AUTUMN MUSINGS

Despite a rather spectacular sunrise, it's a dreary day here at the farm – overcast, no sun. Lentil chili made with fresh tomatoes simmers in the old avocado green crock pot, filling the house with an autumnal aroma. I can see Farmer Kyle going back and forth, seeding the Miller field to the north. I've opened my last box of "Gingerbread Spice" herbal tea leftover from last year. Time to find some more.

Most everything I like to do involves sitting – computer, sewing, crocheting, reading, etc. -- and I know that's not good on a 16-hour basis, so when Mike and Nellie announced they were going hunting this morning, I trudged along behind – for the exercise and to get out of the house. We saw two coveys of huns – all members of which are still flying. Mike says they're "wild."

Here in northern Idaho, tourists don't seek us out for spectacular fall color the way they do New England or the Ozarks, for instance, but we do have autumn beauty here and already spectacular views will take on autumn hues when the leaves change color. Although some of nature's colors are showing, this is not the most beautiful fall on record owing to the regional cold snap we experienced ten days ago or so. Temperatures were not just freezing but well-below, and because the leaves hadn't really begun the process of turning yet, some simply froze on the tree and turned brittle or black. That's the lay person's observation. Your tree professional could probably shed more light on the subject. The photo to the left is our big poplar tree in town with gray, dry leaves. The leaves of the old pear tree behind the farmhouse are blackened.

The photo to the left is of my pretty garden chrysanthemum before the freeze. The same plant now sits burned by the frost. You can see how devastating the cold was to fall gardens. Aunt Chris said that Uncle Dan saved the last picking of beans by covering them every night during the cold spell.

Not much has been going on, but -- Oh! I have to tell you about the Dakota. A weird high-pitched whirring sound was coming from under the hood. Mike was blissfully unaware, but I could hear it. Now that we listen to "Car Talk," he tried to get me to mimic the sound. "Come on!" he said; "you can do it. What does it sound like?" Sorry – I'm no good at that. But I did tell him I thought it sounded abnormal and should have attention. We stopped to see Mike's Mopar rebuilding buddy who thought it was a faulty pulley. Before delving into the work of replacing the pulley himself, Mike decided to confirm with a mechanic at the dealership who told him it was the water pump, and by that time, it was leaking. Mike was going to have the mechanic do the work – until he was provided an estimate that included $250 labor. The work might have been done for $100 less in Orofino, but by that time Mike was afraid to drive it that 50 miles or so. So – we came to the farm in the Magnum and when we go back to town this weekend, Mike is going to replace the water pump himself. Should be fun! Stay tuned. . .

Our last stay in town lasted more than a week. We cleaned the garage, then defrosted and inventoried the freezer, and last Friday we drove to Orofino to pick up our deer meat from the meat packer. It was not great creative time, though I did sign up for a machine embroidery class listed for November 2. I hope that will get me started with my new embroidery module. KW