September is my favorite month of the year. Is it any wonder?
Hot days quickly turn to pleasantly cool evenings at the first sign of the sinking sun. Lingering wildfire smoke clings to the edges of the hills reminding the nose of mountain camping trips. Green, yellow, and red leaves seem to catch fire in the soft bronze-gold of the early fall sun. Prickly stems and drying leaves curl back to reveal the last vestiges of sleek green cucumbers and bumpy yellow squash from the garden's harvest. Apples are finally in season; they crunch and explode with juicy sweetness like no other time in the year. The new pages of school books slide smoothly over eachother, their black ink dark with the promise of learning and adventure. The kids snuggle into their warmer fall clothes, the Fireman snuggles into his thermal henleys, and I snuggle into them all as the last rays of the summer's sun fall below the horizon.
While the world around us is following a pattern as old as time, the Chase family is having many new experiences this September.
We started homeschooling Brother. As I have discovered in many areas of parenting, this has been both very challenging and beyond rewarding. From blank stares, 'I-Don't-Know' answers and open defiance to understanding, 'This-Is-Fun' comments, love and laughing; we have experienced a lot in only two weeks of Kindergarten! I know we are in for a roller coaster ride during the next dozen-plus years of school, but this is our current conviction. So stay tuned!
We got two little Oberian dairy goats who will (hopefully) provide us with milk and cheese this coming Spring. Right now they are providing us with exercise as we try to keep them where they are supposed to be. Kat and Doob, short for Katmandu and Dubai (named by their previous owner), are apparently ninja goats, trained especially in the art of escape and theivery. Doob has made it into the chicken coop through the 10" by 12" chicken entrance in order to get to the kitchen scrapes inside. Both goats have escaped the field through electric wire multiple times. Picture red laser security systems and some very flexible goats. But seriously, there is no way to keep them from doing this. I am hoping when they get pregnant this winter they'll get too fat and forget their younger days as ninjas.
We found out what a "broody" hen is. One of our Buff Orpington hens attacked the Fireman one night as he tried to take her eggs away from her. After some quick research and some local networking, Broody Hen has been happily sitting on 9 fertilized eggs for 14 days. She only gets up once a day to poop and drink some water. She is starting to look wildly haggard, reminding me of my last few weeks of pregnancy. And, as a side note, if I ever need a genuine belly laugh, I ask the Fireman to give me his impression of a Broody Hen. It's the best.
Sister has discovered corn-on-the-cob. Since this discovery, corn has been on the dinner menu at our house most every night. This is not for her sake, but ours. She loves corn with a kind of ferocious passion. When those cobs are in her hand, the world melts away and it's just her and the corn. Bite after bite, she doesn't quit until it is gone. This makes for a most entertaining dinner show. As such, we have had a lot of corn lately, which is fine, because corn is five for a dollar at the farm stand right now.
There is our September in a moment. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to snuggle the Thermal Henley sitting next to me.
My Playlist:
Ho Hey - The Lumineers
Flowers In Your Hair - The Lumineers
Chop and Change - The Black Keys
