the end of October...

Glowing pumpkins, a cracking fire, autumn squash soup simmering on the stove, and the aroma of spicy pumpkin bread...somehow, these comforts of home help to take the chill out a fiercely blowing wind that's rattling the farmhouse windows. This would be the same wind that my son and I lost a tug-of-war battle with as we tried to keep a tarp on our our camper. After several tries, it was clear we were on the losing side. Oh well...it's time for Maizy to have a long winter's nap in the barn anyway.

Where did the time go? 

From planting...

to harvest...

to fall barn sales...

  

and pumpkin picking.

The days are dark by about 6:30 now, and our goats and chickens are ready to be tucked in early...it's almost as if they can tell the hard work of both summer and harvest is over, and now is a time for slowing down. With Mother Nature letting us know that winter will soon be here, it's a good feeling to have over 100 bales of hay stacked in the barn and another cord of firewood delivered this week.

And now, in a flurry of what I can only call November-itis, I'm making plans for the seasons. I'm a born list-maker, and so lists are being made, revised, scratched out, rewritten, and then posted on the fridge. I have a few more outdoor to-do's before the snow flies, and oodles of indoor to-do's...does it ever really end?!

Before it's time to call it a day, I decide to toss another log on the sputtering fire to keep it going just a little longer. I love a fire...not only does it keep my toes toasty, but it gives this old farmhouse a warm & cozy feeling.

Sure, we all have things on our wish-lists  (anyone else dreaming of a '63 Chevy Impala?) but autumn seems to bring with it a peaceful feeling of home & family. And as Linus would say, "That's what it's all about..."

a change in the weather!

A quick farm update...

The weather Friday was perfect...it was one of those days I love! The temperature was 48 degrees on the drive to school and only 52 while I was doing outside chores. The sky was a pretty robin's egg blue dotted with clouds, and there was a cool breeze from the north. I spent the afternoon with Henry James playing in the background (take a listen here  - I liked it long before the movie!)  and now that it's not too hot to heat up the kitchen, I decided it was a good day to try a new bread recipe.

In the evening I went to the best farm show with dear friends, The Domestic Goddess Society as we call ourselves. We love all things old, vintage, primitive, retro & antique. It's great to find such kindred spirits! 

The last of the corn and soybeans have been taken from the fields and we're settling in here for the season...132 bales of hay were delivered yesterday (perfect weather...how lucky!), we've stacked a cord of firewood, with more to come, Concord grapes just arrived for making jam, and there's a few odds & ends on my honey-do list to wrap up over the next weeks. Finally...it feels like fall, and who would believe it was 93 degrees earlier in the week?

October...time to fetch a plump pumpkin, take a hayride, enjoy cider, apples, doughnuts, bonfires, Friday high school football games, tailgates with the band, the last county fair, and the harvest moon. 

What a beautiful time of year...yes, the seasons of life are fine indeed.