I think Autumn means different things to different people. Some of my friends just LOVE the fall time and I never could understand why. I think I never just took the time to look around and see just how pretty it can be. Now don’t get me wrong – Summer is still the best season in my books, and the hotter the weather the better. But I think that I’ve been getting more and more aware just how nice this season can also be. Tonight I was outside and the bin dryer was drying corn, the dogs were chasing each other around the yard, the leaves were just starting to turn colors on the maple trees, and I think I finally ‘got it’. Even though the nights come way faster now than they do in the summer months, it’s still kind of nice to come inside and turn the fireplace on to get the chill out of the air. I haven’t completely given up on my summer days, but it looks like fall is really here and I guess it’s not so bad after all.
I had to run some errands in town and on my way there I checked in on Daryl out in the field. He’s hoping to get most (or all) the corn done this weekend. It’s been a really dusty harvest, but at least we have something to harvest. I took a picture of what is pretty typical on our farm out in the fields. Daryl will put two grain wagons in the field and then when he has them full, he’ll either bring them home and put them in the dryer or he’ll just haul them into town to the co-op.
Wagons just waiting in the field to be filled
If you remember about two weeks ago I had rescued a barn cat from the dogs and threw her up into the hay loft. Well since then, I’ve had to do this many times because for some reason she didn’t like the kitty food that she had up there and would just sit by the ladder and watch the dogs and the dog food. She’d come down to eat theirs and then we’d have another war on our hands. I also had to water her every day because she couldn’t find anything to drink either and was looking just kind of sick. I’m thinking that I was pretty darn nice to her because when she bit me the first time, half of my hand swelled up and literally turned purple, and now I’m sure I’m going to have scars! Anyway, this process of bringing her upstairs and then giving her water and dog food in the hay loft has been going on now for some time, we’ll until tonight. I found her dead in the yard. I think the dogs took her outside to ‘play’ and she might not have wanted to play as much as they did. Really to be honest, she was so weak it might have been a blessing. She was just a little bit too sickly for me and I knew she would never have made it through the winter. So did I scold the dogs? Well I tried, but I guess I didn’t give them too much scolding.
I’m also including a picture of my one and only hazel nut from my tree that I planted this year. Even though it’s not a bumper crop and I don’t think it’s edible, it’s still kind of cool.
My only hazel nut this year. Maybe next year I'll have better luck?