Seasonal Adjustments

 

The travel trailer left the Lovestead yesterday, to go on vacation---its own vacation. 

Its summer work is over and so it is being WINTERIZED. 

The trailer left the Lovestead twice this year:  once to be summerized and now, winterized.

Even though we didn't take any trips with the trailer, it still provides a valuable and convenient accessory to the place. 

Twice during the summer, it provided a wonderful home for our guests. 

So even though the trailer doesn't TRAVEL often, we appreciate having it for visitors. 

When Bill brings it home, he'll back it into the shop where it will stay for the winter. 

Once again, even though it doesn't go anywhere, but the trailer provides extra storage for Christmas gifts or cookie plates or anything else that needs a temporary place to stay. 

When the travel trailer left, another turning point of the year began:  leaf pick up. 

I made my first rounds yesterday on the lawnmower with bags attached.  I'll make several similar trips around our huge yard before most of the leaves have been chopped up and dumped into piles around the place. 

In between trips around the lawn, Foster and I went to Woods Hay and Grain to pick up the first bags of shavings for when the horses start staying in their box stalls in the barn. 

That's just around the corner. 

It was a great day to be outside doing outside projects.  Twas a bit cold in the morning but perfect sweatshirt weather in the afternoon. 

In my leaf-picking up rounds I noticed that some of my posies are hanging on as long as possible with one rose bush still putting out some lovely blooms. 

Same is true with pansies, petunias and snapdragons.  So, it's nice to have some of the summer color blend in with the ever-dwindling fall foliage.  

Later, in the afternoon, I began cutting back shrubs, with the major job attending to all the oregano that grows around here. 

Do we ever use any of our homegrown oregano?

No!

But it spreads, without any help, and eventually turns into wonderful border hedges.  Plus, the variety of pastel colors lasts most of the summer, as well as the aroma. 

This year's crop, like the leaves, will get hauled off to mulch piles.

The nice part about oregano is that the only work involved comes with the pruning process in the fall. 

We had rain overnight, which is great for rejuvenating a few more days of grazing in the horse pastures.  

Happily, the rain has stopped for the day, and we may even have some sunshine this afternoon. 

That ominous weather forecast last week which implied that winter was beginning is now but a memory.  

The prediction was effective, though, as it put some urgency into what had been a rather relaxed approach to our winterization projects. 

I guess that's not all bad because when winter really does come, we may be ready. 

Now, if those leaves would hurry up and fall, I could get never-ending fall project completed. 

On another subject of the season . . . 

I love the end of fall when it gets dark by 4 p.m., said no one ever. 

Just think, we now have just over seven weeks until we reach the shortest day of the year. 

And, in two weeks with Daylight Savings turning to Daylight Darkness we will be seeing that darkness around 4 p.m.

I've discovered recently that, in my old age, I really do function much better in daylight.

 

Thus, the fall has turned into an incremental experience. 

With each successive shorter day, the solar powered light at the far shed comes on really early in the morning. 

And, with the next batch of even shorter days, a head lamp has been added to my morning accessories.

This week, while I'm leading horses to pasture at 6 a.m., the lights in the far shed come on, along with the solar-powered light. 

In a few days, the horses will no longer go to the far pasture, so one less light will be needed.

I'm thinking seriously that all barn work needs to be completed after 7 a.m. and before 4 p.m.

I don't think that will make the horses happy, but my chores should be much safer. 

We'll see if that happens. 

In the meantime, we keep plugging along trying to beat the seasonal challenges. 

And, for the most part, it's been kinda fun. 

Happy Wednesday. 

Here's a fun seasonal adjustment to a "dark" spot. 

Above, Willie, Debbie and Laura aka Swiss Miss walk through Northern Ireland's Dark Hedges in early July. 

Below, unknown walkers in Dark Hedges during the spooky season. 

Whatever the season, Dark Hedges is a spectacular place.