I feel the fall approaching. Cool morning air, grape vines with drying leaves and the community gardens being prepped for winter greens are all signs here in the Shire.
 This season is definitely a favorite of mine. The light changes casting dreamy shadows along the paths. The nuts are falling from the trees, the sunflowers have tipped and the last red tomatoes are mixed in with many that will never turn.

 All those green tomatoes! I made a delicious mincemeat with them years ago. The coffee cake listed under my recipes section is filled with the spiced mixture. I don't bake as much anymore, kids are older and I'm so much busier but I love that I can look back through this blog at their childhood.
 I'm terrible at taking photos or creating scrapbooks, always just in the moment. This is a nice glimpse of some very precious years.

Slow Sourdough

There are few things more grounding than the smell of bread baking in the morning. While our lives continue to grow busier, making the home a sanctuary is really important to me. Boundaries with creativity, people and my own need to please are a must. There is nothing happening that is worth losing sleep over or obsessing about. Just taking little bites and chewing slowly. More shall be revealed. Just keep putting your shoes on. Toasted sourdough with butter and honey doesn't hurt either.

Missing a Piece

When you walk instead of run you notice more. Sometimes you forget all the you have around you and I'm surrounded by so much beauty. I realized how much I've missed this creative outlet. Maybe it's the summer and all the gardens so full that inspire me. Maybe it's one child moving out and another moving into her senior year. Maybe it's the busyness of my new path that takes me further and further away from the role of homemaker. But, I miss those simple days at times. Although I'm enjoying the natural forward movement, I need to look back now and again to remember all I've been able to experience. Homeschooling days are done, reading books before bed and slow walks to watch the chickens are not a part of my present or future. But I can take little pieces with me. One little piece for today, a wild yeast experiment for Sunday sourdough.