Sunday, September 27, 2015

picking, pressing, and a new friend












apple picking.
one of our favorite fruit providers, the king tree.
not only the best apples but also a great climbing tree and so photogenic.
she said that we need to put handles all over this tree and then she would climb all over and pick every apple for me. hmn. big smile. i love little moments like this. i used to record more of them in this space. i want to try and get back to that. what fun it is to look back on recorded memories.












pear pressing.
my two little tag alongs and i. the pears were a bit overripe. as you can see, they squished out of the press pretty bad. i had to strain all of the juice with cheesecloth and then i pasteurized and bottled it. 
i think next time i will try to press them when they are still a bit green. isn't that a beautiful press? my mother in law traded fresh fish for it. she's always making the most amazing trades.










our new friend.
i found him wandering our road with no collar. our road is full of blind corners, cars that drive much too fast, and this time of year... huge logging trucks. he was so sweet and beautiful. i couldn't leave him. so i brought him home, called the animal shelter, put up "dog found" posters all around, and in the mean time... we started to fall in love with him. we called him "woolie bear" since we didn't know his name. he was such a snuggler. he slept right outside the little ones bedroom as though he was guarding them. he ate ALOT. then pretty quickly we got a call. his name is ezra. he lives fairly close to us. at his house he guards sheep and goats on a spread of 80 acres. his owner was a kind old man who had recently had hip replacement surgery and was staying in the valley with a friend while he was recovering. another friend of his was checking on ezra and feeding him while he was away. i believe he said this was the first time ezra had wandered. i offered to dogsit any time he needed someone. he said he just might take me up on that. i hope he does. we really miss ezra.

Friday, September 25, 2015

signs of seasonal change


foggy farm mornings...


all of this produce has been tended to now... and the preserving is starting to wind down... we are just left with the last of the apple harvest (apples are my favorite... well... once you get past the picking).



i've been reading this here and there for months now. it was hard to get into at first because it jumps back and forth through a town's worth of characters, but i am finally getting lost in it and loving it.


and every book is brightened by my favorite book mark from summer



we have been litter box training our bunny and having him in the house quite a bit. did you know that you can litter box train bunnies? i didn't. it is easy too! similar to a cat so far. i guess the trick is getting him neutered right before his hormones get wacky. that is the conclusion i've come to from my recent research anyway. he is so sweet.



waiting for the bus. we had some bus confusion in that first week, but everything is going quite smoothly now.





she came out bare foot and i sent her back for shoes (and pants).... pouty face.


in the beginning school started, and everything was quiet and calm for a bit and i thought "oh yes, i can do this". then preschool started... then soccer started... then volleyball started... and suddenly life is crazy all over again. i am enjoying it though. i actually started this particular post about a week ago and then never quite finished it.... so i thought i would finish it up now and post it... although it really doesn't feel finished... which is why i didn't post it to start with. sometimes i think if i don't post the random little bits like this that i would never post anything (and that may be better), but i do have plans to post some (hopefully) more interesting bits soon... as in this weekend soon. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

this is my now... in the form of a list

















  • school started... today my older two got on the bus at 7:07 am. tomorrow my six year old goes off to her first day of kindergarten, and next week the littlest one goes back to preschool two and a half hours a day, four days a week. i am really looking forward to this year of solitary connection with my youngest. the two of us get very little one on one time. i believe this will be a very special year for the two of us.
  • the weather... there has been a shift in the air (the breeze has quite a chill to it now), there has been a shift in the light, the trees are beginning their color show, and we have been getting some rain.
  • we got a bunny! he is a two month old holland lop. we named him gnocchi, and the little ones call him noki, which i LOVE. we all adore him. he is the perfect addition to this family. 
  • my big girl just chopped off that long hair. it's above her shoulders now. it's the shortest she has ever gone, and it is absolutely adorable on her.
  • preserving... it feels like tomatoes and tuna have been absorbing much of my time the past few weeks, but there is plenty put away for winter now and i am switching my focus to apples. 
  • i got myself some watercolors. some real, artist quality watercolors. i have never considered myself to be a talented painter in any way... but... i have this crazy yearning in my soul to paint. i know it sounds kind of crazy. i have decided though, that i am going to start investing in better art supplies, and i am going to find time to start filling that need.
  • all in all... the last couple months have been a constant state of chaos around here (beautiful chaos... but still), and eventhough the school year brings about it's own busyness. i am so ready for this change. just having a bit of quiet and still each day is going to be quite the healing for my weary soul.