Been awhile...

My intended brief absence from this space stretched into quite a long one, didn't it?  Such was the way of things here this early Autumn.  I kept telling myself that it was just a "season" in life, but good heavens, one busy season seemed to lead directly into another!  I think I've caught my breath, so let's get re-acquainted with one another :)  

I'm trying hard to find beauty in the darkness.  Sunrises grace our eastern sky well after breakfast now and accordingly, the nights envelop us soon after supper.   I adore Autumn for it's colour and the crisp freshness in the air (both of which invigorate me like no other season), but I do truly struggle with the shorter days...  

Harvest was astounding this year!  These green tomatoes are from the last ditch pick the night before a hard frost several weeks ago. 

They've been ripening slowly and every other day, I roast up a big batch with onions and herbs.  So delicious.  The freezer and pantry are now full of richly flavoured sauce that will coat our pasta through the winter.  

We made pickles (for the first time) with our cucumbers and have been savouring the results with our lunches and snacks.  My fav is definitely the bread and butter pickles (wish I made more).

The hens' offerings have been filling the basket each day ~ aren't they beautiful?

Sauerkraut was made to store some local cabbage (sadly ours were devoured by cabbage moth larvae). 

We dug our potatoes.  My, what a year for them!

The new shed has a roof and is almost tar papered...  siding and rain collection to come next.

After pulling the last of the greenhouse tomatoes, I found the cold frames and plopped them inside.  I'm conducting an experiment to see if I can grow greens until Christmas with this double protection.  Previously, by late October/early November, the uninsulated greenhouse was frozen solid!

The main garden was mulched with leaves and those hard working hens have been ever so busy tilling them in for me.  

In other news, I recently took a 3 day weekend (alone!) to travel to a friend's place in the foot hills of the Rocky Mountains.  It was glorious!  On our day out together, we travelled here:

to a beautiful heritage site that now houses an art gallery/studio.  The building sits atop a hill that overlooks the most stunning landscape I've ever seen.

The photos don't do it justice, really - the snow capped mountains were clear as day but in the picture they look insipid and wan.  They weren't!

180 degree views of rolling hills, prairie grasses, leaves turning, majestic mountains and a moody sky ~ it was so incredibly beautiful.  We hiked all over the site and once back at her place, we walked the rocky river bank where I found much peace (and this heart shaped rock).   How fitting that it's beat up ~ I deeply miss living by moving water and have always been a little heart sick for home.

I arrived home from that weekend away refreshed and energized ~ ready to shift gears and embrace the season change.  I cleared the house of summer things and brought out warming harvest colours in preparation for Thanksgiving.

Pies were baked (by Paige!)...

stuffing and coleslaw were made 

and root veggies were prepared for roasting.

Son, Mitchell (pictured below with his daughter Penny) went hunting on Saturday and graciously contributed 2 duck to our feast.  It was all divinely delicious!

We have much to be thankful for here in this country (and indeed, in this home).

XO