Ahh, Fall

Anyone who knows me also knows that I savor this time of year. Yes, there's something sad about squirreling away the swimsuits and ratty towels for another season, but the smell of the late September air is reminiscent of a toasted marshmallow, sweet with the smoky scent of dying leaves and the recently resurrected hot tub fire. And characterized by a certain new snap - not quite a bite yet - soothing in its cool embrace. The cornstalks I'm viewing out our front window have taken on a pale, ghostly hue overnight, and in fact the general palate of this place is changing from sunny, fresh green to deep reds, yellows and oranges everywhere I look. The horses are getting their fuzzy coats already. The bugs are diminishing, and the equine sigh of relief at this is almost audible. Gideon's forecart is nearly finished and once I track down a harness, I can start driving him in earnest.

I would have a hard time living somewhere without defined seasons. I relish the way the chores change, from the watering/weeding/sweating of summer to the harvesting/preserving/flannels of autumn. An early and especially austere frost and difficult growing season (drought in the beginning of the summer, deluge in August) has left us with a diminished tomato and cucumber crop this year, and the melons and squash got stopped in their tracks. But the apple trees have flourished, dropping the equivalent of nine quarts of applesauce a day, mocking me with their astounding fertility and seeming ability to magically grow more fruit every time I look. Of course, being gluttons for punishment, we have also picked at the neighbor's place, and will go to Jay's co-worker's house for breakfast and picking Sunday morning so we can get the cider flowing. And the house is currently ripe and spicy with the scent of cooking apple butter.

The babies entertain and sometimes annoy us with something new every day. Ellis' sly sense of humor and tenderness and Owain's drunk-midget walk and cheesy grins make up for their special screaming language and recent toy and turf wars. One of the best thing about our kids is that they seamlessly fit into our life here in so many ways. They love to be a part of things (as you can see in Chris' post, they'll wander around in a dirt trench for hours without complaint). They enjoy chores of all sorts, and live to play outside. This general enthusiasm for farm life on their part makes me excited for our future here. I'm currently on the hunt for a pair of good winter boots for Owain so that we can continue to enjoy our outside play through the winter and stave off the typical cabin fever the great chill brings.

I have deeply appreciated the recent visits by Kathie Gray and Matt Plies, along with the profound realization that our life-long friends will also be Owain and Ellis' life-long friends. I also know we have good things to look forward to: my Aunt Glenda's wedding in October, a visit from Corrie and Amy Jackson in November, new windows and a cozy wood cook stove for the house, Christmas with the families, and then a spring bringing with it the promise of fresh farm eggs and a new place to put our seedlings.

I continue in my journey to search with the hope that my questions just serve to foster new questions, to beware the stagnation that certainty brings...