Fall Is In the Air!

We live in the North Georgia Mountains so the cooler temperatures hit here first before the rest of the state of Georgia starts to cool down for the fall and winter months. 

Every morning lately when I go out to milk it is now chilly and the leaves have lost some of their intense green.  There is a foggy mist over the pool and pond from the difference in temperatures.   The black walnut trees have dropped all their fruit to the ground and the buck goats are in full rut from the cooler night temperatures.  Stinky handsome boys that they are.  :)

The summer producing gardens here are about done.  After months of kitchen counter tops over flowing with squash, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers…we now only get a plate full of tomatoes a day from my tired and spindly, spent tomato plants and a few peppers. 

Over grown pepper bed.  Most of my pepper plants got over four foot this year and tomato plants well over five foot.  We had a ton of rain this year. 

I was told to let my asparagus bed go another year so I did.  I was tying and staking it all over the place it got so over grown.  Hopefully next year we can eat out of it and keep it under control.

Making uncountable batches of spaghetti sauce and chili sauce.

Zeke playing with a pepper like it was a sword.  No, his mama never told him not to play with his food!

I am now switching over to cooking down figs for preserves.  As the figs are over producing.  The Georgia muscadine grapes will be coming ripe next. The Georgia humidity is not so bad during the day anymore.  The temperatures are supposed to be in the 70's for whole next week!

I will be planting snow peas, spinach and kale for fall/winter crops this year.  So will get those going by Friday this week.  (I know I am two weeks late to plant, life does get busy some times.) 

The roosters to be butchered in October are growing fast!

 

I finally see the end in sight of bottle feeding baby goats for the year!  Yippee!  All the baby bucklings from the summer kiddings are almost weaned and ready to sell.  That will make barn chores so much easier.  I am also going to sell Abundance as soon as her pedigree papers come in.  So I will have the two best Nigerian Dwarf does to breed to freshen next year(Milky Whey and Plenty)  I also am having fun watching Abundance's doe grow that we retained.  (Jubilee) She is a bouncy little thing. She is the one on the left.

The kids are getting in as much swimming as possible as the water temperature in the pool has already dropped a lot.  They know their swimming days are numbered. 

God has blessed us mightily.  I love living here on this little farm.  I love the changing of the seasons of life and all they bring.  It is work.  A lot of work.  But so fulfilling and a great way to raise the children God has blessed us with. 

We are about to go into fall.  A season that brings the brilliant colors of orange and yellow leaves on the trees.  The smells of brown crunchy leaves that have fallen already as I walk to the barn in the mornings.  The ponies putting on their wooly coats for winter and getting frisky from the cooler weather.  The cooler nights and mornings, the comfortable days.  The raking leaves to compost for the gardens and stacking wood for the wood stove for winter.   Home school days that fall into a less busy routine as we no longer are trying to fit in gardening and baby goat care.  I know we are not quite their yet.  But I feel it coming. I try to enjoy every day that I am alive.  Be grateful for every day I have. Every moment.   But I feel it coming and it feels good.  I am excited. 

I pray your summer was fruitful and blessed.  That God will be with you as you work thru fall and rest from at least some work in winter. 

 

Blessings and Happy farming!

susan