Early September

It’s hard to know where to begin when starting a blog a dozen years into being in business. So, I’ll start with today:

It’s raining. Canada geese are beginning to migrate south. Cool nights remind us that frost is coming, but not quite yet. There will still be beans, tomatoes, and peppers to harvest in the coming days. The dry beans aren’t quite dry. The summer squash is slowing down, but the winter squash is coming along nicely. We have 28 bales of hay in the yard, 21,000 pounds all told, transported from a farm two miles away by my husband and myself, in a two-bale trailer we pull behind our “farm truck” aka Town and Country van with rubber mats on the floor for transporting sheep.

The sheep are still out to pasture half a mile from home. It’s breeding season, so the ram is starting to get a bit testy. I have to keep an eye on him when I’m out with the flock.

The lambs, at about six months of age, are growing like weeds. Their wool is gorgeous. It’s time to shear them, but it’s also time to dig potatoes, harvest grapes, aronia berries, elderberries, and apples, and keep up with the snap beans, chard, and tomatoes. Late summer mushrooms are coming into their prime. If I don’t make time for long walks in the woods, I will miss out. It’s a crazy busy time of year, but I wouldn’t trade this way of life for anything.

It’s also a season for craft fairs. The Champlain Valley Fair has ended, but the Underhill Harvest Market is coming right up. I look forward to meeting neighbors and customers face-to-face, a joy especially sweet after Covid.

Today, I did bookkeeping. Tomorrow, I’ll dig potatoes. The day after, if the weather is nice, I’ll shear a sheep or two. Being outside is beautiful. It’s so green here. The very air smells full of life. I’m thankful every day for the privilege of homesteading, even on our tiny scale.