There is a subtle quality to the light this week and a certain scent in the air that tell me the seasons are changing. Even though the afternoons are still sunny and warm, the mornings are chilly and growing darker. I don’t want to miss the little shifts of the shadows day by day or the late blooming flowers, so I try to take a few extra minutes to notice what is happening around me as summer ends and autumn begins.
Last week we harvested the last of the apples off the old, overgrown and diseased trees in our backyard. My husband and I worked for several hours over the course of the week to peel, core, chop and freeze these for use over the course of the year. We use most of them to make fresh applesauce in the instant pot, but this year I also tried making slow cooker apple butter and freezing some of that for later. It turned out surprisingly well for being so easy to make!
This week, my daughter and I bought some small potted mums and a couple packages of tulip and daffodil bulbs to plant out this fall in her flower beds. My son helped clean up all the fallen apples and gathered the pots for the container garden into one spot for the winter. (Sadly, nothing we planted in the spring survived, but I don’t give up too easily and have some ideas for trying again next year!) There are weeds to pull around the fence line, and everything will be pretty well tidied up until the apple tree leaves begin to fall.
Last year we had our patio table beneath the apple tree, but this year we moved it to a different part of the patio so that we wouldn’t have to be constantly cleaning off rotten apple bits and spider webs. My husband also shifted our little portable shed and his grill, so now that space feels much more welcoming and enjoyable. We have spent several mornings outside doing school work already since making these changes. The cooler temperatures in the morning have also helped make taking school out of doors more inviting, which always is healthy for us all!
Our year is much busier than ever before, with many outside activities and new demands on our time, but this season of our lives is also exciting and full of adventure. Just as the weather changes and brings new sights, sounds, scents, the seasons of our lives are shifting and offer exciting and challenging new experiences and opportunities for growth. May I always take the time to stop and notice these alterations as they happen instead of letting life rush past in the bustle of it all.
