October Postcards

This is the time of year that things can change on a dime, as they say. I was about to put up a blog post about this dry and thirsty land we live in, but, Lord willing, we may get rain so I’m just gonna’ wait on that one.

It’s well into the 90s today, this tenth day of October. Tomorrow marks eight years since we first moved here and it was in the 90s then too. I remember wondering what summer must be like if fall is this warm.

Despite the warm temperatures hanging on, I’ve been trying to can soup once a week. It’s so simple to just double a recipe and throw it in the canner. And what a great fast meal to have on hand.

I love watching them discover new projects. It usually starts with the boys reading about some skill or hobby and as soon as they make a go of it, all of the younger ones are on their heels asking for help so they can do it, too. We’ve gone through bird house building and dirt sledding and bike riding and garden growing and fishing and now kite-building is all the rage.

I hear the baby waking up which means I need to feed her and head on out to the garden. We’re supposed to be having a cold front coming in tonight and with it maybe some rain and cooler temperatures. Laundry’s off the line, firewood is covered up, all of the rainwater catchment systems have been checked.

And now Mama’s got some sad looking Brassicas that need a home with some water so we’re gonna’ throw them in some freshly prepared beds and see what comes of them. I haven’t planted anything (that germinated, anyway) in the fall garden because our pond is nearly dry. So I guess it’s time to head out and do some Surrender Gardening with a fiery little red head on my back and see what comes our way in the next 24 hours.

I guess the fall bustle is fully under way.