We have a little piece of land, one acre, on the edge of the woods. Those woods are part of a watershed of 2,729 acres—over 4 square miles—that drains to the Upper Narrows Pond, and this means they are safe from development. In the woods are many wild animals, including foxes, deer, porcupines, bears, fishers, raccoons, coyotes, and skunks. (I know that people need homes, but so do wild creatures. Getting the mix right is often difficult.)
One acre compared to 2, 729 isn’t very much, but at times it seems like the world to me, always changing, never static, variable with each season. Our home, the driveway, lawn, and gardens all sit on this one acre. When I was younger, I would have liked more land to grow more food. But nowadays, with my creaky knees, our one acre seems exactly right: big enough for some gardens, enough space for our patio, close enough to the road, but not too close.
And what is mid-August bringing to our acre by the woods?
First of all, mushrooms. The opening picture is a close-up of them, and they remind me of little pancakes. When the focus is farther out, not so much. And note how green the grass is. This summer, we have had a perfect amount of rain, enough to keep things green and growing, but not too much to make things soggy and rotten.
The bee balm has passed, and I like the way the seed head looks against this hydrangea, which is starting to pass.
Bee balm doesn’t exactly thrive in my back garden, and I think this plant, normally a spreader, doesn’t get enough sun. I’m thinking of planting more hydrangeas in its place, but the hummingbirds love what does grow, and I like the bee balm’s splash of red, however thin. We shall see.
My own tomatoes are beginning to ripen, and yesterday I used a few in a sandwich. Because I was feeling bold, I also added some cucumbers. As my Yankee husband would say, pretty darned good.
Even though it’s still August, there are signs that fall is just around the corner.
And who is this in our backyard? Why, it’s the divine Miss Holly.
She belongs to our daughter Shannon and our son-in-law Mike, and we took care of Holly while they celebrated their fourteenth wedding anniversary in Vermont. (Happy, happy!)
Our backyard, completely fenced in, is perfect for dogs. Holly had a fun weekend of lots of treats as well as sniffing and patrolling the backyard. She’s wonderful company, bright and alert. Shannon and Mike picked her up yesterday, and we miss her.
There are still more weeks of August before we edge into September. More time for sitting on the patio by the edge of the deep green woods as we listen to the finches, the nuthatches, the chickadees, and the occasional haunting call of the bard barred owl.
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Watching: World Cinema
From the Janus Collection
Ballad of a Soldier, 1959
Directed by Grigory Chukhray
Warning: this review contains minor spoilers
Ballad of a Soldier, a Russian film set in World War II, came out at a propitious time, a few years after Stalin died, when there was a period of thaw during Khrushchev’s regime. This thaw gave Russian filmmakers a little more latitude, a chance to focus on the individual rather than the collective.
And focus director Grigory Chukhray certainly did, on beautiful nineteen-year-old Private Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov). For his bravery in battle, Alyosha has been given a six-day leave to go home to visit his mother.
Two things get in Alyosha’s way: the chaos of war, which extends well into Russia, away from the front line, and Alyosha’s tendency to get sidetracked.
First he helps a wounded veteran, then he meets a lovely young woman, Shura (Zhanna Prokhorenko). Mishaps ensue. Alyosha misses a train as he goes to get water. He delivers a bar of soap to a soldier’s family, which delays him further. Hitchhiking and muddy roads slow him down even more. On a more serious note, the bombing of a train brings panic and death.
In one sense, this could be the story of any soldier in any war, but in another sense, this is the story of Alyosha, a nineteen-year-old who is easily distracted as young men (and women) often are.
Does Alyosha make it home to see his mother? I am not going spoil the ending. This movie, directed by a great humanist, is very much worth seeing and is available on Amazon to rent or buy. It is also available on Turner Movie Classics.
Notes From the Hinterland 
Thanks for taking care of our girl!! 💕💕🐾🐾
Our pleasure!
Those mushrooms DO look like pancakes — are they edible, Laurie? I’m not a big fan of mushrooms, but I sure do love a good, fresh tomato sandwich. In fact, I had one for lunch yesterday, though I can’t lay claim to the tomato being one I’d personally grown! Miss Holly looks happy in your backyard — I know she’s missing her grandparents as much as you’re missing her!
I don’t know if they are edible. I do like mushrooms but I am chicken about collecting them in the wild. Miss Holly always enjoys seeing us whether she comes here or we visit her (and her parents). So I bet you are right.
Your one acre is pretty perfect. You have modern conveniences within it, yet are part of Nature.
Right? We feel very fortunate to live where we do.
It all sounds pretty darned good – the sandwich, your acre, the movie and taking it all in on the patio. No wonder Holly had a blast at your place!
