our house

wild times

Hey! Louise blew out her 4 candles this week, a big pile of lumber has arrived and wonderful souls have popped out of the woodwork to help lay pipes, break through stone and pour cement... Amazing to see it all coming together; it's almost time to raise the walls! We have a new temporary kitchen (to be perfected down the road, but very functional for now) in the former "bathroom nook" and there's a great new vastness to our main room - very pleasant. The huge hole in the wall, under the archway, was nice for hearing the birds and let in an amazing amount of light, but yesterday we did close it up with plywood considering the nip in the air this time of year. Still, the weather is cooperating, and thanks to Gilles logistical genius, the project is pretty much on schedule for a snug structure to be up before winter arrives. The girls are on school break this week and we're attempting to have some nice family time. All the houses in the village are occupied this week, with chimneys smoking, windows lit up, and kids voices ringing in the air.

pirates!

come sit by the fire ...

cowgirls for a day

Summer one minute, fall the next.
We recently spent an afternoon at the riding school's annual open house. Now that Louise is almost 4, she has finally realized this longstanding dream of hers. Mia just "went along for the ride", more interested in dressing the part than actually getting on a horse, but she eventually gave it a try. The horses were so patient and gentle - all the kids grabbed brushes from a big bucket to rub them down and brush their manes and tails. The older riders cleaned out the hooves while the horses just stood there calmly.
This start of autumn has been stunning and we've already made one big batch of chestnut cream. There is still a lot more gathering and harvesting to do... It's a busy bountiful time!

i wish there was a poem