There is no doubt about it… the air is crisper, the nights cooler, and the colors are about to change the the face of the ridge behind our farm. Every year autumn seems to come from nowhere and I never feel I am quite ready for it and the letting go of summer, but this year is a year of firsts on our new farm and my anticipation for breathtaking beauty outweighs my sadness at seeing summer slip away.

When we moved to the farm in April the trees had already unfurled their leaves but just. So far the scenery has outdone my expectations and I don’t think autumn in Rockfield will disappoint. We are surrounded by hundreds of trees as far as the eye can see and I can only imagine the burst of color that is about to be unleashed on our farm.

Realistically though, aside from the changing scenery there is also the need to brace oneself, the animals and the garden for yet another cold season. So I am trying to keep my mind on the tasks ahead which include:

building a new barn
storing and feeding hay
anticipating every possible problem with providing water for animals
planting garlic and shallots
building hot boxes and mini greenhouses to keep greens growing throughout the winter
buying a new ram for the ewes
building a straw bale chicken coop to keep the girls laying through the winter

Just jotting down this incomplete to-do list I can already feel the aching muscles and giddiness from lack of sleep. Thankfully there are more willing and able hands on the farm this year and the work certainly moves along at a surprising pace with all the laughing and dreaming we do together with shovels in hand.