thoughts of harvest...

Colorful pumpkins and squash line the steps signaling that harvest-time is here. Jars of jams, jellies, and pickles made in summer now line the pantry shelves, geraniums are overwintering in the cellar, and fields, once filled with corn, are now bare. There is a sense of quiet and rest.

It's a time to catch our breaths, this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas - it's a short time, and should be enjoyed. Below are just a few photos of what it's like in my corner of the world...toss another log on the fire, settle in with a cup of tea, and listen to some sweet violin music  "e're the winter storms begin."

Even in October, the geraniums were lovely...

and quilts were drying on the clothesline.

Evenings have had the prettiest skies, 

and afternoons were spent discovering old barns; all with stories to tell, I'm sure...a different time, fueled by oats and hay, not gasoline, but still lovely to me.

I love the small-town faith of roadside stands with honesty boxes:

An old lilac tree - which usually blooms in May, gifted us with a few new blooms,
unheard of in October!

Even Bailey is ready for a long winter's nap!

Sending you heartfelt good wishes this Thanksgiving, wherever you may be. 

 

a catch-up...

Last week there was a hint that Old Man Winter would shortly be paying a visit. Nighttime temperatures were in the 20's, while the mornings brought the prettiest blue skies with a moon still visible in the early morning. Opening the mudroom door, it seems it's always a toss-up on who's louder...Tinkerbell, the cat on the porch waiting for breakfast, or the crows in the fields. (I just discovered a grouping of crows is called a Murder...yikes, how Halloween-esque!) 

And as my to-do list is whittled down, I think maybe, just maybe, that I'm ready. Okay, well, there are probably a few more things...I can always find something else I feel needs doing!

The garden's been put to bed, and for me, that's a sure sign I can step back, breathe, and see what I've ignored during this time (dust bunnies, I'm coming for you.)

And so today's post is a catch-up on what's been happening while harvest has been in full swing...

pumpkins buckled up for a safe ride home
from a little roadside farm stand

along with the last of the summer blooms

what's been for sale at the

"not shop" shop

a visit to the season's last county fair...

look at the weight of that prize-winning pumpkin:

530 pounds!

blue-ribbon roosters,

and goat mama & kid

my favorite Halloween gal...

this witch just makes me smile!

decorations are simple...

nothing to be afraid of here!

my daughter and I hiked a trail I'd been looking forward to:
the Butternut Trail
no special reason, other than I loved the name!

We packed a lunch and soon were rewarded with
lovely views along the way.

                                 

the last of the garden harvest...

I just couldn't let those green tomatoes freeze,

so I pulled out a handwritten recipe of my grandmother's
for Dilly Green Tomatoes:

Now I have a gallon of them to enjoy!

I'll post about my grandmother sometime...every time I hear Taylor Swift's song, Marjorie  I'm reminded of her...I think she's why I do so much of what I do. 

Well here's to a new month and a new week...hoping for beautiful blue autumn skies, trees with coppery leaves, and that unmistakable hint of Fall in the air, maybe even the first fire in the fireplace. Truly, my favorite season! 

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/