This is my absolute favorite time of the year. Summer is amazing and it’s bittersweet to see it depart, but I love me some fall. I’ve blogged about this before but it bears repeating: autumn is amazing.
Now, there’s lots of stuff to love about autumn. First, the garden comes in and it’s just a plethora of good, wholesome food that I can prepare and preserve. Whether its water bath canning, freezing or drying, preserving food has become an absolute passion of mine. Secondly, autumn ushers in the greatest season of the year for me: the holidays. For me, the holidays are not merely a celebration of Christmas. Instead, it starts with Halloween and runs through New Year’s. And the holidays encompasses more than elves and gifts. It’s about celebrating fall with Halloween and the last big outdoor activities of the year; enjoying the bounty of the harvest and pausing to be truly grateful during Thanksgiving; the lead-up to Christmas including the baking, the holiday movies, the fires in the fireplace and decorating; and then finally, a short time to reflect on the past year and re-establish your goals for the upcoming year. Yes, the holidays for me are literally about a 3-4 month season and I enjoy every tiny bit.
After a tough garden season last year, I’m enjoying a fairly successful season this year which makes autumn all the better. First, the garden is about 15-20% smaller and that has made a critical difference in not getting overwhelmed. But perhaps more importantly, I have more time this year so I can carve out the time to preserve food as it becomes ready. That feels amazing. I still feel a little pressure when everything comes in at once but at this point last year, I was drowning. This year? I’m holding my own.
This weekend, I’m torn. I could either make ketchup – one of my faves – or I could process more beets. There’s pros and cons to each one. The ketchup can technically be done anytime – I froze the puree – but it’s supposed to be a cooler weekend and getting the frozen puree out of the freezer would free up some room and help warm up the house. Conversely, canning beets would also heat up the house and they’re still fresh and out in the garden growing, so the priority is usually the food that can be harvested over the food that’s already safely handled. But, the beets are hardy, could grow a little more and therefore could wait another week. It’s a tough call. Either way, however, I’ll be continuing to keep on top of the garden after nearly drowning last year.
Additionally this weekend, I am committing again to turning the page. It was supposed to have happened in May, then July and now, September. Yes, I do see the pattern. I want to commit but old habits die hard. I’d like to say that this time feels different but then again, it always feels different. Yet, I get it. I’ve only got so many more opportunities to make good choices about slowing down. This girl isn’t getting any younger.
But here’s why I’m hopeful. For awhile, I’ve been in the “resentment phase” of working more than I was supposed to be working. Even when I told myself to focus on those things important to me: home, family and life outside of work, my resentment, anxiety, stress and worry about work creeped in. Over the past week or two, however, that’s ebbed away a bit. Because I’ve had so much work to get to at home, I just naturally focused my mind here. The resentment ebbed away and instead of my free time being focused on what work tasks I needed to do, I find that the odd “down time” I get during my work day is focusing me on the home stuff I need to do. It’s a fabulous feeling and it occurs to me that I have finally – finally! – gotten to the point where I both subconsciously and consciously pulled myself out of my bad habits.
It feels good here on the first day of fall – my favorite season of the year – to be focused on the things that truly matter most to me. And in a season marked by bounty and thankfulness, I am truly thankful.
The Yuppie Homesteader 