Autumn is a season followed immediately by looking forward to Spring.

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.

~Stanley Horowitz

Maybe I am politically incorrect, but we are enjoying an "Indian summer" with unusually warm weather. Still lots of harvesting going on but I have planted my winter garden and I'm already nibbling on the shoots coming up!!

The leaves are taking their own sweet time turning. Then as if tired of the morphing--just drop colorless to the ground. They get swept up quickly with the mower.

I grew up in Michigan and the fall was extremely colorful and meant intensive manual labor raking, then jumping into the big pile. Which then there was more raking and piles. Harvest time we would have to help my mom pick assorted fruits and vegetables. We would sit and shell the peas or beans and share jokes and stories or play 20 questions. Blueberries were my favorite fruit to pick. The berries were as big as quarters and I would hang my bucket around my neck and milk the vines, pausing to pop handfuls into my mouth. Sweet memories.

Seasons change and life moves on.
Breathe deep and be mindful of the moment.

GOAT WRANGLER

One of our neighbors has a collection of goats. Most of the fence has been reinforced, but wouldn't you know it there was just a small portion that was not. Now you might notice in these pictures that the "goat yard" is a little sterile--bleak--bland. So it probably isn't too surprising that day after day of looking at our oasis, fruit trees, lawn, and green shrubbery that the goats managed to find a weakness in the fence. In just moments, they were feasting on the Frodahl Farm.

Shortly after, Ernie returned to find that goats grazing happily in our back yard. Now we have a hedge of Oleanders along the fence-line. Oleanders are a huge green shrub that is toxic in all it's parts, especially to animals. It is one of the most poisonous of commonly grown garden plants. Ernie could just envision that they were very close to munching on these leaves, if they hadn't already. We don't have a border collie or a cattle dog,just Ben, who could care less if there are stray animals in the yard. (even ignored a couple of horses that wandered in!) So, he knew he had to quickly round up the goats. This sounds like nothing to it, but the goats were like kids with no interest in moving anywhere. He coaxed and pleaded and finally just had to pick them up and carry them to the garage one by one. He had left a note at the neighbors, so finally the guy's mother shows up flustered in a small compact car cause "the guy" was out of town. . . .


Next thing she knew, whether she liked it or not, Ernie had loaded the 5 goats in to the back seat of the car. She was very anxious, but Ernie reassured her to just HURRY HOME! I wish he had taken a picture of 5 goats in the back seat of a car!! So we will just have to leave that for the imagination.