The Farm In Autumn

We've had varied weather, a new surprise every day and each night - warm sun, snow and ice, hard freezes, heavy rains and 65 mph winds. But mostly it's been pleasant, allowing my little bantams to spend their days pecking and scratching:

The fantail pigeons still spend most of every day indoors:

But seven or eight of them come out occasionally to enjoy the wonders of autumn:


It's good for them to stretch their wings and get some exercise:


Before the time change, I saw breathtaking morning skies nearly every day while doing the chores:

These were almost never followed by bad weather, causing me to wonder about the old, "Red skies at morning, sailors take warning" adage. One morning, however, I discovered that this brilliant display lasted only a minute or so, and I realized that this was just a momentary display caused by the sun rising above the horizon. I felt privileged and blessed to have experienced so many of them:

The Rugosa Roses have been putting on a show of yellow, green and red for over a month now. There's been no more purple blossoms, however, for quite some time now:

My cranberry compote was such a success that I decided to try it with windfall pears. I collected a bag full of them and washed them in the sink:

Then I cored and cubed them, putting them in water and turned up the heat:

I tossed the pear cores out on the grass for the chickens:

I boiled the pot of diced pears for several hours until it was thick. Then I added Stevia sweetener and cinnamon. It was a big success, a healthy dessert for use on whole wheat toast or mixed in with brown rice and milk: