Happy Fall!

Fall has hit Central Illinois in full force. The leaves have changed color. The wind howls around the eaves of my cottage, and rattles the windows, as if longing to come in out of the darkness. I love this time of year. I revel in the crisp fall air, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the juicy red apples, and the bright, heartbreakingly beautiful days. 

Here on the farm, the harvest is winding down. One by one, the surrounding fields have given up their bounty of corn and beans. The last cutting of hay is stacked in the barn. From the upstairs windows, I can now see a patchwork of empty fields, stretching endlessly out, like a quilt worked in brown, gray, and beige, broken up here and there with borders of orange, red, and gold leaved trees.

Thoughts of cold winter nights have me washing flannel sheets, checking to make sure all the storm windows are closed, and making myself a note to call "Mr Chimney" to get the wood stove ready for the winter season. Soon I'll be coming home in the dark, and staying there to knit, bake cookies with my grandchildren, or just sit by the wood stove with my feet propped up, looking at seed catalogs, and dreaming of Spring, but I am not quite there, yet. For right now, there are still leaves to be jumped in, hot cider to be sipped, and hot dogs to be roasted, so this weekend, I'll wish my sister a Happy Halloween birthday, and wish all of you a happy fall!