Dinner time on the farm .  . .

(photo by Jeanine Dargis)

finds Cole eating hay off of Molly’s back.  Molly has turned out to be an amazingly sweet, chill ewe.  Ben has been hard at work building us a new barn door, and while he was using a Sawz-all to cut out some of the wall, she laid there, chewing her cud, the Sawz-all grinding away next to her head.  Amazing.

Is it just me, or does the lovely crisp air bring on crazy preparation urges in anyone else?  We’ve been canning like mad, harvesting, starting seeds for the hoophouse this winter, ordering longjohns, knitting up a storm of sweaters and legwarmers, cutting out flannel pants for Ella . . . I love the fall.  Bring on the delicata squash and the cider, I say!  Bring on the leaf peeping and the Animal Powered Field Days!  Bring on the Garlic and Arts Festival, and the dozen other amazing festivals that all seem to happen at once.  Bring on the delicious cool that calls out for snuggly blankets, scarves, and hot tea.  Love it.  (Ok, I may also be a bit biased, being a fall baby, but really, what’s not to love?)

Oh, and did you see the cover of Time a few weeks ago?  “The Real Cost of Cheap Food”!!!  Yes!  Oh, and hop on over to Hip Mountain Mama, who has an amazing art supplies giveaway going on.  And then hop over to our house on Sunday for the Sewing Bee!  Grain bags galore, yes siree.  We’re going to need them soon – the first beans get harvested this weekend!

And, as I keep reminding myself, don’t forget to breathe.  Enjoy the beautiful days.