Thanks! It’s a dog’s yard. 😉
How lovely to live by a wild area that is protected. If only all people would build small homes instead of large, humans wouldn’t have to take so much space.
The film you describe brings to mind a German film called The Bridge, which one many awards, about young men in wartime.
That dog is a cutie.
So true about living smaller! We feel very lucky to live near a protected woods.
Holly is a cutie.
I will be looking up the bridge. Thanks for mentioning it.
Is this the 1959 movie?
Lovely to see your 1 acre in its end of summer splendour.
Thanks, Barbara! The flowers are past their best, but there are still things to admire.
It’s perfect to live on a small piece of land that abuts a bigger piece that is protected. You get to enjoy all the wildlife, and not worry about maintenance. We used to live on the edge of the national forest here, and it was divine, well, except when the deer ate my garden!
Yes, no responsibility.
As for deer…I think the fence helps keep them out.
A
We have 1.5 acres, not adjacent to the woods, but every day there is something going on in our yards. When I take the dog out the front door for her walks you never know what will be in the driveway. Best to have a strong hand on the leash.
Yes, a strong hand is necessary!
I had never heard all of that about your woods. That sounds like heaven!
A tomato and cucumber sandwich . . . hmmm. That sounds like a great idea.
Holly is gorgeous. She looks like the picture of health and happiness.
Very nice to have the watershed behind us. Feels like our woods, but, of course, it isn’t.
Holly is a pretty girl!
: )
My first thought when I saw your photo was pancakes, too! Today’s chill seems to be a forewarning of the fall season ahead. The shorter days don’t help!
Yes, the days are definitely shorter. We have lost at least an hour, wouldn’t you say?
Current day length, since summer solstice, is 1.5 hrs. shorter (it shortens about a minute a day). What is amazing to think about is we are hurtling in our orbit around the sun at 66,616 mph!
Mind blowing! In Maine, in June, It gets dark at around 9:00. Now, in mid-August, it’s dark by 8:00.
Your one acre is a great area with all the woodlands on the edge of your property. What a spot!
We feel so fortunate to have the woods right in our backyard.
Awww such a cute doggie
Many thanks!
One acre is quite a lot to look after, I think our garden is a quarter of an acre.( and that keeps us busy! )
I’m sure Holly will miss you. Our daughter and son-in-law have two dogs and they go crazy if they see us coming to visit.
Enjoy your summer days.
Yup, the older we get, the less it takes to keep us busy. 😉 Nice to be so loved by the dogs.
We are enjoying late summer, just as I am sure you are looking forward to the advent of spring.
Yes, spring is early this year, lovely to see the blossoms on trees..
In our few years together, I’ve learned that you have great pride about our home and your state. Cheers to the many joys in gives you and to the fruits of your labor! After all, the tomatoes look fabulous!
Thanks, Frank! We do love having the woods abutt our backyard.
We also have a lot of wild undeveloped land next to us, Laurie. I feel blessed to have so much wildlife and green space right next door (that I don’t have to worry about). Your photos are lovely and your post is full of the peace of the last weeks of summer. Enjoy your acre – it sounds like a piece of heaven.
We both are very lucky. Nice to be surrounded by green and growing things.
Hi, Laurie – Your property sounds, and looks, absolutely lovely. One acre sounds perfect. Holly seems quite at home there. And homegrown tomatoes. I really need to get on that. Hopefully next year! ❤
One acre is perfect. Holly is very comfortable here. Hope next year you get homegrown tomatoes.
My first thought when I saw your mushrooms was of pancakes: tantalizing, but I never would eat a mushroom like that. I’ll take my from the grocery store or farmers’ market, thank you!
The days’ shortening is noticeable here, but we’re still in twilight at 8:03p.m. It won’t be fully dark until about 8:30 or so: what a difference a few degrees of latitude can make! I’m glad you’ll still have some time for patio sitting before real autumn and winter arrive. We’re still waiting for the heat to break so that getting out in the evening is enjoyable!
I am not brave when it comes to mushrooms. Mine also come from the grocery store.
Maine is quite far north, and that certainly makes a difference. We should be able to sit on the patio through September. And in October we have our fire pit.
o I like that happy slip: ‘the bard owl’; enjoyed all this post, this illustrated essay; we have the changing of the seasons coming on here: Spring 🙂
Oh, dearie me! Thanks for pointing this out. I went back and corrected it but left the original with a strike-through. When you make such a silly mistake, you have to own it. 😉
Enjoy your spring! A glorious time.
yes, it’s on out doorstep now 🙂
Well described and photographed insight into your One Acre. I really like the idea of all the wild life. A thoughtful review of the film
We love living here. Ballad of a Soldier is definitely worth watching.
