Last Sunday could have been a summer day at Wasque. Families, all wearing short sleeves and T-shirts, gathered to throw Frisbees, chase dogs and enjoy picnics while watching the waves. My three-year-old gleefully stripped down naked and ran in and out of the shallows on the harbor side, belly flopping into the saltwater with shrieks of pure joy.

The weather was welcome, particularly after a few very blustery days earlier in the week, but also raises concern about climate change and the increasingly erratic and unpredictable weather patterns in our future. For those interested in exploring this topic, the Chappy Environmental Committee will host its fourth and final session on the effects of climate change on Thursday, Dec. 2 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. (please note the change from the original date of Nov. 18). This session is titled Global Warming: How We Can Help Mitigate It. It will be a discussion of the impacts on the land that affect our wellbeing such as fire, drought, changes to our ecosystems, food and water supply. Speakers will include scientists from the Woodwell Reserach Center in Woods hole, myself, and participants in the ongoing Chappy aquifer study.

The Slip Away farmstand is now closed for the season. Many thanks are due to all our customers and CSA members for your support this summer. We are grateful and fortunate to be part of a community that is always eager to cheer us on and this was our busiest summer yet. With 85 vegetable share members and 55 flower share members, our CSA was the largest ever in our nine years of growing. We hope to be able to take on a few additional memberships next season. Please email me at slipawayfarm@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list in order to receive notice when the 2021 application becomes available.

Now we turn our attention to putting the farm to bed. The last of the cover crop will be seeded this week, the garlic is planted, the tools are put away. If we ever get a heavy frost, I will dig our gladiolus and cut back our dahlias. This year I am experimenting with overwintering our greenhouse dahlias in the ground rather than digging them to store in the basement as usual. It is better for the soil and will hopefully provide us with earlier blooms next season.

With the continuing pandemic and new interest in all things outdoors, it is likely that some of the seed companies may be experiencing shortages next year as they did this past spring. All you Chappy gardeners (of which I know there are many!) be sure to get your seed order in early. Some items are already available.

Rachel Self will be stocking her beautiful Cape Pogue eggs once a week or so in a cooler at the end of the Slip Away driveway this winter. They are $8 a dozen, payable by Venmo to Rachel-Self-4 or with check (no cash please!). Keep an eye out for the cooler or check the Chappy Chats facebook page for updates from Rachel on delivery days.