Happy Fall!

The first official day of Fall was yesterday,but those of us who live in NH know that as soon as the nights get cool,the days get comfortable,and the trees start changing color is when Fall really starts. So......Fall for me started in early Sept. Trees in the swamps started changing in August in some places!
The day we got back from our trip up to the White Mountains,I hacked down my corn stalks, tied them into two bundles,and tied them on my wrought iron plant hangers down by the road. At least I don't have to buy corn stalks for decoration this year! I might get one or two more zucchini out of my garden,and that will be it for the season. We did no fall planting this year but are already talking about what we want in next year's square foot garden,how many beds we will have, and where they will be located.
Today we are going to get our pumpkins and some straw bales for our outdoor decoration. I bought Mums a couple days ago. I have a chuck wagon that we had built a couple years ago for our Cub Scout Fish and Run Great Webelos Challenge. Well, no one in the pack wanted to keep it,so it has been sitting in my yard since May of 2008. This year I am using it my display. I removed the cover so now the wagon is open,and in it I will place straw,pumpkins,and Mums. When I am done with the straw,we will put it in the turkey cage.
Our wood is almost all stacked-my brother in law Brian stacked one pile with the help of Zach while we were on our trip,then we stacked some on our screen porch. Rick and Brian used the woodsplitter to make some kindling,which we have stored in a bucket on the porch as well. So far we have not had to start the woodstove,though a couple of mornings we did start our furnace for a few minutes to get the the chill off.
I made a list of soap and candle supplies that I need order,and will be doing that today.
Today and tomorrow we will be helping park cars at the Rochester Fair for our Boy Scout Troop fundraiser. We are also in the middle of our big popcorn fundraiser,and will be selling that as well at the Fair.
Rick and I need to sit down and make a list of what needs to get accomplished before the snow flies. It's one thing to have it in your head,but it is very easy to forget or push it to the side. If we sit down with a calendar,and the list of what needs to be done,we can then decide what day each task will be accomplished. Of course, we need to be flexible,because some days are not good ones for Rick. However, the task will get done.
This time of year I get a very strong nesting instinct. I need to get my home ready before the snow flies,and according to the Farmers Almanac,we will get snow for Thanksgiving. That is not very far away. I want things to be all set,my home cozy. I also get a very strong urge to bake,and I do not need to eat any baked goods,believe me. Chili and beef stew become part of our dinner choices this time of year.Nice, hearty meals.
Our trees are starting to turn lovely colors,and we are blessed to have Red and White Oak,Sugar Maple,Red Maple,Silver Maple,Beech,Black Birch,and White Birch in our yard.(We also have White and Red Pine,but of course those trees don't change colors and I don't like Red Pine,anyway). We would like to attempt maple sugaring again,but we both know if we are going to do it,we better get off our butts and tap our trees. The weather is getting perfect-warm days,cold nights make the sap run. We tried it two years ago and did get a bit of syrup. We made the mistake of not boiling most of it quick enough,thinking we could store the sap for a bit. That doesn't work,you have to boil it when you empty the sap buckets.
Yep, Fall in NH is a beautiful thing!!!