October 19, 2015
autumn leaves painted by Huckley, age 5
At night, the frost is nipping more frequently now, and the autumn palette of leaves are turning quickly. October is passing far too swiftly, and I’m hardly keeping up with the applesaucing, tomato roasting, and last pickling of the season. There is far too much more to do…like watching leaves bob and float down the creek, or digging with tractors in the kitchen garden. The doors are left ajar as kids run to greet friends who drop by, and the smell of moist earthiness mingles with woodsmoke and ripening apples. The aroma of autumn is so distinct, so pungent, so very familiar ~ like an old friend.
Tomatoes are still taking up most surfaces in our home, and they are slowly ripening so that I may oven-roast them and the freeze them in anticipation of a big saucing day. I did make a favourite soup, though, on a particularly cool October day. Roasted tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and dill from the garden topped with a large dollup of homemade yogurt. Delicious!
Our days are getting cozier, though, and we’re getting our firewood ready for the season ahead. We always have grand plans to begin early and let the wood get really good and dry from hot summer days. But farm life spills over into the available time to do such tasks, however well-intentioned. So fire-wooding becomes more of a sprint to the finish line, rather than a slow and deliberate course.
Sorting through the firewood photos above, I am reminded of my nine year old at this same age, working with the same focus and intent. I so love to see my children step into the helping roles with these tasks. There is a longer stride, a taller stance as they recognize their ability to be helpful. We have a saying in our home that you will hear often enough, “Always say yes to the offer of help.” And so we allow the five year old to wield a hatchett, or the seven year old to light the fire. Many hands make light work and that is never felt more acutely than in this season of preparing to hunker down.
Hello out there, I'm happy you stopped by! My name is Jules and I am grateful to share my family's homegrown adventures here...from homeschooling to homesteading.
This space is my own reminder to savour the beauty amidst the chaos and messes of motherhood...to see the extraordinary in the everyday ordinary. Thank you for joining me.
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8 Comments
That soup looks delicious. We are doing much of the same here.
Oh Jules, Huckley just isn’t a baby anymore….He has grown into a helpful, happy little boy. I’m sure he is a joy to be around, as your other children no doubt are. It certainly appears that autumn is in full swing around the homestead…I can almost smell the wood smoke. Oh, I wanted to tell you, I am in love with Sunshine’s new sweater, it’s actually exactly what I like for myself–a bit longer with a little fullness, and in my favorite color. She is so cute in it. Hugs.
Gorgeous photos Jules. We are not nearly so good at saying yes! We need to get better about that.
Just came across your blog. I love that you have a rule about yes to helping, it can be so hard sometimes when you get absorbed in your work to come up with a task/ help them with the task. My daughter loves to help, always asking “what do you want me to do mama?”, she has such a servants heart. Thanks for this inspiration to make sure to nurture that in her.
Kamela
Wishing you lovely, autumn-y days on the other side of the continent, Tonya.
xo Jules
Hello Susan,
I am so glad you like Sunshine’s sweater ~ and is it surprising it is my style, too? I’d opt for a cool blue or sage green, though.
And yes, Huckley is growing up so fast…faster than I recall the others. He just wants to be big, which means whatever age Forrest is!
xo Jules
Hello Melly,
Thank you! And you know, depending on the task at hand, saying yes can come more easily to certain things.
Miss you!
xo Jules
Hello Kamela, so nice to have you visit!
And I do find that saying yes also means we can usually get things done a lot faster, like dinner prep or raking leaves or piling wood. When they were younger, not so much, but it was a good lesson in patience!
xo Jules