It’s the time of year when the air is finally cooling. I always seem to be happiest when I can have my morning tea by a crackling, fussy fire. Sometimes it’s like a crotchety, yet familiar and wise old man. Other times, a passionate and opinionated fire goddess. I sit quietly and the flames bicker wildly.
Cooler weather means I can breathe deeply again. My fur and feather babies are happy. There’s something about Spring and Fall that make me feel feminine again. My hair isn’t a frizzy mess and farm chores don’t make me break a sweat before 7AM. Farm chores during nice weather are hardly chores. They are more like tidying while visiting with the animals. Winter chores, like summer chores, are tedious and hard on the body. There’s still too much Gucci in this girl to appreciate the bulk of winter farm wear or the sweat of summer. I love rolling out of bed still in my nighty, pulling my rubber boots on and heading straight out to the barn. Life is simpler during the milder months.
Cooler weather means having the windows open around the house and that inspires me to cook. There’s something about a breeze wafting through the house that makes me want to roast chicken, bake vanilla treats and fantasize about a little cooler gumbo weather.
Fall puts me in the mood to hand wash my summer tablecloths and aprons and pull out the fall and winter tableware. Every trip I’ve taken overseas I try to find beautiful, hand stitched tablecloths. On my last trip to Spain I found several beautiful, handmade linens. I find great value in things like that and they get harder and harder to find.
This is the time of year when I become interested in knitting again. It’s my cold weather hobby. I love the feel of fine, baby soft yarn against the smooth bamboo needles. I replaced playing solitaire with knitting when I moved to the farm. At least I’m creating something tangible and having a quality tactile experience versus just having a mindless distraction like I used to do.
Speaking of tactile, everything about farm life is a multi-sensory experience. You can’t help but notice and appreciate breezes, the warmth of the animals fur and softness of the new feathers the birds have worked so hard to grow over the past couple months. The birds are clean, vibrant and cuddly this time of year. What’s not to love about that?
Despite the days getting darker and the light softer and sleepier, I feel more alive. From what I remember of love, it feels a lot like that. I resonate with the autumn time, it’s a gift I look forward to every year.