happy Halloween!

Here’s what the steps of the old farmhouse look like today…carving will be later tonight, along with roasting pumpkin seeds!

In case you’re still looking for a little inspiration, we had a chance to visit a local town with oodles of carved pumpkins – so intricate, and absolutely incredible and yes, very real!

…

How are you spending your Halloween? I need to whip up some snacks, pull out movies – yes Scooby-Doo will be included - no scary stuff here. Even though we don’t get trick-or-treaters in the country, I still like to have a little silly fun!

And that’s what it’s all about – enjoying this beautiful season and not missing it. 

I’m still trying to learn that – which is what my latest MaryJane’s Farm post is all about. If you click here, it’ll take you right to it.

Hope all is well! 

Happy fall! Plus snapshots from Hale Farm

Good morning…my favorite month has arrived - and it’s been almost picture-perfect!

Friday night we were thrilled to be able to see the comet where we are! I was especially glad my son was here…it always makes me sad when he says he can’t see the stars from the university campus-too many tall buildings, too many bright lights.

I hope you could get a glimpse of it, too. It won’t be back around for another 80,000 years or so I understand.  

I’m behind lin sharing my photos from Hale Farm and Village - a terrific living history site my daughter and I visited. Some of you had asked to see what it was like, and so if you’re a fan of old-fashioned ways and period decorating, you’ll find lots of inspiration!

I hope you enjoyed these - I wish it was close enough to volunteer - I’d love that - cooking with my tin kitchen/reflector oven over the hearth would be my idea of heaven. Sigh…I definitely found ideas I want to add to “this old house”. 

Well it’s another lovely day - I’m off to put the garden to bed and plant garlic. I hope all is well and you’re enjoying these beautiful October days! 

September MJF post is up!

 

and it’s all about preserving the harvest..

just click here to catch up with all the farmgirl bloggers! 

a break in the weather!

Happy Wednesday, and yay, a break in the heat, humidity, and endless string of rainless days!

We've had sunrises that are lovely,

beautiful sunsets that signaled an end to a scorching day,

and thankful twilight time...when there was finally some relief from the heat.

During the days we've seen the change of seasons
around us...

field corn is just about dry,

neighbors are harvesting,

and friends have stacked firewood.

Kittens are growing (and always hungry!)

and every outing means a visit to say "hi" to friendly cows who can be found grazing happily at a nearby farm.

A quick trip to town last night and I spied the prettiest silhouettes of a windmill,

and barn.

And on the way home, the skies became dark & cloudy, and finally we received much-needed rain!

Next time I'll share photos of the living history farm we visited (had a little trouble uploading photos this morning) and a new picture of Bailey.

Yes, she has the all-clear and is heartworm free! While they'll retest in a few months, for now all looks good and she's LOVING her freedom to run, jump, and play again! 

It's been a long 4 months of "house arrest" as we called it, and while lounging around in a darkened room watching relaxing, anti-anxiety videos for dogs (so glad there even is such a thing) was nice I'm sure, I know she's so happy to be back to her regular routine.

Thanks so much to all of you who sent her good wishes and asked how she was doing...it means a lot.

Enjoy the day friends, I'm off to continue to deep clean the basement (doesn't that sound FUN?)

a note to say hi!

As I write, it's 87 degrees at 5 pm...too hot for me, and too hot for mid September! We've been teased with a few cooler days and nights, but Mother Nature always bounces back to that summertime heat. 

I am ready for it to be over! Ready for cozy sweatshirts and bonfires, crackling fires and bowls of chili, chocolaty cocoa and quilts. Secretly wishing for a long, brisk autumn and a cold, snowy winter that lasts until March!

Today I'm sharing a few snapshots of what the typical days have been like lately...the little happenings in my corner of the world and the days as I see them.

beautiful sunsets,

that brought forecasts of upper 30's overnight...

never, ever have I covered veggies in the garden! 

but I couldn't let the huge, volunteer pumpkins 

and watermelons freeze, 

or the Swiss Chard (I gave up on lettuce a couple of years ago, so tired of it bolting before I could get to it. While lots of people cook Swiss Chard, for me, it's the perfect lettuce replacement. It grows 2 feet tall and never bolts.

flowers are cheery alongside the coop,

and the kittens are growing!

this is TOO hot, 

and of course, it falls on canning day!

I bought this a couple of years ago, I just didn't want my 1950 Hotpoint stove cooking all day long...didn't think it would be good for her. I can't say enough, it's a great little canner. Then out came the pressure canner...why yes, the kitchen did look like a cyclone came blowing through.

pizza sauce, pasta sauce, tomato juice, salsa...first wave.

harvest happening all around

I tagged along as my daughter went to a concert a bit north of us, afterward, we spent the night at an Airbnb...pizza, episdoes of Dr. Who, and face masks, all with our feet up...a fun girls overnight getaway! Before coming home, we visited a living history farm, LOVED it, could move right into any of the buildings, I found lots of inspiration for decorating this old house,

and for trying new skills on my wish list

I'll give you a little tour next post, just in case there are a few kindred spirits out there...old-fashioned souls like me. 

The farm had terrific ideas for me to bring home...buildings were filled with antiques, a wool spinner who was kind enough to let me take a turn at her great wheel (huzzah!), heritage sheep, happy hens, flower gardens, and such wonderful history. 

Well, that's it for now...I try to keep Sunday a quiet day, so I'm going to make a few brownies and start a new book. 

Bailey has her heartworm check-up tomorrow morning...wish us luck. She looks good, seems to feel really good, and I can tell she's anxious to get outside again to run, jump, and play! 

She gets lots of TLC, and I can highly recommend the stuffed pig from IKEA as the perfect snuggle toy!

(and my son’s toes peeking out from under the blanket - not Bailey’s 😂 thanks Robin - still laughing!)

Have a good week, friends.