Fall Planning

Matilda gives the neighbor cow a scritch

Friends, it’s only a high of 99 degrees today! It seems ridiculous to celebrate that, but 99-degree days mean that we are finally getting relief from this scorching 2023 summer. But it’s true. Sunrise this morning blessed us with temps in the high 60s, a genuinely unheard-of temperature for many months.

Summer in Texas is always a languid time, but this enduring heat has felt punishing. Outside our house, all we can focus on is keeping plants and animals alive, flowering/fruiting and putting on extra weight aren’t even considered. We had zero motivation to build or do other infrastructure work.

More importantly, my body has been recovering from pregnancy and birth and the self-enforced convalescence of the 4th trimester. I held this recovery and bonding time sacred. Now, my new daughter and my new body are ready to get up and going. The temperature change has ushered in a fresh sensibility for Randall and me. The (relatively) cooler air has jumpstarted our creativity. We are ready for fall!

So, we prepare.

I write, then measure, then draw up garden layouts (one after another after another). I’m on iteration #4 now. Randall makes lists on lists of items needed for value-added products. Cajeta, tallow body care, and more soaps are all coming your way. We make seed wishlists. Randall takes our BCS tractor to the Homestead intentional community in Waco for repair. I review our bookkeeping system and social media strategies. All the small and big ways that a modern farm gets ready for their productive season.

Y’all. It feels GOOD to prepare!