Fall falls on us

The Back 9 on Hell Mountain starts to turn

We have been having some glorious weather these past few days. It has almost been, dare I say it, too hot for this time of year! But summer is officially over and, after a great one, I am, like most Vermonters, ready to get out the flannel sheets and start wearing jeans again. Fall has always been my favorite season, even though it means that in a few weeks, September's less-friendly antecedent, October, will bring more grey, more rain, and the chillier temperatures that make me question my resolve to not use the woodstove until Thanksgiving.

Perhaps due to the impending nip in the air, autumn has always sparked the do-er in me--after all, you have to keep moving to stay warm! It's like my New Year; I feel ready to make changes and get things done. I can't seem to sit still... and that's even more so than usual! It's so nice to be able to bustle around again, without any heat and humidity making me feel icky and sluggish. My sense of a to-do list is more tangible when school/work starts up again, even though I have more time for everything in June, July, and August.

Free-form whole wheat boules, dense and chewy!

One of autumn's best gifts is being able to spend entire days cooking without breaking a sweat or feeling obligated to be outside "doing something." My crockpot had been unused on the shelf for so long that I had to wash the dust off before I used it last week to make Andy a big pot of beef chili (which I had to do entirely without tasting it, as this is my first autumn as a vegetarian). He said it was yummy, so I guess you can call me the Mother of Intuitive Chili. Our CSA from Lewis Creek Farm down in Starksboro-proper gave us oodles of cauliflower, carrots, and kale this week. I made a delicious fake-out of cheesy mashed potatoes with the cauliflower and toasted the kale into salty, lemony, crunchy "chips" that still need some tweaking, but could turn out to be a decent vehicle for my hummus addiction at some point. Tomato sauce is another perennial favorite that I played around with this past week. You almost can't mess it up and, no matter what direction you go in, it's always better than what you get at the store--especially when it's chock-full of fresh herbs from the garden (parsley and oregano, in this batch's case). With my new stove, I have been fearless. Baking bread without using my bread machine is a joy. The rustic forms are so much fun to watch through the glass oven door. I love playing in the kitchen! It feels therapeutic, productive, and creative; it's always a good use of my time.

The woodlot is full of tasty, creepy crawlies

But that's not what I did yesterday. Nope, none of it. Sitting outside in the hot sun, I was so incredibly thankful to be still on our little swath of forest. The chickens pottered around the woodlot looking for shade, grubs, and a spot to take a dirt bath, and the dogs conked out on either side of my big, green Adirondack chair (brought out of pre-Irene storage). I had my Kindle with me, but The Sit was far too enjoyable on its own. I couldn't be bothered to read or, more realistically, to try to beat it at Scrabble. After a summer of sweaty weekends on the go, spending time almost everywhere else besides home, to be able to let things move around me and not be a part of the motion was heavenly. I could have stayed there forever, my revived inner do-er was at rest.

When I woke up this morning, even though it was Monday, I had such a wonderful feeling of peace and accomplishment after a weekend spent enjoying the world around me. That's life on Hell Mountain!

That's it for now!
~Kate