Ena 枝那 is a determined dog. Three times now, she has dug up this bed. She hears and smells something underneath. I might as well forget planting anything in the bed until she finds whatever she is looking for.

The Jacobs Cattle Beans are almost ready. If only they would stay so beautiful when you cook them. I’m determined to someday figure out a way to cook colorful beans and keep their vibrant colors.

The dry summer has the alders and cottonwoods dropping leaves months earlier than usual. It’s sad to see the trees so stressed. Instead of raking in October, I’m raking in August. Will there be anything left to rake in October?

The elephant garlic will appreciate the leaves. Worked into the soil and spread on top of the garlic beds, the leaves will break down and turn into lovely humus. Garlic grows well in beds full of organic matter.

The end of August means the chickens get to enjoy one of their favorite foods, grapes. The champagne grapes aren’t ripe yet, but the chickens don’t mind. They jump up to get the low hanging ones. They go nuts when I toss them extra bunches to gorge on. Vineyards would do well to employ flocks of chickens. They’d keep the vineyards weeded, eat many bugs, and snatch any grapes that drop to the ground.