Autumn Feels

If you are not a fan of autumn... read no further!  This was a weekend with all of the autumn feels!

First Frost

Beautiful sunrises...

October moons....

Woods walks and bike rides through the autumn countryside...

Fields of dry corn with a backdrop of autumn color...

One of the special things about Pennsylvania is the number of small family farms.  Unlike other areas of the country, where farms are large and commercial... Pennsylvania's farms are tucked into rolling hills and valleys surrounded by woodsy areas - so quaint!

Our first stop along the way was to visit with some friendly neighbors...

The next stop was a tiny meat market where we buy our grass-fed meat and poultry.  Then, on we rode through the countryside - enjoying one of the last temperate weekends of the year.

We saw some Jack-o-lantern mushrooms ("Jacks") along our way - a mushroom that I have looked for in our woods, but have never found.  They are poisonous and typically found at the base of hardwood trees.  It's said they glow at night.  We went back last night to see if they glowed - sadly, no glow.

With breezy highs in the low 70's, it was a perfect weekend for staying home and enjoying the peace and quiet of rural life.

I've been keeping my eye on our kiwi berry vines (planted at opposite corners of this grape arbor.)

It's been a few years since we had kiwis ripen enough to eat.  

Finally, the berries were soft enough to harvest.  As you can see, the kiwi berry is the size of a grape.  It looks and tastes exactly like its bigger cousin, with the exception of the fuzzy skin.  Kiwi berries have a smooth, edible skin.  

Their short shelf life makes them hard to find in the grocery store.  They only last a week or so before turning to mush (which makes shipping them almost impossible).   They are easy to grow - you need a male and a female plant for cross pollination - and it takes several years before you get any kiwi berries - but worth the wait.

Our pond duck count is on the rise... with colder weather ahead, I am sure numbers will continue to rise.

Moonbeam had an adventure on Saturday - sneaking out of the stall door behind Jack's back and heading up to see his old buddies, the ponies, who are currently providing companionship for my sister-in-law's horse.

The long walk back to the barn...

I spent a little front porch time, working on my current knitting project...

And made labels and wrapped the soap that has now finished curing....

 

We took what will be our last walk in the woods for a while.  When we returned home, we spent a half hour picking ticks off of not only the dogs, but also ourselves.  I am guessing that the frost has the ticks looking for warm hosts.  None of us are interested in that job!  We'll wait until much colder weather comes before we venture back deep into the woods.

This coming week's high temperatures are to be in the 50's.  Perhaps we'll have our first fire in the fireplace.  I love this cozy time of year!!!