12/12/19
(Above: A tangle of peas appearing especially lush.)
Active Summary: After rising this morning, I performed my daily calisthenics and then wrote for about half an hour before venturing outdoors to complete the daily beef pasture check with Padre. This was followed by my venturing down to the Harbison farm market – a lengthier excursion this time due to there being a detour and also because the Harbisons had accidentally risen from bed a tad late.* After procuring vegetation and putting it away at Oldhouse, I returned home where I cleaned the place up and vacuumed before showing it off to my grandma and uncle (the latter of which is down from Ohio for Christmas). The morning ended with a delicious lunch at Aneta’s Bistro in Ocala.
(7:14 PM Update:) I went out about 25 minutes early this afternoon so as to tend the garden before farm-time. This pleasant activity was followed by myriad cattle-related tasks that lasted well past dusk. It was by the light of a flashlight that I finished weeding and raking the garden.
TIL: Today I learned from Troy Harbison that citrus greening is (tentatively) curable through antibiotic therapy. To treat his own trees, he tapped the center vein and administered a slow-release antibiotic compound. Though I am not sure what the composition of that compound is, it appears to have worked. He showed me images of what the trees looked like before treatment, and then he walked me over to show how they look today, and the change is remarkable. Not only that, but he gave me some of the fruit and told me to try it. I did, and found that it was delicious (not sour, bitter, or dry like typical greened fruit). So, even though Florida’s days of citrus being the state’s primary crop are departed, perhaps backyard groves have a chance to make a comeback.
Commentary: Gardening in the daylight is already a tranquil task, but gardening in the dark with a gentle rain falling about me… that was on a whole other level. The greens took on an especially verdant hue beneath the spotlight, the autumn mist tingled the backs of my hands, and the only sound to be heard other than the occasional vehicle traveling down the nearby road (and the distant sounds of Padre mixing feed in the dark) was the hushed pattering of precipitation pelting fallen foliage.
The arugula row is about as wild as the pea row (and quite delicious). 
As can be seen, the spinach has begun to grow its characteristically crinkled leaves. 
The kale, like the spinach, is beginning to exhibit its signature attributes. 
Even weeds – especially weeds – appear quite verdurous beneath the spotlight. 
To an unwary viewer, this may seem nothing more than a patch of fertile soil.
Final Note: Tomorrow morning I intend to write, complete any chores on my task list (including putting together an early-day post for this blog), and if there is time afterward, spend a little more time in the tool room. At 3PM, the freekend begins.
*I helped them set out a lot of the produce, and in appreciation they gave me a whole bunch of Jalapeno peppers (going to use some in a frittata tonight) and a number of homegrown oranges.