greeting the new season

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There had been a great feeling of the changing season all through the month of September, and the first day of autumn felt just right and so so good. Although it hadn't been the original plan, we ended up spending most of the day at the lake, which was wonderful of course. (Also we were celebrating not just the first day of autumn but Jason's birthday too.) This place is very special to us. We used to live on the hillside overlooking the the lake, it is where Chloe was born. It is is one of our very favorite places. Right now we are keeping our horses out there, it has been nice to be spending more time there lately.

And the first autumn day was bright and sunny, with a good wind blowing and making us think of St. Michael riding through the forest on his snowy white horse...

Our autumn days have been full and beautiful. I have much to tell you about.. cozy days full of knitting and sewing, a visit from friends, and homeschool days too of course. So I will return here soon...

Wishing you all happy and beautiful days in this new season ahead!


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first, summer good-bye...

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It was an interesting summer. It was very rainy, that was very nice. But my pregnancy pukiness never went away, that wasn't nice. And it doesn't feel like there were enough flowers. Still it was beautiful.

(And oh yes, there is a garden. But I haven't much wanted to talk about it. Last year we grew enough vegetables to eat abundantly from the garden all season, with enough put away to get us through the winter as well. This year, well, I have been focusing my energies on growing this baby, and that is good, and there is always next year for more of a garden.)

(And the potatoes sure are looking great, and the collards are so yummy.)

Now we have said good-bye and begin a new season...


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off to the orchard...

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Galloping, galloping, here we go... Off to the orchard, don't be slow.

Up in the green orchard there is a green tree... The finest of peaches! you ever did see.

 The peaches are ripe and starting to fall...

 And here is a basket to gather them all.

Yes, peaches! The last day of august found us driving 2 hours away to an abandoned orchard.

(I laughed at myself on the way as I realized that it was the furthest I had been from home in more than 5 years! It was quite a journey for us, a very fun family outing...)

Every year we have a very good apple harvest, visiting various wild trees in our area. Sometimes we have plums, earlier this summer there were lots of apricots. We have never harvested peaches before!

Orchards are wonderful for so many reasons, so very beautiful, there is just something very special feeling about being in one. And they give us food.

Many bushels of peaches were gathered. Many peaches were eaten while picking, many peaches have been eaten in the days since. And so so many peaches have been put away into the freezer to feed us in the coming months.

We have never had this many peaches before, ever ever ever.
If you add up all the peaches we have ever had in all the last 15 years, this is still way way more peaches. (Organic peaches are so expensive, not something we are able to buy often..)

So our recent days have been all about peaches. And gratitude. And peach stained hands.
And peaches in our porridge, and on our sunday pancakes, and the best peach cobbler we have ever had.

~

And while we were in the orchard Chessa and I were singing some of our favorite orchard circle time songs (mostly from Let Us Form a Ring, Acorn Hill Anthology). And early this morning when I started writing this post I had these verses and songs in my head. The girls were having some outside time before lesson time, and then they came in asking if we could have circle time. We started our homeschool year on Monday, slowly and gently, and there had been no morning circle time yet. Today Chloe told me she was wanting it so so much. So we all joined in with this orchard circle time which we have done every year since Chloe's kindergarten year, seven years in a row now. It was very nice and just right.

(And I really hope to be sharing some homeschool posts soon, it has been so long...)


The sun is bright,
the sky is blue
Let's go to the orchard,
you can come too... 


Happy new September days to you all!


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