It's gotten cooler -- but we're still resisting closing the windows yet. The quilts and comforters feel good at night. In the house I'm rounding up the sea shells and various bit of summer decor and packing them away to make room for my fall treasures. Out with the ferns in vases; in with magnolia leaves. I'm working on new throw pillows in autumn hues for the living room but first a bit of fall cleaning needs to happen -- or maybe I could call all those spiderwebs my nod to Halloween . . .
Time to bring the pumpkins and winter squash up from the garden . . . to take down the tomato trellises and tidy what remains.
The barns are full of hay and John and Justin have been working on the woodpiles . . .
A flush of shitakes after the last rain caught us off guard. These are past their best but were still worth sauteeing and freezing for later use. Some went into a gravy- rich beef stew -- the first of the season and some went into the ramen noodles we had for lunch. Now that it's cooler and the heat of the stove will feel welcome, it's time to think about wonderful soups and big pots of chili and smothered chicken. . . roasted vegetables and homemade pizza and stromboli. Maybe some pumpkin bread and and apple crisp. Homemade doughnuts come to mind -- I made some once, long ago -- perhaps it's time to try it again. What says Autumn to you?
