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Today we took a school field trip out to the local orchard for apple picking.

The kids have been waiting not – so – patiently for this for a few months now, but I wanted to wait until the orchard had a wider selection of apples than just Jonagold and Golden Delicious.

Today we were in luck and nabbed ourselves some Fuji, Winesap and Jonagolds.

 

It wasn’t the best day for picture – taking, unfortunately.  It was very, very bright and very windy.

 

It didn’t take long to fill up our bags and trudge back up to the apple barn to pay.

And pay we did.  We picked SEVENTY SIX POUNDS OF APPLES.

That’s a lot of apples to carry.  And we made sure we got some fresh apple cider donuts and apple cider slushies.

It was a very sugary morning, and now I have SEVENTY SIX POUNDS of apples in my kitchen.

There’s going to be a lot of apple sauce happening this week.

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Pirate Ice!

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Want to see one of my favorite new things?

It’s silly.

When the girls and I were at Michael’s a few weeks ago looking at their Halloween stuff I found this ice cube tray:

Skull and crossbones!

I also really like that the tray itself is a very flexible, rubbery material.  It makes removing the shaped cubes way easier.

Here they are in my iced coffee today:

YAARRRRR!!!!!!!!

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Just Another Rainy Day Blog

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So far what we’ve seen of October puts us in the mood for flannels and woolens and comfort foods.  Perhaps hot cups of tea with our afternoon knitting by the fire.

It’s chilly and damp and foggy, and I had to put my boots on just to go out and get the mail.

The mums are showing off their autumn shades.

So are the trees.

Furble likes to follow me to the mailbox and back – today she only came out from her warm and dry spot in the garage because there was a break from the rain.

Inside I finished the October – inspired pillows for the couch.  It was a good place to curl up and watch a scary movie after school.

It’s time to  start preparing for the cozy months.

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Welcome October!

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I cannot believe it is already October, can you?

I wish I could say there’s something to report other than burning, burning, and more burning.

The good news is that instead of a giant pile of brush preventing us from installing the fencing, we now have a small pile of smoking ash and small chunks of trees.

Today was rainy and chilly (a perfect start to October, if I do say so) so we didn’t start mapping out the fence line.

We did have school, nap, and watched old episodes of Warehouse 13.

I made Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (but this time I slow roasted the squash and apples in butter before pureeing them).

I worked some more on my Halloween socks, and the kids got a little stir crazy.

You can tell by the pretty princess wings Gulliver’s been sporting.

 

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Fiery

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I am finding that there’s something oddly addictive about burning brush and building up a big bonfire. I think it speaks to something primal in our collective subconscious.  Something about our beginnings as a species and our first experience with flame.

Then there’s the layers embedded in our own individual memories; nostalgia for campfires and parties in the summer, or huddling around a big fire in the colder months, maybe with a mug of hot cider.

It’s cozy and wild at the same time.   At night after a long day of working at clearing the land it’s been mesmerizing watching the flames and the sparks dancing up into the sky. (it also makes me happy to think that this means progress, that we are closer to our animals coming home).

With the air beginning to chill the smell of the woodsmoke is the perfect thing to make it feel like fall.

The Harvest Moon is September 29th this year.  I can think of no better place to enjoy it than right by this big, beautiful fire.

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Equinox

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Happy first day of fall!

It is decidedly UN-fall-like out there today, but that’s okay.  Paul’s working on brush burning and I am working in the craft room.

You ever get mostly done with a dress and realize you have to tear out the zipper and re-do it? No?  Just me?

Yeah, that’s what I am working on.

Also, these:

Halloween – colored socks.

If I get this dress sorted out I’ll be making more couch pillows from this:

Love those fall colors.

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Soupy Fall Day

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Y’all might want to sit down for this one.

I finished a pair of socks.

I know, shocking.  A finished object.  What’s more, I immediately cast on another pair of socks that’s been waiting in the wings for a few YEARS.

