Life Goes On...

Yes, it's been way too long since our last chat.  I wasn't sure if I would ever return to blogging - and I am still not making any commitments, but today I have some time and thought I would touch base and see how you are doing and bring you up to speed with our last few months.  And though the news cycle continues to flabbergast me,  I spend much of my time in gratitude for the life that I live here amongst nature and our critters.

We had a beautiful summer, here on the farm - albeit a rather eventful one.  

The animals managed the heat without incident.  Although I can't help but believed they are relieved that the heat is over!  

Our chicklets matured and are now beginning to lay eggs.

 It was a super season for berries, and I have many quarts frozen for later use.  

I learned a valuable lesson from berry picking this summer - "wear gloves when dealing with bramble-type berries."  Unfortunately that lesson came with a price... a trip to the ER to have a small surgery on a very infected finger (thanks to the tiniest blackberry thorn).  The good news is... time heals all!

A few weeks after the finger incident, I miss-stepped in the dark, trippng over an umbrella stand, and falling onto a heavy Adirondack chair breaking three ribs and puncturing my lung... necessitating an overnight stay in the hospital.  See?  I told you it was an eventful summer!

Unfortunately, Hubbs had his share of accidental injuries this summer as well.  It was definitely a summer for the books - and not one to be repeated.

August brought a new soul to the farm... little Augie.  Three kittens were dropped off at neighboring farms all around the same time.  We were lucky to have this guy end up with us!

He is the newest addition to the barn kitty clan and is keeping everyone on their toes!

Although, I will say that for quite some time, Pete was not a fan.  He's slowly warming up to the idea.

We also gained a "grand-dog" this summer.  Meet Marty.  (Forrest loves when he visits!)

The vegetable garden was quite productive.  I have frozen and preserved much of Summer's bounty... thanks to all of the help we had with garden harvesting.  

There's no better way to get kids to eat vegetables, than to let them harvest them and see how they are grown!

You might remember that we planted potatoes in a wire tower this year.  The tower took about two square feet of garden box space and reached six feet into the air.  The kids had a blast searching through the straw and compost to find all of the potatoes when we knocked the tower over.   Though watering the tower was a challenge, it was a wonderful way to conserve space in the garden.

Several weeks ago, (after garden season was finished) Hubbs and I enjoyed an adventure through the Aegean Sea aboard a sailing vessel with fascinating stops in Athens, several Greek Isles, and Turkey.  

We visited the ruins of Ancient Greek civilizations, amazingly preserved for thousands of years.  

Turkey was especially compelling, as we visited the ancient city of Ephesus.  

(Don't let the pictures fool you... there were lots of people there, but I edited many of them out of the photos.)

One of the Turkey sights that fascinated me the most (being an animal lover) was the presence of "city dogs and city cats". 

 In Turkey, there are many wild dogs and cats that live in the cities.  The dogs are tagged, spayed and neutered, and well-cared-for medically.  They are healthy, well nourished, and friendly.  There is even an emergency number to call for a special ambulance service for dogs who are injured!

I was happy to see that everyone helps to feed both the dogs and the cats.

I have always felt that how people treat animals says a lot about their humanity.

I saw a fascinating demonstration of how Persian rugs are made.  Every single strand is hand knotted. What an art form!

This particular company also makes mulberry silk rugs (very expensive).  

They showed us the process of harvesting the silk from cocoons... each consisting of a single, very long strand of silk wrapped over and over around the silk worm.  These cocoons are soaked in water and stirred with a brush that helps the end of the cocoon to loosen.  Then all of the ends are gathered together and spun into a silk yarn... slowly unraveling the 800 to 1200 continuous yards of silk from each cocoon.  Incredible!

As you well know, it's autumn now and one of my most favorite times of year. 

 I am loving the longer evenings, the beautiful light as the sun crosses lower in the sky, the somewhat cooler temperatures, woods walks on crunchy leaves, and so much more!

Last week we had a pumpkin carving afternoon... lots of creativity here!

And though the days are still a little warmer than what might have been typical in the past, perhaps this is our new normal.  I've been busy baking bread and making soups - comfort food for this cozy season.

With the coming months bringing busy holidays, and Hubb's knee replacement surgery, I doubt there will be time for blogging.  Just know that we are here, keeping on keeping on.  I hope that you are well, too.  I appreciate how so many of you have reached out to us over the past few weeks... making sure we are still here.  We are!!  We are here, living this big, bold, beautiful (and sometimes messy) life.  Our hope is that you are doing the same!!  Take care...sending love and hugs, from the farm.