Fall at the Farm

Although fall signifies the end of the warm, wonderful days of summer, I love the beautiful colors of autumn that are especially evident in the country.

As fall approaches, I enjoy recovering the porch pillows with fabric I collected inexpensively throughout the year.

One of the best places I find fabric is in the thrift store.  I re-purpose quilts, shower curtains, and drapes and turn them into table cloths, pillow covers, and chair cushions.

I also enjoy collecting cowboy boots and cowboy hats to decorate the back porch.  Sometimes we're blessed and a pair of the boots actually fits one of the kids for a short while.

Timmy found these lockers at an auction for $30 and knew I'd like them.  I absolutely love any kind of storage piece.  These are perfect for all the farm coats, overalls, and boots that are needed during the colder months. 

Although, I've also found a kid or two hiding food in his locker from time to time as well. 

(I hope mine isn't the only family where members confiscate and hide "their fair share"

of the rare goodies that might find their way into our house.)

In preparation for the events the farm hosted this fall, a sweet friend who is very artistic created these Williamsburg-style window box arrangements.

This is an old chicken coop that we first decorated for Meredith and Stephen's wedding.  

We call it the "Red Rooster Inn".   It's about to fall to the ground 

but I love its quaintness.

 Harrison's chore bike seems to be a popular subject when a professional photographer is at the farm.  I wince when I observe their picture-taking interest in the manure-splattered farm bike.

 Calf round up

In years past as I prepare for our annual fall farm events, I have left it to the Lord to determine what type decorations we'll have since I can't imagine spending a lot of money on pumpkins, hay bales, or other things that will eventually go to the pigs or the compost pile.

Each fall it seems I'm reminded of God's kindness to me in the past events of the 

"pumpkin story" 

and I can only hope that the Lord will want pumpkins again this year.

As I watched the pumpkins arrive in the stores in late summer

 and then suddenly disappear, without even being discounted, as soon as October 31st passed, 

I figured there wouldn't be any bright orange pumpkins welcoming guests to the farm this fall.  

I was disappointed but accepted that God must not have wanted pumpkins this year.

However, a church family who had been invited to our farm events, asked if we might want to pick some sunflowers to use as decorations that had accidentally been sown in their fields.  A friend and I watched with delight, just days before the first farm event, as we picked armfuls of golden bouquets while our younger children ran through the fields of beautiful sunflowers that were as tall as our little girls and as countless as the stars in a 

country night sky.  

I supposed that the Lord must have wanted sunflowers this year.

Then, as I was in town buying last minute supplies for the first event, I spied the most gorgeous bush-like mums I had ever seen.  They were simply breathtaking.  I wondered if I could justify purchasing just a couple although I figured they'd be at least $30 each.  I wrangled one so huge it was almost impossible to put my arms around it, and carried it in the store to inquire about the price.  

When the manager said, "We just reduced all of them to $3.88 each,"  I told her I'd take all 10 of them!  What an incredible blessing.  

I suppose the Lord wanted mums, too.

No pumpkins this year, but sunflowers and mums were a beautiful, unexpected blessing.

As has become a tradition, I challenge myself with a "bonus task" that I only hope to accomplish prior to an event if I'm totally ready and have completed everything on my list.  

My bonus task this year was to invite all the neighbors to the farm events. 

I crossed the last thing off my list late Friday afternoon, grabbed Harrison since he's such a socialite, and headed to the nearest neighbor's house to invite them to the event taking place on Saturday at noon. 

After either visiting or leaving a note with three of the neighbors, Tim called and suggested I go farther down the road to visit yet one more family that we recently met.  

The sweet, young family happened to be pulling up in their driveway as Harrison and I stood on the porch ringing their doorbell.  

After inviting them to the event the following day, talking for a minute, and preparing to head home, the young man asked, 

"Do you want a bunch of pumpkins to feed to your pigs that I grew but couldn't sell?  

I have them loaded on a trailer and could bring them over tonight if that's okay."  

No sooner did I arrive home with the exciting news of pumpkins en route, than did the young family pull up with a trailer load of the most beautiful pumpkins ever.  

With the daylight fading fast, I scurried around the farm joyfully placing pumpkins in position to greet our friends and family the next day.

I guess the Lord wanted pumpkins this year!

After the last event of the year, our annual "Day To Give Thanks For Udders," I found Sheridan totally exhausted and lying on the hammock, longing for the quieter days of winter to arrive.