Fall

This fall we have been very busy. In addition to all the normal October things, our son is getting married on Saturday. It is a home grown affair, with the two of them doing most of the planning. So, yeah, it is busy here.

After a slow start at the beginning of the summer, our tomatos came in really nicely. We had a very warm and beautiful first half of October here, and have been getting our fill of tomatos When the first rain came last week we had to get them in before they split.

This is apple season too. One thing about this year is that the fruit is huge. The tomato is one of Phoebe's hybrids. She has been proving the seeds for a few years, and they are really lovely and yummy. And usually big.

The apples are a King and what we call a Mystery. (So named because we took it to the apple fair and the old apple guys could not identify it. Probably a unique hybrid or an heirloom type that is not well known.) The Kings, left, usually get big, but I have never had Mysterys this large.

Hank helped me get the hay in a while ago, so that is all taken care of.

The boys helped me split, haul and stack the wood that had been drying over the summer. 3 trailer loads and 2 pickups full will get us a long way through the winter. There is still more to haul but that will have to wait until after the wedding. It is tarped and waiting.

We like to burn a lot of bark this time of year. It is not that cold out, and often we just need to take the chill off in the morning or evening. The bark is kind of a pain, in that it does not stack well and is really splintery, but it is perfect for days like today.

And of course, apples mean cider. We did not do our usual party this year; too busy to think about that. And our septic is still a little tender, so we wanted to go easy on it. So the boys and I pressed 10 gallons, 5 each of the King and Mystery. We thawed out 6 gallons of the Grav we did in August and mixed them together. They make a lovely blend. A few were gifted out and the rest went back in the freezer to get us through the winter.

Finally, I have been really enjoying riding my Honda 110. If I have a reason to go for a little ride, to the bank or post office, I always try to find a little more to do. One thing I love in the late summer/early fall is to ride by the dahlia farm down the road. It is always a beautiful sight.