The Last Walk of Summer

Today marks the official last day of summer, although it's been feeling quite autumn-like here in southeastern Michigan since August, save a few days of "heat-wave" here and there. I took advantage of the sunny weather and went for my last walk of summer around the grounds here. 

Some photos around the grounds today.

It seems like the leaves started turning from summer green to autumn yellow, orange and red a little early this year to me. Everything has gone to seed, the soy and corn crops are dying back and ready for harvest. Perhaps it's just the older I get, the faster time seems to fly, especially summer, my favorite season.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the early days of autumn- there's still some gardening going on, the apple and herb harvests, and it's finally cool enough to comfortably use the canner. I love harvest style fall decorations- mums, pumpkins on straw bales, scarecrows, indian corn and unique gourds and squash.  It's just that I know what's coming next LOL!

As for us, our autumn tasks will include final herb harvest and dehydrating, trimming Deenis and Baa's hooves, winterizing the coop and barn, and replacing glass stall windows with plexiglass before the cold hits. We are preparing for another winter like the last, and if it's not as harsh, excellent!

If you live in the suburbs of metro Detroit or Toledo, but are looking to enjoy the autumn harvest, locally there are some nice, affordable activities for families going on. Carpenter Farms in Adrian (on 223 just east of town) is open to the public for hayrides, a corn maze, and pumpkin and straw bale sales. There's also Apple Charlies in Huron selling apples, pumpkins, cider and donuts. What is autumn without apples and pumpkins?

I'll be looking forward to all the decorations and festivities in the coming months. What is your favorite part of autumn? The food? The decor? The cooler weather? Let us know in the comments section below!

Goodbye, Summer 2014

It's been a cool, rainy October-like day thus far as I browse "Back to School" photos of my friends kids on Facebook. The kids in Michigan all return to school the week after Labor Day. It's hard to believe it is already the second day of September! 

Summer has always been my favorite season. Heck, I was born in the middle of summer! Fresh herbs and vegetables from the garden, lots of festivals and open air concerts, and warm weather! As a kid, I loved chasing fireflies around Grandma's side yard, and listening to the crickets at night, 

We had quite a few fun excursions this summer, as well as completed a few projects like Deenis and Baa's new pen, and getting the lattice up under the front deck. In early June, we bought ourselves a pool, and went to see the Toledo Mudhens play with some of Brian's coworkers. We spent Independence Day and Labor Day with my brother's family at their camper, and went to three Fairs (Trenton, Blissfield and Lenawee Co.)! As a final hurrah, we're going to be going to Cedar Point in a few weeks. I still plan on getting "Pecker's Place" (the coop) painted FINALLY.

Weather wise, we had a very obscure summer here in Lenawee County. Abnormally cool, and extremely dry. I can count the number of days we hit 90 degrees on one hand. I remember my mom setting out a sprinkler and handing out popcicles to neighborhood kids all summer long when I was a kid. It was so hot and muggy you'd come home from the park for lunch soaked in sweat, as though you'd just jumped in a pool with your clothes on! This summer, we had some days in which I actually wore a fleece jacket and jeans out during the day!

It was a rough gardening season for a lot of us, especially those without irrigation systems. I gave up on carrying gallon jugs out back around the third week of July. We had 60 tomato plants perish, as well as an extremely poor potato crop. The herb garden did well, however, as I was able to reach it with a hose. Our neighbor's corn and pepper fields died out anywhere his irrigation sprinklers didn't reach. It was so dry, in fact, that our new pool went unused throughout August due to water evaporating below the filter line. Now that we are receiving rain, it's too late! A rain catchment and irrigation system is something we should definitely add at some point in the near future. 

In the next few weeks we'll begin tucking everything away and building up our supplies for winter. We like to keep a couple weeks supply of food and water for us and our animals, as well as kerosene for our portable heater in case of power outage and/or being snowed in as we were several days last year. I hear now that the Farmer's Almanac is calling for an even colder winter than the last. I hope they are grossly mistaken...