September 2014

While it is still a couple of weeks until October, I wanted to share with you some of our happenings here on the "farm".  Labor Day weekend found us out of doors most of the day.  Harvesting, canning, rototilling, and decorating for autumn were what was on the menu :-)  Some  years I hold on to every last day of summer, sunshine and the garden.  And then some years .... I just need to be done.  With all that I have on my plate academically this year,  I needed to eliminate some of my "have to's" so as to enjoy what is on the horizon.

Our gardening year wasn't our best, but it was far from being our worst.  We had oodles of tomatoes early enough into the season that I was able to can our year's worth of homegrown sauce before we began our school year.  In addition, we canned spiced peach jam, grape jelly, pickles, and raspberry jam.   In our freezer we have several ears of corn awaiting cooking.  Our apples are all wormy (and prolific!!) but our peaches and apricots did beautifully in spite of our early mistake in spraying them this spring.

This peach jam reminds me so much of the spiced peaches that my Grandma used to make every summer and serve throughout the year!  Delicious!! 

Berries are for snacking in between jobs -- we have the purple lips and fingers to prove it!  We enjoy giving out of our abundance to friends and neighbors after we've had our fill.

Isabelle (at age 12) has become a capable and trustworthy driver of our Ranger around the farm.  She was a big help as we tore out huge stacks of vegetation and tilled under the garden.

Autumn decorating is "legal" for me on September 1st!! :-)  My favorite time of year, I want to savor as many days looking at the autumn colors, corn stalks, flowers, and pumpkins as I possibly can.

Isabelle and I created several "pockets of autumn joy" around the house and farm. Delightful!!

I should have taken a "before" picture to help you understand the magnitude of this task.  With three of us working full time, it still took 3 hours to bring the garden to this state of rest.   Just some perennial herbs and strawberries will remain to sit out the winter.

As we ease into autumn and have fewer gardening chores to do, it has been a joy to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labors.  Horses now can eat freely in the field.  The picture out my back window of horses, pasture, chickens, and trees slowly changing color is quite beautiful.  I am so blessed.

We traded out "Diesel" for a much-gentler horse for Daddy and Sarah to ride alongside Isabelle.  "Cadillac" (yes, Joe named him appropriately) is a calmer (albeit much taller!) ride.  It says a lot that, although the tallest horse I've stood next to, I am not afraid of "Cadillac" and have enjoyed more than a few face to face conversations with this gentle giant.

Joe and I, looking for a family adventure in our continued efforts to distract our attention from the absence of Josiah, opted to take a family hike up "table rock" in Boise one Saturday.  I walk several miles nearly every day and will be walking a 10K tomorrow, but this hike was hard and more than once I had to stop to catch my breath!  Joe ended up letting me hold on to his backpack straps to help me up the side of the mountain :-)  Thanks honey!

Success!!!  We made it up "table rock" and lived to tell about it!  Now, how do we get down??!

Volleyball seems to be the sport of choice this summer and we've hosted several gatherings including this one for our Mission Prayer leaders gathering.  Isaac, being a senior this year, is privileged to be a small part in leading through this ministry each Sunday.

Last weekend we headed up into the mountains to spend a weekend in Cascade with Grandma and Grandpa.  Walks along the river, trips to get ice cream cones, yummy meals, games, and long visits just sitting (gasp!!) were how we spent our time.  It was lovely .... and too short.

Isabelle and I are looking forward to our visit with Josiah in Virginia in less than 3 weeks.  He is doing well, managing his time nobly, learning to handle multiple stresses (including his first bout of sickness away from home), and developing friendships.  Please continue to keep him in your prayers. 

Our morning glory finally bloomed and is a lovely reminder that there are still beautiful days to come this fall.  Green abounds along with a few shades of red, orange, and yellow just starting to pop their heads out.   Wishing you and yours a lovely start to your autumn.