If you can believe it – these are from the same ball of yarn.  This is just the way it knitted out.  Crazy.  I wasn’t sure I was okay with the difference at first, but honestly, a pair of hand knit wool socks is a pair of hand knit wool socks.  They will be well appreciated in my boots come winter.

They also fit quite comfortably inside my new orthopedic shoes.  (Orthaheel – I love them!)

The pattern is Grumperina’s Jaywalkers (this is my 4th pair I’ve knit – I know the pattern so well now that they are easier to whip out).  The yarn is Schoppel Wolle (Zauberball, I think) that I picked up at Maryland Sheep & Wool last year.

It’s been awful and dark and rainy and very windy (we are under a tornado watch until 7 tonight) and thick out  so the kids are snuggled on the couch watching movies and I am working on the next pair of socks.  On the stove we’ve got some Butternut Squash and Apple Soup bubbling for dinner.  This is my favorite go – to fall dinner because it’s easy, delicious and terribly in season.  You can find the original tutorial I posted for it a few years back  HERE.

Make yourself a big pot (it’s gluten – free!!)  and serve with a salad or some hot sweet potato rolls.

Go! What are you waiting for???

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Creature Feature

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When you start clearing out woods and burning brush piles and moving things around and well, just being outside more – you are bound to see more of the wild things that also call your land their home.

Sometimes these are lovely little encounters, like the snails and the praying mantis we’ve been seeing.

Furble unfortunately also found this guy – and ate him. She also recently left us part of a wild bunny. The kids weren’t too thrilled.

Sometimes it can be quite amusing – now that the culvert is in and the stream is running through it we are seeing a proliferation of frogs and tadpoles.  I love walking down to the bridge and hearing the various cries of “Eep!” followed by a splash as the frogs all try to avoid me.

And sometimes, it’s just creepy.

This copperhead snake tried to escape a brush pile we were burning.  He didn’t make it, and we are glad of that because it saved us the trouble of having to kill this very poisonous creature.  This time of year the snakes are looking for dens in which to spend the winter – usually with other snakes.  We are keeping this in mind as we continue to burn brush piles and clean out the debris from the stream, because there are sure to be more where this guy came from.

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On Meat Birds & Other Farmy Things

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So.

Meat birds.

Birds that are engineered by us humans to grow at an alarming rate so that they are ready for “harvest” by about 8 weeks of age.

Mine are now 14 weeks old and they are still not ready for harvest.

I have to admit, I was getting really, really worried about this.  We’re spending WAY more on feed than expected and it has been feeling like we’ll never get these birds into the freezer.

Internet to the rescue!

I found some message boards for chicken farmers talking about this very thing.

You see, I’ve been feeding a combination of commercially – prepared and processed feeds along with fresh pasture.  We don’t generally leave just a huge feed bin out constantly full of food.  If you do, they won’t forage.  We wanted a better tasting, healthier bird.  Less commercial stuff.  Apparently, when you limit the processed grain and turn them out onto fresh grasses regularly, they grow a lot slower.  Their mortality rate is much lower.  And – get this – they end up tasting better.

I am feeling a lot better about these birds, if not poorer, given that we’ve fed them several weeks longer than anticipated!

I’ve also recently been spending more time over at Juniper Moon Farm.  As you may have read, Susan has been ill so I have been helping out.  It’s been wonderful spending some quiet time in the mornings and the evenings with the animals.

Only the dogs seemed to want to cooperate for photos, however.  Everyone else was too busy taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and dewy grasses.

Oh great, not the paparazzi again.  Can’t you see I am eating here???

I have been trying to make friends with little Stella, as well, but is has been mostly in vain.  Her mother is so friendly and approachable, but Stella is much more of a tease.  She looks all sweet and cute and cuddly in the pasture, but try to approach her and she runs off to mama, tail between her legs.  She doesn’t look back until there’s a giant Luna safely between me and her.

Nanny nanny poo poo, you can’t catch me!!!!