Fresh Crisp of Autumn
September 27, 2026
Fresh Crisp of Autumn
Today was a day I love! (Written Sept 26, 2026)
We woke up cold. (Okay,I woke up cold. Yyes, I’m a import to Florida, but anything with less than a “7” as the first digit is undershirt & long sleeves for me.)
It was such a gorgeous clear day with gentle energizing zephyrs whispering through unbound hair. (I know, too much, right? Hahaha)
Call. Perfect way to start the day. I get to hang out with Louis. Bonus is we get paid.
Breakfast – grits, hot sausage, and eggs just because it’s Saturday (and I am being extremely tight with money again so when he asked if I wanted a Praline Doughnut from Swillerbees, which my stomach totally did, I said “we have eggs at home, would you like grits & eggs?”)
Okra harvest. Laud and I discovered the attack of the inchworms! For an hour, we harvested okra and picked inchworms and overly damaged leaf bits off of the forest of okra. Laud kept putting two or three in his open palm and giggling, “look, mom, they are fighting!” then he would drop them in our bucket with the damaged leaves and say something little boy funny – it was “get fat before the chickens eat you!” and “big wormy for the daddy rooster!” and “wormies wiggly like fishing worms” (we had watched Captains Courageous last night), and “yummy for the chickens!” I tried not to laugh or fall off my perch because these bugs and the newest harvestable okras are 8 feet (or more) above the ground.
Feed the goats, chickens, and birds. Velma’s newly discovered 2nd favorite snack is overgrown okra pods. Her #1 is banana peels. I don’t know why, maybe she’s a Brazilian goat at heart. Maybe she wants Shaggy to dance the samba with her. Nevermind. Rose, our duck, had injured her foot somehow and without control of her heavy foot, had broken all of the eggs in the nests. We let her out to wander and heal – by dinner she wasn’t limping anymore. (No visible injury, she didn’t even quack at me or appear to be in discomfort when I was prodding it, so do ducks feet go to sleep if they sit on them wrong?) Bird was good, broody hen has reset her nest again, that’s a good sign.
Fill the other half of the asparagus bed! Done. Not a 100% match as the first one has an angled side and this one is a perfect rectangle, but still – done.
The kiddos started a marshmellow fire.
Raked a few more buckets of debris for the chickens & fed them – Red Rooster loves his bugs.
Weeded the minecraft garden beds with the carrots, beets, and beans – garbanzos are popping up!
Louis was ready for lunch – I had collected oak & grape wood so grilled them on my amazing wood-grill. By 1pm, it was just 80 degrees and I’m still comfortable in my thin long sleeved outfit. Thank you, God, for the beautiful day!
Yummy hamburgers – I even had some lettuce leaves to pluck for Louis’ burger. No tomatoes, unfortunately as we only have one bush producing at the moment & Thea or Laud eat all of them before they get to the house.
Girls got home. I’m weeding the thorny vines. Lucas, Thea, and Laud are helping, running around, biking, and Lucas made a wooden sword with the machete. Laud pulled out his “smasher” aka the neon orange mallet. A few minutes later, Lucas, Thea, and Laud are “making a house” with scrap wood and the mallets. Hurricane Laud knocked the house down about thirty minutes later and the kiddos went inside to play Dutch Blitz.
I finished burning those claw potato roots of the thorny vines, putting away tools, and such to go inside and play Dutch Blitz with the kiddos.
So much fun today! I’m so thankful for autumn days (yes, it started Sept 22)! I’m excited about pruning young trees this year! I’m excited that our asparagus have grown through one year! I’m thankful for outside, fires, catching bugs with Laud, watching Kimmie karate kick a tree stump, grilling burgers over wood, for this amazing full life with my family!
As I write this, Lucas and Thea are in a lightsaber battle in the front yard. Thank you, God, for outside days! What is your favorite about autumn? Remember to enjoy your everyday little slices of time. You are building the memories of tomorrow. I wonder if Laud will remember “green okra bugs fighting in my hand” – it’s okay if he doesn’t, his Mommy does, and that memory will bring his cute giggle back into my ears.
Thank you, Jesus, for everyday moments with my children.
Thank you for reading!
Type at you next later,
~Nancy Tart
