It's been in the air for about a month now: crisp evening air, sometimes dropping into the high thirties, sharper shadows and the light through the trees looking different, increased breezes blowing around the leaves that are falling. It is definitely autumn. The birds and animals all know it and are going at berries and stashing stores. The yellow jackets are dying off. The moles seem much more active as they fill up on worms and grubs. Ms Kitty is taking advantage of some of our wild friends who are becoming more reckless in their search for winter provisions. She shows up more often with her leftovers: mice, moles, and chipmunks. Burrows are opening all over. We are now hearing ducks and geese fly overhead. Last weekend we had a visit from seven turkeys. Tree frogs serenade us every evening. Deer also seem to be more present.
We're enjoying blackberries and raspberries now. What was driving us nuts earlier in the Summer is now a bonanza of berries. When we remember we bring boxes with us when we go get our newspaper and mail in the morning and load them up with berries. Most go into the freezer, but lots are eaten before they hit the boxes or go into our breakfasts.
The pace of things is slowing down and we can feel the itch to be done with all the outdoor work and turn more inward. Soon we'll be getting freezes so there is work to be done to protect our late season crops (broccoli, chard, kale, spinach, and salad greens are what we're doing this year) and we also need to get our garlic and shallots in. We had a bit of rain last Sunday and we have to get ready for when the rains really come. We've had a couple of days of decent rain and the pond is starting to fill up again. The last of summer warmth seems to be fading fast, from now on it will probably be warm spells in the midst of the progression towards cold.
We are now into our first full cycle of seasons. As I think about it I am aware how much our activities have been a function of the season. I guess country living is like this, especially if you are going to grow as much of your food as you can and have a large woodland flower garden to tend. Then there's just having all the land to take care of. I am happily awaiting Winter and the in-dwelling that comes with it.
