and so it begins...

~Paul Harvey, 1978

 

beauty in the ordinary...

It's been said that some folks are like squirrels when it comes to the month of October...digging in reverse. I agree...that sums me up perfectly as I dust off, shake out, and rearrange all the things I tucked away at winter's end. 

Bittersweet colored candles with names such as Sweet Cinnamon and Snickerdoodle are lined up across the fireplace mantel, while plump pumpkins, handlettered with cheery greetings, are set on cupboard shelves and alongside mums in an old flower cart by the front lamppost. Quilts that have been folded and stored during the heat of summer are freshly laundered and blowing in today's brisk & chilly breeze.

This time of year stirs in me the urge to once again pick up the pace on my to-do list...the temperature is perfect outside now - in the 60's during the day - so any end-of-summer clean-up and preparations for winter are done with ease. And while part of that ease is the definite lack of heat & humidity, part of the inclination to move a little quicker is to prepare for winter...be it harsh and long, or not so much...there's peace of mind in being prepared.

But also, there's peace of mind in remembering to pause, look around, and just "be." 

And so. on this beautiful October day, I've somehow stifled the urge to start a new project and looked for beauty in the ordinary...

Lastly... a dense, humming mass against the robin's egg blue sky as a flock of Starlings looks to roost for the night.

Known as murmuration, it happens each October as several thousand birds gather - an amazing sight that stops me no matter where I am, to watch...

and listen...

"We need time to dream, 

   time to remember,

   and time to reach the infinite.

Time to be."

~Gladys Taber

organized chaos!

 Yes, that's exactly how I would describe the state of the kitchen right now!

If you were to pop in for a visit, you would find every flat surface filled with canning jars, buckets of tomatoes and peppers, a water bath canner bubbling away, a jam & jelly maker whirring, stacks of jar lids, paper towels, spoons, pickling salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and oodles of other things. I even brought in an extra table (remember this one? ) I love this table and need to find a way to squeeze it in the kitchen. Oh, and no, I will not be sharing pictures of the organized chaos.

Since my oven was built in 1950, I hesitate to have her on for the hours and hours that it takes to water bath and preserve food. Last year I picked up the Ball Fresh Tech Electric Water Bath Canner (here) and I absolutely love it. It does take the water a bit of time to boil, but while the water's heating up, I can sterilize my jars inside. I also have the Ball Jam & Jelly Maker (here) and I love it as well...it tackles the constant stirring so I can step away from the stove and focus on something else.  The only con is the recipes are tailored for the maker, and the yield is small: about 4, 8-oz. jars. It cools 30 minutes between batches though, and I've found that works just fine for me...I can prep another bit of jam to go in and the 30 minutes goes by quickly. I haven't tinkered with doubling recipes, but that could be on the winter to-do list. And so, if you're thinking about either one, I can highly recommend them both.

Well, this is a quick visit to say hi - tomorrow I'll be corralling the clutter in the kitchen and making Firecracker Pepper Jam. In the meantime, since I'm not sharing kitchen pictures (trust me, it's better this way), I'll leave you with some photos from the farm as well as some of the surrounding farms.

Plus, a quote and artwork by two of my favorite people...

Art credit: Susan Branch
https://susanbranch.com/

a quick catch-up...

This is the time of year that has a busyness all its own, and can only mean one thing: harvest time! This week the days will be spent in the kitchen prepping, canning, and freezing tomatoes and peppers.

If you're like me, and you find yourself with oodles of tomatoes, here's an Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe I use that is quick, and so easy, just click: here.

And because I always seem to need tomato sauce for chili, I'm keeping it super-simple this year:  I'm just cutting the stem end off of tomatoes, quartering, and then tossing the quarters in the blender - no peeling!  After they're blended, I put them in the slow cooker, add some salt to taste, and let simmer several hours until they've thickened into a nice sauce. Truly, it couldn't be easier!

I had some baked goods left from the "not shop, shop" a couple of weeks ago, so I called a friend that loves old-fashioned bartering as much as I do...

A visit to her farm found us catching up, which is always great, while seeing all the sweet farm animals she has.

Meet Ferdinand!

His mom, Annie, shares her wonderful milk with us...which became the best chocolate ice cream.

My friend also sent us home with butter, cream, homemade mozzarella, dozens of eggs, and cabbage...what a blessing to be able to trade goods!

The cabbage was put into fermentation jars to become sauerkraut...it's a favorite of mine, but I've never made it before, so I'm anxious to see how it comes out. 

She has the prettiest views from her farm...

and the drive there, is beautiful as well.

This is what the blue, super moon looked like from our little corner of the world...well, as best as it could be captured with my phone...it was truly gorgeous as we were driving home at dusk.

And lastly, this was a view my daughter captured on our travels. It felt so vintage and classic Heartland to me, I wanted it to be black & white:

Thanks for visiting...wherever you find yourselves, have a great week!

looking at the small things...

It was 47 degrees one morning when Bailey and I first went outside, and in the evening I can now hear crickets...a sign that Fall is on its way! 

Along with cooler temperatures and the songs of crickets, something else I notice this time of year are spider webs...lots of intricate and, to me, beautiful ones.

I thought I'd share these snapshots with you...my son noticed this early in the morning; hopefully, you can see the long trail, as it's somewhat hidden in the leaves.

It had to be 40-50 feet long! We can only imagine the little gal or fella who made this took a leap of faith from high in the tree, and swinging on the breeze, landed in this spot. 

And from the looks of the tangled knots, they wanted to know it was secure!

I'll start you at what I'm guessing was the end of the adventure, as that's what we noticed first:

And not that I'm crazy about spiders, but this was another instance of accidently discovering the small things. 

I thought the flowers were so pretty with the morning dew on them, so I began to zoom in closer...

Another little gal or fella snoozing in the flower fold...with the drop of water, it just made me smile.