Fall harvest and progress

We are settling into our new schedule. It's been for the better as the girls are quicker to sleep - perhaps we should have switched up the timing sooner!? 

Progress is the name of the game right now... we have progress on our property. An excavator spent the day picking stumps and all manner of stuff off the ground and a dozer is going to come in behind it and level it all off. Things are happening - we will soon have a driveway! This all and the culvert is expected on Monday - or when ever it is a little dryer. A hurricane has threatened our progress this weekend. Who knows what will happen with the weather... I do know that the land we have looks incredible. It seems now, in Spring we will have a building going up.... it is all very exciting!!

I have managed to get some relish made this past week also - yeah for expanding and learning new skills. Harvest has continued and we have herbs drying, garlic cured and cucumbers to last us another week or so. We just discovered 2 pumpkins and some butternut squash in brother Travis' garden as well so we are pumped to have such abundance. We have some acorn squash that I will make soup out of and then we are going to hunt for some apples to make jelly and apple butter out of. Then we will call harvest complete. Fingers crossed I can get it all done.

I had a big project with a short turn-around time come up so it was a squeeze to get it all in. Thankfully Justin was there to help with some of the house stuff and the kiddos and we got it all done. Justin also managed to get some hard wood into the wood room as the weather is turning colder quite quickly and we needed wood for the wood stove. We have already had a few fires to take the chill off. It's early for that, but we are more prepared this year than we were last, so for that I am thankful. 

The days are noticeably shorter, the air has a chill, it's damp and the leaves are starting to turn for their beautiful finale. Fall is on us - we say good bye to the beautiful, beach filled summer days and look forward to the cozy, busy winter. We have all struggled with a bit of a cold this week, but hopefully that will be all for the season and we can have a healthy, happy and rosie cheeked Fall. It is one of the best times of year here... and I am excited with all our progress as we continue to explore what it means to live here.

(our evening walk, Ruby and me - photo cred - Sally!!)