halloween preview

this is tashi's raven costume. i based it on martha stewart's instructions, but added feathers to the front. i didn't find such long, wispy feathers as the ones photographed in the link, but i'm still pretty happy with the way it turned out.



and here she is with napoleon dynamite.





initially i was going to make a dog costume for tristan, similarly using a brown hoodie. but i caved in to this commercial costume, just couldn't resist the lion (and the ease!).





we are about to launch into a meal of chili and cornbread, followed by pumpkin carving. and then i will sit down a while with circle round, a favorite book about sharing the old celtic ways with family. it's important to remember the roots of halloween in samhain and honor the sacred, along with the silliness.

happy weekend to you, in what ever way you most appreciate the day of magic, darkness and seasonal transition.

the land, the sky, the stomach

a few days ago we took a walk and encountered some farm animals we hadn't seen up close since i was pregnant! there are two billy goats, a furry white silly goat, a chestnut horse and an ebony horse. the ebony horse is missing one eye. she has the most beautiful, gentle soul i've ever encountered in a horse. when i was pregnant i was convinced she knew it, as she often nuzzled up to my belly. after tristan was born i longed to introduce him to the animals, but they were always in the back field. finally they are up front again, and it was such a pleasure to pay them a visit.










speaking of animals, we have a mighty feisty lion residing in our house these days.




he will soon be joined by a raven who says nevermore.

i just can't make up my mind on which is my favorite season. right now, i'm certain it's autumn, especially in virginia. i may change my mind once spring arrives.








and the food lately has been so good. stews and soups and biscuits and breads and apple galettes (because pie crust always intimidates me).



spicy chicken, date, butternut squash stew


apple galette. this was my second attempt at one. not beautiful, but far better then the first. and tasty, regardless.



sweet potato biscuits to die for! and three sisters (corn, squash, bean) stew from feeding the whole family

and you, what are you seeing & tasting this wonderful autumn?

apple harvest

i've been wanting to make a blog entry all week, but one thing or another seems to interfere. so here i am with a quick update while the tail end of tristan's nap looms before me.

last weekend we picked apples. tristan could eat a dozen apples a day, it seems, so having apples above and below him was a source of major excitement. tashi did most of the picking and tristan did most of the taste testing.







there were some curious relics around the orchard as well.







there was also a pumpkin patch.







it was a stunning virginia afternoon.







and now to continue with the current afternoon. the nap is over and clementines are being consumed.

the nap drive

i haven't had to do this very often but today when tristan wouldn't fall asleep for a nap, i pulled a sweatshirt on and, still in my pajama bottoms, took the little guy for a ride in the car. he was asleep within two minutes. instead of turning back home and commencing to spin several plates at one time, i was beckoned by a big sky of dramatic clouds and a rolling landscape of bright leaves. i carried on with our drive, and was astonished by the beauty of the day.

















many of the photos were taken through the windshield (i was in my pajama bottoms, remember), so have a somewhat hazy quality about them. forty five minutes after i set out on the drive, i arrived home, feeling transformed by a landscape in flux.