On the Second Day of School

In the still morning, as I silently practice my orisons, I hear the unexpected trilling of tree frogs calling to each other in the forest. Slowly, as the mist rises, single crickets and katydids add to the morning song. Eventually there is a chorus, and I must strain to hear the frogs, still singing.

Squirrelboy and Faerygirl are off to their second day of school. Yesterday went well, with much excitement. This morning, though, Squirrelboy cried and tried to stay with me. Our bus driver is the best...she reassured me all would be well, and when the bus passed by again on its route, flashed me a thumbs-up.

These early autumn mornings always stir my soul, with their golden soft light, the coolness of the air, and the slowly depreciating chorus of singers. It will not last much longer, a few months more. Ah, but it will be beautiful. It IS beautiful. These days encourage us to enjoy each and every moment as it lasts, and to give thanks for it. And so I do.

End of Summer Harvest

The kids are sitting on the back porch snapping beans. The chickens amble about the woods, scratching for food and clucking softly. It's late summer, with only a week until school starts up again. These are the days of long golden sunsets, overabundance in the garden, and the nagging feeling that this isn't going to last. Summer is ending, so there are tomatoes and pickles being canned, corn and beans frozen, herbs drying. It's time to do an assessment of what we have learned this year, about planting and growing and seeing what dreams came true. It's time to wrap up the projects, bring in the money, see this year's plans through. Soon this last effort will ebb, and there will be plenty of time to put everything away, and dream new dreams. For now, may you enjoy a blessed harvest.

Friday Nights with the Family

Outside my kitchen window, my neighbor flits in for her daily drink from a pokeweed plant. She's swift and beautiful in her shiny green feathers. Everything here is green. Crickets, cicadas, and katydids sing us to sleep at night. The field/yard is full of clover and bees. We harvest honey on Fridays, so that it will be fresh for the Saturday morning farm market. Our family's Friday night entertainment consists of moving slowly through the hoop house with plastic bags and a knife, harvesting produce. It is a peaceful way to spend a weekend. I am grateful for the singing insects, the starry clear nights, and my beloved family working together on the land.