I enjoyed this description of your property. I have a delightful image in mind. It’s wonderful to look out and see tall trees standing between you and the blue (or gray) sky. And to live that close to wildlife. It’s grounding…down to earth.
Yes, grounding…Very important for me.
This is a beautifully curated – and narrated – glimpse of where you live!
Thanks, Anne! We feel so grateful to live on this one acre by the woods.
I only pick mushrooms if someone reliable has told me they are safe! But I do enjoy looking at the amazing range of hapes, sizes and colours. I too am seeing signs that Autumn is beginning. Which is a shame as we have had very little summer yet.
I feel like I am right there. Your description of everything is right on. We are having a few signs of fall here as well. Holly is precious. I am sure you miss her. I love that you have a fenced yard she can run around in. I also thought at first that those mushrooms were pancakes.
Holly is quite a dog. Fun to have her stay with us. Funny how those mushrooms look like pancakes. Speaking of which…I could have some pancakes right now. 😉
Happy, happy anniversary to the happy couple, and it is always fun to have a ‘grand dog’ visit. 🙂 Based on this current weather, I think we’re going to have an early fall.
Thanks, Judy! I have to admit I am enjoying the cooler weather. I have always loved fall.
It seem like your one acre is a real blessing 🙂 I too used to think that I needed so much land when I was younger (perhaps I did since I had many horses..) now I would be thrilled if I had one acre. It is not impossible for me to get a small piece of land, but right now my daughter (with special needs) requires us to live in town. It is a smal town surrounded by beautiful wild life areas, and I love to spend time in them whenever I get an opportunity. Eventually I see myself getting a small place outside of town, to have a more permanent garden and a dog again. I love dogs 🙂
Thanks, Maria. Hope you soon get a small place outside town.
“(I know that people need homes, but so do wild creatures. Getting the mix right is often difficult.)”
Unfortuantely, it’s all about money these days and developers are always looking for an opportunity to build. We live in a natural park and I hope it stays that way. They want to start fracking but so far it has been blocked.
Your tomatoes are looking good!
Yes, sigh. Hope your natural park remains undeveloped. As for fracking…may it stay blocked.
It’s nice to see the goings-on in your garden, Laurie.
When I first saw your top photo I thought of bagles. Either way, something to make me hungry. Do you know your mushrooms well enough to be able to pick the edibles? I don’t.
Thanks, Tanja! No, I don’t know mushrooms well enough to be able to pick them in the wild. All mine come from the grocery store.
Same here! 🍄🍄🍄
Love your beautiful one acre and the wonderful mixture of summer and fall! Every year we have to make adjustments as to how we take care of the yard as we age and I’m glad we have a lot of woods surrounding us. Looks wonderful to see a dog enjoying your yard and after your review I’ve added the movie to my list.🙂
Thanks so much! We sure do have to make adjustments as we age. We loved watching Holly sniff and prowl around our yard. Hope you like the movie as much as I did. Wowsah, that Janus collection is fantastic.
What a wonderful place to call home, so close to Nature and far from the madding crowds of the 21st century. You have so much wonderful wildlife in your neighbourhood…Mrs P and I have only woodpigeons, collectively known to us as Woodrow in honour of your 28th President! And congratulations on your tomatoes, they appear to be doing much better than mine.
We feel so fortunate to live on the edge of the woods.
What a beautiful post, Laurie! I love the transition into autumn when temperatures cool, the garden ripens and the skies are full of varying cloud formations. One of my aunts had a needlepoint wall hanging that said “let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man.”. I could see one for your house that says “let me live in a house by the edge of the woods and be a friend to man and animal”.
The movie sounds like a good one!
Oh, I would love to have a needle point with that saying! The movie is very good. Worth seeking out.
Abutting a woodland and watershed park sounds magical. Thank you for sharing it with us. And your photos are wonderful. I’m especially enamored of the the photo of the patio pavers and red leaf: The geometry, colors and texture are so soothing to me.
Wonderful to have the woods outside be part of a watershed. I, too, was drawn to the textures and pattern of the leaf and the pavers. I appreciate the big and the bold, but really I am drawn to small things.
I agree. Small things can offer remarkable beauty and can provide surprising rewards for close or fresh ways of looking!
Yes, indeed!
At first I thought you had a picture of toast rounds, and knowing that you like toast it seemed plausable. Pancakes also seemed like a possibility. I’m glad you didn’t prepare a quiz.
Dogs are good company, and like you, we enjoy the time with our son’s pooch when he visits. (The cats, not so much). I’m sure Holly had a blast.
Yes, they do look like toast rounds, too. It’s funny how a closeup will change perspective.
Dogs are such good company, even if cats think otherwise. 😉