Falling into Fall

When it comes to the holiday season there is nothing I want more than to have it be drama-free. Let's face it, the madness of the season creates a lot of stress, and a lot of drama. From feeling pressure to make the house look beautiful and festive, to cooking the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, to dealing with all the party invitations, to not completely blowing your pre-holiday diet, to drinking too much, and to finding those thoughtful and personal on-budget gifts! It's a lot to take on! And every year, right about now, I start to plan Thanksgiving, clean and organize the house in a deep, hide-and-seek worthy manner, and stay completely on task. But there is always more. More to do, more lists, more thrown into the mix. We always need to move the weatherproofing of the animals shelters to the top of the list, especially after last winter.  There is the stocking up on enough hay to get us through until the first cut in May. And we have storm windows to install, goat birthing stalls to build, and animals to vaccinate. Then of course we have our kids various extra curricular activities to schedule and work around. Cheerleading, lacrosse, skiing, guitar lessons, birthday parties, etc...But somehow we manage to get it all "managed". Fall is the end of free time, the end of lazy summer days and long evenings sitting on the front porch just listening to the frogs. Autumn brings cooler nights, apple cider, pumpkin bread, really pumpkin everything, and shorter days. It's when we sit as a family on the sofa in front of a fire after dinner. It's when the hens all stop laying due to lack of light and they are just happy to be given some scratch to warm their little fluffy bodies. It's when the ponies grow in their wooly winter coats and put on a few extra pounds. It's when my momma goats all get pregnant and some extra love to get them through until kidding season.
Fall has always been my favorite time of year because everything seems to burst with a warm glow and home cooked comfort food seems to bring more joy to my family at the dinner table. It's a time of reflection of the year that is coming to an end, and a time to set goals for the year ahead. It's a time to come inside and gather around the table, and share special moments with family and friends. And hopefully, if we're lucky, it can be as stress-free as possible and we can take it all in before it just flies right by.