Our lazy lollygagging ways soon catch up with us – the hurricanes have turned our weather quickly toward Fall and with it a sense of urgency (it’s not too urgent, don’t think we are running around like crazy – that’s just not us – ha!). The meatbirds have less than 2 weeks to grace us with their early adolescent crowing and then we can turn the chicken tractor into a greenhouse to lengthen our tomato season in the garden. There is seedsaving, late Summer foraging, and lots of ‘putting up’ still going on. The wood is already stacked. The baker is trying out new things lately (with the new oven and the transition, he has some experimentation time)- rye breads, mini boules, and sourdough pretzels. We’ve also been trying out the pizza dough in other ways – as focaccia, wrapped around hot dogs as pigs in blanket style buns, stromboli and calzone. And we’re developing a hand-pie line (superyum) and a medicinal tea option. I’m hoping for sourdough chocolate chip cookies today.
Every Sunday we’ve been trying to cook with fire (either grill or in the firepit) – we recently got a large Dutch Oven for this endeavor. This past Sunday we made Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons – it was stunning, just the way it was meant to be made. I’ve been setting up country flower wine’s this Summer, too – Dandelion, Red Clover, and recently Goldenrod.
Before Winter the sugarshack will have to be set up (because it is hard to get it together in February, and we are always finessing the process), and some Fall tree pruning, garlic planting, chicken coop painting, kitchen floor installing (and laundry closet plumbed and ready, with the old laundry room converted to full pantry storage) and then apple procurement. Since we will not be having a Harvest Party this year, we may do a little ‘ugly’ work around here and rip up some of the gardens and rebuild our foundational yard structures and remove a few trees/stumps (rent a Skid-steer for a day, maybe a Bush-hog, too). Build some new arbors and bridges.
And meanwhile me teaching a class this Fall semester (starting in a few weeks), tutoring, and writing my dissertation, Josh still learning and designing the outdoor Bread Oven, and D doing whatever it is she does (she’s currently writing a movie script, learning Geography, making many (many) corn husk dolls, dressing up the Squash family, and is excited about seed saving). I have this fantasy someday that in the dead of Winter, we all cozy up and just pass Calvin & Hobbes comics back and forth – the other night was almost as good. We all ‘went to bed’ early, cozied up together in the big bed – D reading ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ and ‘All About Cats’, Josh reading Ray Bradbury, and me catching up on Aeschylus – nearly perfect.
May you find some perfect moments ~
Rock Bottom Homestead 