Is that a Touch of Fall in the Air?

It seems it has become a tradition around here that we have a special dinner on the first day of Fall which gets us in the mood for setting out our fall decorations and looking forward to that first cool, crisp morning which lets you know that summer is officially over and the holidays are just around the bend. Last night we had this "fall dinner" which included roasted turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce, acorn squash, green beans, hot mulled cider and carrot cake for dessert. It was delicious!

The temperature even cooperated yesterday with an overcast sky, a few sprinkling of rain drops and a lovely breeze. I took advantage of the beautiful weather by taking a walk and looking for some of the changes which confirm that fall (in Florida) is on the way. The leaves on our Sycammore trees have begun their turn from green to yellow to rust. A small pile of leaves is beginning to form. I love to hear the fallen leaves blow across the yard and pile up at the bottom of our front porch. I walked to an area of our property where I seldom go only to discover a thicket full of end of summer wildflowers. Butterflies were everywhere and lots of crickets, though unseen, were making their presence known by their constant chatter.

I then made my way out to the chicken coop to check for eggs. Of late, I have had to remind hens that they work for me, not the other way around. Their egg production has been quite inconsistent and I was telling them they needed to kick it up a notch. They seemed unimpressed with my speech. Here is a picture of Rooster Boy and some of the Ladies. Isn't he just "to die for"? These ladies seem to think so.

From there I walked to the part of the yard where I spend most of my time. Todd found this garden pond at a yard sale a little over a year ago and picked it up for $30. It has brought us so much enjoyment. We love to sit out by the pond listening to the waterfall and watching the fish. In the evenings we enjoy watching spiders at work constructing their webs and frogs croaking as if to say, "any other frogs out there?" . There were frog eggs floating on the surface of the pond yesterday, evidence that a little frog romance had been going on out there the night before. :) Jacob especially will enjoy watching the transformation of those eggs into tadpoles and the tadpoles into frogs.

Eventually, the rain came and I reluctantly made my way inside. I had enjoyed my "first-day-of-fall walk" and seeing my Father's handiwork in the beauty of His creation.