AUTUMN'S GIFT

I am not the least bit sad to see summer fade...I welcome all that Autumn has to offer... with it's brilliant shades of color and crisp cool air it makes me come alive...feel energized...ready to tackle the last few chores on summer "to do" list... I begin my day with Jack...holder of morning cereal...

one can never have enough Jack-O-Lanterns...

they find their way to Dog Trot Farm in all shapes and sizes...large..small..happy..spooky.. none are ever turned away...

along with black glittered owls...and owls with soft downy feathers... witches boots that jingle in the dead of night... blackbirds...crows...ravens...all find a home here... the harvesting of squash and pumpkins is in full swing...there are many shapes and sizes to choose from... and the colors..from pale to vibrant...I'll take one of each please!!! I hope you too are taking advantage of these brilliant Fall days...whether it be stuffing a scarecrow... heading to an apple orchard... a pumpkin field... seize the day...you won't regret it~

AUTUMN SUNSHINE

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as Autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all daylight hours in the open air". ~Nathanial Hawthorne.~ How true these words ring...The rhythm of the season has begun...leaves are beginning to change color...temperatures now dip...crops are being harvested...apples and pumpkins dot the landscape... football season is in full swing...it's perfect weather for early morning walks...and painting one's house... and for sheets flapping in the breeze...winter..spring..summer or fall..only line dried sheets for me...the sweet fragrance of sunshine... the grand finale in the garden is now in full swing...asters... nasturtium and butterfly bush... pumpkins...gourds...squash...

here's a peek as to what is happening inside Dog Trot Farm...Halloween...the decorations are finding their way out of the attic...on to wall boxes and shelves...I discovered this battery operated candle at Micheal's for $5.66...now last year when taking decorations from the attic... unbeknown to me... a BAT found it's way out. In the middle of the night I awoke to a strange noise... and yes... discovered the BAT sleeping on my pillow. This time around I stood guard with a broom while my DH passed the boxes down. As I previously stated... and I will state it again... I do realize how beneficial bats are...one or two in the attic...okay...but I do not want to share my bed with one!!! decorations over curtain valences...and on window sills...

ahoy mate... boo... This is a new apple...new to me anyway...it is called Ginger Gold...it is an early season apple... accompanied by a new to me apple crisp recipe...oh my...DELICIOUS...with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream...pure HEAVEN!!! How I love this time of year...I do hope you love it too!

A DAY TO ENJOY

Sunday morning finds my husband out of bed at the crack of dawn and on the road to Denmark, Maine. With days noticeably shorter and evening temperatures now dipping into the thirties it is prudent to get camp "buttoned up" for the winter. The raft is pulled ashore and secured, water pump removed from the well house and most importantly...on this day a new shingled roof for the bunk house...reinforcements are called in... thank you Tristan and Maxwell, along with an SOS to me for lunch..Hello... I am busy here...nevertheless, I pack up Winslow Homer...and pick up a "Maine" lunch...Italian sandwiches...potato chips... and for dessert..what else but the traditional whoopie pie...now if you are not from these parts you probably have never heard of an Italian sandwich...no... it is not a hoagie...gyro...or sub...
the original Italian sandwich... begins with a Botto's Bakery roll...ham..cheese..tomatoes.. dill pickles..green peppers...onions..and black olives..salt..pepper and olive oil...if you ever find yourself in Maine...give this tasty sandwich a try...as we natives tend to say... it is "wicked good." On the return drive home changes in the foliage are becoming more apparent... the familiar scent of woodsmoke hung low in the air...soon it will be time to attend the Fryeburg Fair...the last fair of the season...the one with the huge fowl exibit... and speaking of fowl...the girls are not laying...no eggs...zip..zippo..nada...catapillars have invaded our fruit trees...those ugly nests that appear this time of year... once hatched the caterpillars can devour a tree in no time at all...lucky me... now I am sporting the bright red tell tale sign of this infamous caterpillar...the rash runs along my arms...and itch...oh man does it ever...

finally...you all offered your opinion and I listened...the shrubs are gone...no more...and I like it...their demise has given the exterior of the house a more primitive feel...I am going to live with it for a bit...my dream would be a picket fence enclosing an herb and kitchen garden...I love to dream...especially when I can make my dreams come true...

AUTUMN SPLENDOR

Autumn...dear Autumn...how I love thee...days with warmth...and skies of blue...fields now scattered with the glow of goldenrod... the brown faces of sunflowers cast up towards the sun...morning songbirds have vacated, left behind are the birds of black... the faint hoot of an owl
is heard deep in the wood...squirrels are busily stockpiling their winter fare...

flowers are bidding a fond farewell...

their brilliance fades with each passing day...

their job is complete...

the torch has been passed...it is now the season of "pumpkin moonshine" and all things that go bump in the night...

SEPTEMBER DAYS

My "to do list" remains quite lengthy...but with September days such as these....warm and humid....my inner voice commands me to drop everything...chores will eventually be accomplished...but the beauty of this September day will disappear all to soon....I decide to listen to my inner voice and take advantage...I head to the beach.... it is quiet here now...summer tourists have departed...the wind blows a salty breeze....the surf pounds.... the cry of the ever present sea gull echos in the air...

September will blend into October...Fall tourists... who are also known as" leaf peepers" will soon invade our fine State....the beach will regain it's solitude...and once again the gulls will be it's caretaker....all to soon my footprints will be washed away....

but this day will remain a pleasant memory...which I will fondly recall on a cold winter's day...

ALL IN A DAY....

Make Hay While The Sun Shines... Crops are being reaped....Fall is on it's way....

GOD BLESS AMERICA

WE WILL NEVER FORGET.... FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS....

"WILLA"

Yesterday was a sad day here at Dog Trot Farm....Willa... a two year old Barred Rock... one of my original ten hens... passed away.... When a hen dies....one of the most difficult questions is why?....How can a healthy hen go to death's door in such a brief period of time. A case of here one minute and gone the next. Willa exhibited no external symptoms until her last few moments...She was a well loved hen...side kick to Gladys... bearer of beautiful eggs....and quite a looker....Willa was buried in the flower garden along side her sister's... Pip and Georgia...she will be missed.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR...

Halloween....over the years Halloween has evolved into my favorite holiday. Halloween encompasses many of my favorite things ....owls..crows..pumpkins..gourds..gnarled old trees..corn stalks..bittersweet...and old tombstones...below is a casting taken from an original headstone.... I discovered and purchased this at a local craft fair...she is the guardian angel to Dog Trot Farm... This summer I purchased four small castings also taken from an old headstone. My husband will inform you when we visit a historic home .... I am drawn to the kitchen...the family library...books tell a lot about a person....and most importantly the family cemetery...I find the designs and symbols found primarily on the old stones so very fascinating...

If you are a fan of Halloween as I am...hurry over to your local Dollar Store....I discovered these black silhouette cut outs...they are very similar to those which Martha Stewart Living offers...just a whole lot cheaper.... for your selection there are mice..bats..crows..spiders..cats...now I say for a dollar a piece how can you go wrong...

Also discovered.... pumpkins...of various colors...white...brown...orange...tan...

and teal...my personal favorite...Now I have no intention of rushing the season....I am intending to enjoy each and every day... a minute at a time... for there are apples to pick and pies to make...pumpkins to gather and scarecrows to design....and leaves....oh... the leaves to rake...

like I said a minute at a time....

Delicious Autumn! my very soul is wedded to it, and If I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive Autumns. ~George Elliott~