September Time Warp

Hello again Farmgirl Friends!

I hope this finds you well and cozy as autumn starts to creep across the northern hemisphere.  We are well on our way to more wintery days up here in AK.  Last week the leaves turned their bright yellows and oranges, while this week they are decidedly more brown.  On a walk the other day with the girls, Ava kept exclaiming, “I don’t like these ugly plants!  Why is everything dying? Why is it brown?  I do not enjoy these ugly plants!!” She was very adamant about her distaste for the senescing leaves…Alas, the nature lover in me could not convince her that this was meant to be–that the plants and trees are getting ready to sleep for the winter.  She was stuck on the aesthetics!

From a hike a few weeks ago. She wanted to know what it fells like to be a mushroom.

The last month has felt like kind of a time warp for me!  It felt like it had gone by very quickly, but then looking through photos for this post some of them seemed to be taken ages ago.  I’ve also had this strange feeling throughout September where I can’t remember what day it is (both in the date and the day of the week).  People at work will say “see you tomorrow!” and in my head I say to myself, “wait, I work tomorrow?  Isn’t it Friday?” (I don’t work Fridays).  Of course, tomorrow is Thursday and all is good.  I also kept feeling like it was perpetually the beginning of September until about…today ;).  A few friends have mentioned this same phenomenon.  We hypothesized it’s because of the quickly changing daylight times.  We are almost at our peak of losing minutes of daylight per day and it can be discombobulating.

Enjoying the view with friends.

Losing daylight means it’s a good time for beautiful light streaming through windows.

Along with the loss of daylight, it was rainy and windy for days on end through August and early September.  On one hand, this was a drag; but it also helped me realize just how bad it was in the paths of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.  We seem to have come to a decent balance over the last week or so, but it was rough there for a little bit!  It definitely helps one appreciate the nicer days.  Actually, looking through my photos, I was reminded that it was actually beautiful more days than I remember.

Opal and I danced with some fun characters at the state fair despite howling winds!

High winds mean small crowds at the state fair. Because of this, Ava won a cute little chair at the lumberjack show!

I wonder what I would do without digital photos at my fingertips?  Maybe I would keep a more detailed daily log like my grandmother did: “Monday, September 11: Partly cloudy with a few sprinkles, overall nice weather.  Went to Northern Fruits with Evan and the girls, picked apples for apple butter.  Hiked on the Lazy Moose Trail for a bit.  Ava wants to be a trial runner.  Moki loved running free.  Opal walked quite a bit, too. Went to Vagabond Blues for yummy treats afterward.”

Picking apples with some help from daddy.

Future trail runner on the Lazy Moose trail.

Apple orchard sister love.

As it stands, I can scroll through myriad photos that we’ve snapped over the last weeks and be gently reminded that time, indeed, is passing. The sun, indeed, did make its appearance several times.  The girls, indeed, are growing SO big. The farm, indeed, is transitioning. We are, indeed, making the most of our time during the changing of the seasons.

Picnics!

Time in the hammock!

Pie eating contests! She did disturbingly well…

Piñata in the mountains at the Hatcher Alpine Xperience first annual Blueberry Ball.

Opal’s first egg toss…

I’ve always loved the transition from summer to autumn.  It’s harder to appreciate in Alaska where the rainy season comes in the fall, but there is much to celebrate and appreciate.  Berry picking reaches its peak, the mosquitoes are gone, the colors are vibrant, the correct gear makes outdoor excursions enjoyable, and the sunlight is delicious as it pours in at low angles: golden and illuminating.

We harvested pumpkins and winter squash a few weeks ago. We’ve had a couple of frosts in September.

Ava sized pumpkin!

This pig was super proud of his kind of rotten pumpkin hunk.

Picking raspberries

Gotta help those cover crop seeds germinate, huh Opal?

It is also the time where creative juices start flowing.  It’s time to start moving toward that candle-lit coziness where words are unleashed and color and beauty are yearned for.  After the harvest is complete, the gardens and yards are laid to rest and that list of indoor projects can be slowly ticked off.

Ava helping me make the blueberry piñata.

Time to dust off the art supplies.

As we appreciate the last teases of summer in anticipation of the coming autumn and winter, I hope you, too, are reminded of what the time warp of September has brought you–whether through photos, a written log, chats with loved ones or your own impeccable memory!

It’s autumn in the mountains and autumn on the farm!

Until next time, Farmgirl Friends, Sending Peace and Love from Alaska!

Alex, the Rural Farmgirl