DEAR MOTHER NATURE...

Dear Mother Nature... I do believe it is the month of October...the month which I have longed for...you know the one where we gather pumpkins and gourds...take our sweaters out of storage and anticipate hayrides followed by a mug of hot mulled cider...it is not the month for lemonade...shorts and tee shirts.

October...the month were we don hiking boots and enjoy early morning walks...finding the trail now covered with a bed of newly fallen leaves...it is not the month for flip flops...October... where vibrant hardy Mums fill greenhouses...

soon finding their way into yards everywhere...October...is the month for bittersweet...and cornstalks...chestnuts and acorns...stacking fire wood...it is not the month for air conditioning and suntan lotion...

So...Mother Nature if you would please send the October that I have been longing for...Thank you...Julie of Dog Trot Farm...

GOOD SUNDAY

Good Sunday...In the early morning hours... when darkness begins to fade and dawn is fast approaching... the rooster begins to crow... it is time for my feet to hit the floor. This day will be warm and inviting... temperatures will reach the mid eighties... regardless of this beautiful Autumn day... crunch time is here... time to put one's nose to the grindstone and complete the remainder of the outside chores. Winslow...ever present by my side...is still adapting to his blindness...as am I. I do think I miss his eye sight more than he. The chipmunk population here at Dog Trot Farm has become quite bold... acquiring side by side dining accommodations with the chickens...and the squirrels...brazen in their attitude...boastful in their chatter... the cornstalks have been stripped of their corn...which I was hoping to dry and dip in scented wax...only the cobs remain tossed about helter skelter in the yard...and finally...the demise of another hen...Fern..a Silver Wyandotte...I neither heard nor witnessed anything out of the ordinary...but unfortunately later in the day discovered a yard full of feathers and a corpse laying at the edge of the woods...my guess... a dog. Let me just say chicken keeping is not for the faint of heart...and to top it off the older girls...my two year olds... are still on strike...no eggs...NADA...but my lovely dainty banty's...each produce one or more eggs a day...I hope you all are taking advantage of this beautiful day whether it be...apple picking...a hayride, or constructing a scarecrow. These days will be memories before we realize it...I shall salute this day with a cold glass of apple cider...right after I finish painting the house...cheers!!

~A TRIBUTE TO NANCY~

A tribute... There are people who walk in and out of our lives, some we struggle to recall and others who leave an indelible imprint. Such is that of a women named Nancy. Nancy with her then three year son Ben became part of my daycare and preschool family. I soon discovered first hand how Nancy could light up a room with her smile and magnetic personality. In 2003, Nancy was diagnosed with Stage 4 Inflammatory Breast Cancer, a rare cancer with a grim outlook. She was told to get her affairs in order. As a newly divorced single parent with a young eight year old son giving up was not in the cards. She became a mighty warrior...a pink warrior... her goal, to see her son graduate from high school. Oh how this courageous women fought...for eight years she battled this horrid disease... but never once did I hear her complain. Sadly... Nancy passed away last Thursday. I do know the world is a better place for having her in it and she will be forever missed. Her beloved son Ben is now a junior in high school. Wednesday, I will go to pay my respects and say goodbye to this dear friend.

OCTOBER'S BEAUTY

October... "Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in snow,
There comes a festive season
When nature is all aglow."

Author Unknown

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...