have to water his trees! 
He worked hard this very dry summer to keep the young Christmas-trees they planted this Spring alive by diligently watering them every morning, but it looks he still lost quite a few again ...
The summers here in Oregon are definitely getting hotter (and longer) than they did before!

He also tried to keep the work on the barn going as much as he could, in between visiting his son in the hospital.
The lower walls are up and the roof is on (and watertight) on one side as well.

His son was slowly doing better in the beginning of the week, but suffered a set-back 2 days ago when he developed an infection in the stump of his amputated leg.
Surgery on Monday will show if maybe they have to amputate higher, above the knee this time ... it looks like the poor guy is not out of the woods yet. 
It's hard to imagine what they all must be going through ... 
                                                               my heart goes out to them ..                                            

                      

Walking around the barn the other day, I came across this little guy. 
He immediately curled up and prepared himself to strike if I would come any closer, so I quickly retreated.
This is a harmless Garter snake and his bite isn't venomous at all (like a scratch from a thorn bush), but it still smarts, and I also didn't want to upset him too much. 
He was a feisty little thing though!

My vegetables are still producing .. at least the ones that did anything at all to begin with:

 

                                                                  

And since the weather looked quite dreary yesterday I made us the first pea-soup of the season .. which will most certainly not be the last! Yummy! 

While I was at it, I also baked another sourdough bread, this one with a little spelt in it, just to make it even more healthy:

                                         

And for good measure I threw in a triple-berry pie as well. 
Sometimes you just need a little pick-me-up ..