Today in the orchard
(Report by Skylar) Another quiet morning in the orchard— in terms of human voices, that is. In terms of birds and frogs and bugs and dogs, there were plenty of conversations spinning around my ears. I spent the morning at Finley Lane. I first watered the cucurbit and pepper patches. A few days ago I cut the drip tape while scything so we had to turn off the irrigation heading to the melon and pumpkin patch. Watering these plants by hand is even more important right now, as unless it rains, they are not receiving any other water.
I then scythed another patch of the orchard, the corner called “Emily’s Orchard.” Here there are not only apple trees, but also a few peaches, plums, quinces, and medlars. This was a great opportunity for me to stare at each tree and notice the differences among them. By this point, I have likely spent more time with apples than the majority of people, but I still have so much to learn about these trees (and from them!) What I do know is that even among apples, there is a huge amount of diversity in tree form, leaf shape, bloom, and color. And that’s to say nothing about the fruit. On the other hand, I have almost no experience with quinces or medlars, and in this orchard there are only a few individuals of these non-apples. So while I can say, ‘oh this quince has much rounder leaves than the apples’ or ‘pears look like apples that are angry’, I don’t have nearly a large enough of a sample size to say anything at all with certainty.
Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) hanging out outside the shop, July 13, 2025.
In the afternoon we worked in the shop. A snapping turtle passed by and moseyed off into the trees. I carved a sort of ‘button’ to go on the outer edge of the ladder where the rung goes through the rail. It is completely nonessential to the integrity of the ladder, but I’m always a fan of those embellishments that make an object feel like your own. We epoxyed the piece on and now it is a permanent feature. We also epoxyed John’s cherished snath for his scythe. Hopefully this time it will hold.
