Well, after about two months of getting to see what bread feels like being baked in an oven Fall has actually arrived like someone flipped a switch. It’s dark, it’s currently rainy (for the first time in 2 months!!), many of the leaves have fallen (except for the darn buckthorn…) and all the cranes and geese are booking it north as fast as they can go, like someone who overslept on a day with an important meeting or test.
It’s like the world outside is out of alignment and isn’t sure what to do about it. Like a piece that isn’t seated right or someone with a or a gear that’s shifted. It being November 3 here in the world of human things and not knowing what sort of world I will be experiencing this time next week really, really, really doesn’t help.
But I’m here and we are here and the kids are here and this is the world we have to chose how to live in.
So, November, food preservation is done, we’re getting the yard cleaned up for winter a bit at a time. There were Pumpkin Hikes and pumpkin carving and adventures with the kids. The boys did their Christmas shopping (yes, it’s early, but with the world being what it is, that’s how we need to do it). Our tiniest girl got to toddle around the yard after her brothers and help find candy and treasures during the Great Pumpkin Hunt this year. She has worn her costume every day since. 🙂
I have books to read and projects to do. We’re into making Christmas presents now. I’ve down colorwork knitted cowls for my parents and our tiny girl. And I’ve made embroidered bookmarks for the boys and my parents. That’s been fun. I knit a lot so it’s fun doing a new craft. And I can re-combine or invent the patterns and then embroider them while I’m taking breaks or watching something or listening to something. And fabric bookmarks will be durable so I think they’ll be great!
The other new one I’m hoping to do is needle felting wool and making tiny fuzzy cats for the kids’ Christmas stockings. I have about two months yet. So we’ll see if I pull it off!
Next is food gifts. I’m going to make flavored honey, and hopefully honey roasted nuts. I’d like to try flavored vinegar, but we’ll see… And maybe I’ll give making vanilla extract a try. I’ll probably make chocolates too, and I’ve gotten a lot better at candies! I made honey popcorn balls that were great. I’m hoping to make caramels and peanut brittle and some other things with honey…fingers crossed!
Other than Christmas crafts the other fun project is to make paper holiday decorations this year. The theory being, they’re fun to make and if I make new ones each year I can have fun doing it the way I want and they can’t get dusty and upset the arthritis. And paper can be recycled so it’s not a big environmental cost. I’m also planning to try dehydrating orange slices and making things like that.
Other than that the next couple of months are small adventures with the kids as the holidays get closer (driving to look at lights, going for a hike in the woods, watching holiday movies, going to the tree farm, etc). And keeping up with regular chores, and taking a break after the summer and doing small projects inside (and some outside) to make doing day to day stuff easier.
I guess that’s basically the plan all the way through winter.
And then spring will be time to tackle the yard and outside and get a proper garden set up and get the garden ready so we can have a good garden next year.
Hopefully all good plans.
