Sauce, salsa, or soup?

I have four tomato plants, each started from a tiny seed in my kitchen last April. Four tomato plants...and very, very, very good soil. The hens aren't the only over-achievers here at Four Cedars Farms. (The vote from my big eaters? Sauce.)

A pleasant surprise...

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? Without getting theological, experience tells me it's the chicken. Here at Four Cedars Farms, the chickens preceded the eggs by twenty weeks. Exactly.

Wednesday morning, just before departing for twenty-four short hours in the Twin Cities, I left our two hens with a generous helping of feed and these encouraging words: "I'm still waiting for eggs, girls."

Well, they must have missed me, because I found, upon my return, not one, not two, but three eggs in the nest. (One of the girls is an over-achiever!)

Of course I was overjoyed that this one aspect of farming worked just as I'd read it should. I can only imagine my joy two years from now when the grape crop comes in.

Isn't the last day of summer two weeks away?

It was an exceptionally cold winter. Remember? Then, winter left us with a cold, wet miserable spring. Winter was not very considerate.

By the time summer arrived, FINALLY ARRIVED, I had so tired of being cold that I vowed to greet each and every summer day like a long lost friend, without regard for humidity or dewpoint. There would be no air-conditioned air swirling around my toes this summer, I promised myself when summer came crawling in, late. I had spent too many days and nights wrapped in wool and flannel to now wilt and cave when summer brought her first 90-degree day.

Well, I am happy (and proud!) to report that I kept this promise to myself. Summer came and went at Four Cedars and I enjoyed every drop of sweat she squeezed out of me.
I acclimated. I perspired. I dressed down. And when things got a bit intense, I retreated to the naturally cooler rooms of the shaded Four Square. There are some advantages to living in an old, drafty box.

Not so come autumn, though. With overnight temps flirting with frost and daytime temps barely rebounding to 70 degrees, the old shack isn’t doing much in the way of solar heat retention. To be frank, it’s cold in here. Even at 4 p.m., the warmest hour of the day, the temp inside is a full 10 degrees cooler than any sunny spot I happen to find in the yard. I know, because I drift outside often to thaw out.

Of course, the switch that flips on the furnace is just steps from my keyboard. But turning on the furnace this early in September seems a wimpy move. And I’m stubborn. Yes, stubborn! It’s only September 9, for pity sake! I’ve endured some awfully warm September 9ths. This cold snap can’t last another 200 days, can it?

I soothe myself by doing dishes. My family doesn’t understand why I wash dishes by hand when I have a brand new dishwasher. I’m not all that interested in fondling my dishes; I just like to have my hands in warm water.

My pal Google offered me a couple of other tricks I might try in my quest to keep warm. It’s a long list, but it reveals some gems. How are you staying warm, dear ones?

Excerpted from “50 Ways to Stay Warm This Autumn” found on www.simplythrifty.com. The commentary is mine:
Take a long, hot bubble bath. (Not with your dishes.)
Whip up a batch of mulled wine.
Wrap yourself in an afghan.
Make some hot chocolate.
(Regular chocolate works too.)
Bake cookies. (Be sure their Gluten Free!)
Wear your flannel pajamas. (Only if you sleep alone.)
Have a hot toddy.
Wear nice warm socks. (I have more pairs of wool socks than a Finnish Hockey team.)
Wear slippers.
Use lots of blankets on your bed.
Indulge in a cappuccino.
Wear fleece sweaters around the house.
Put on a pot of chili.
Have some tomato soup. (I did this last week; made it from scratch!)
Have some Irish Coffee with friends. (I think it’s the friends which are key here.)
Turn the music loud and dance. (This upsets farm dog, though.)
Indulge in some comfort food.
Spend lots of time in the kitchen.
Visit a friend who isn’t as chintzy with the heat as you.

The leaves aren't falling yet, but...

There are certain rites of autumn that bring us great pleasure. For some, it's the back-to-school ritual. For others, it's the return of football, the approach of the hunting season, or digging out your favorite sweater. This year, for me, the ritual that brings the greatest sense of relief was the "round-up ritual," otherwise known as time-to-go-back-to-your-own-farm LeSueur ten.

Thanks for the lessons, gals. Have a nice winter in St. Peter!

Of course, the round-up ritual opens the door
to other fall pleasures, like hosting weekend guests
Tony and Shannon, wine in the park, an impromptu
apple pie made from backyard fruit,
and preserving fresh sweet corn
to enjoy during the deep cold of winter.

It may not be Lake Wobegon, yet here,
all the women are smart...the men, good looking.