Our First Egg!

The chickens are 5 mos. old, and today, one of them gifted us with a tiny, brown egg! As the chickens get a bit older, the size of the eggs will increase! YAY! This is the beginning of a delicious, nutritious relationship!

SNOW!

It's only October 8th, and we've already gotten snow!  Ok... it wasn't much snow, but it counts! There was white stuff on the ground! and much more in the mountains. I hope this is indicative of our Winter. I LOVE snow!

The best thing to do on days like this, is build a nice fire, and sit in the living room, reading a good book!  Selkie is convinced. She's snagged the best seat in the house!

Peaches, peaches and more peaches

Bruce bought a box of peaches while at the Moscow Farmer's Market. I think he paid around $17 for the box.  So, we proceeded to make peach jam. 

My job, in this endeavor,  is to slip the peaches.  I just submerge them in boiling water for 30 secs. then, quickly scoop them out, and plunge them into an ice bath!

Once cooled, I slip the skins off the peaches- It's so easy! and rather satisfying. And the skinless peaches are

so pretty- they gleam!

Then, Bruce gets to work, chopping,

and mixing,

and stirring...

Until the jam is finished. If you think it looks good, you should have smelled it! YUM!

15 jars of peach jam!

We still had some slipped peaches left, so we sliced them, and flash froze them (line them up individually on a cookie sheet, and freeze for a couple of hours. Then, take them off the cookie sheet to store in freezer bags for pies, breads, cobblers, etc.) We froze 7 bags! 

We got to figuring... If we bought all this in the grocery store- first, you never know where it comes from. Our peaches were grown locally, reducing our carbon footprint. Second, figuring $4 a bag for frozen peaches, and $3 a jar for jam, (which we think is VERY conservative- especially with Thompson Falls prices- and we're not even counting the gas saved from not having to run into town to buy this stuff!), we are saving $56!!!  Not bad for a night's work!

Spooky Moon

Did you happen to notice the moon the other night?  Beautiful, spooky, harvest moon!  Too bad it wasn't closer to Hallowe'en. :)

Happy Fall, Y'all!

We're supposed to get a major freeze tonight.  I suppose we should be happy it didn't snow here, like it did in Bozeman, MT today! 7"!!!

Here, however, the weather was crisp and cool.  The wind died down and we were treated to that traditional Montana blue sky! That's got to be my favorite color. After working, working, working on preparations for preschool tomorrow, I made 3 more large apple nut bread loaves, and 3 more small ones.  Then, I got busy slipping peaches so Bruce could make two batches of his wonderful peach jam! What a treat! I threw the leftover chili rellenos in the oven, and that's when it struck me that I'd better go pick the pumpkins from the garden.

It's too bad our Autumn days are so busy. As soon as I step outside, I just want to savor the season... breathe in the fresh, cold air- admire the turning leaves, the gold of the dying ferns, the browns of the field grasses.       The horses have their Winter coats already, and are so soft, warm and furry- a delight to hug and stroke. Deer are harder to see now because they've changed color, blending into the grey background. I make my way to the garden listening to the rustling of the dried corn stalks.

The pumpkins are nestled at the foot of the corn, their stems are spiny, and prick my fingers as I pluck them from their vines.

Carrying them back to the front porch, I hear the plaintive honking of geese in the distance.

As much as I'd like to stay out here, I have work to do inside. Every day I vow to finish up early, and spend some time enjoying October- my favorite month of them all.

                                                                                              

Windy Day

The Wind came in last night... the kind that shakes the house, and has you peering outside at all the large trees flanking the yard, calculating just how far they'd really reach if they fell. The animals were uneasy, and soon, I found myself surrounded by the two Shelties, AND all three cats! We lost our power at some point during the night, and again this morning.




It is still blustering today! The ghosties I'd hung from the trees are flapping crazily. Several patio chairs have been knocked over, as well as the fading potted plants neglected outside.















The Shelties are having to brace themselves
against the wind, when they go outside however, the sky is blue! with big puffy clouds. This is a beautiful, crisp Autumn day. I think I'll curl up
in a chair in the Library with a mug of coffee,
and a good book of ghost stories!