Hello October

As if being mom to three sweet and growing babes was not enough, let's sum up the additional dependents these days: 3 chickens, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 1 mouse (why do I do this?), 1 fish, 1 garden, 1 orchard. I added my herbaceous friends because they need me daily just like the rest of 'em. And they reward me so deliciously!

Tomorrow we add 2 more horses to the mix. Friends from Dallas moved their horses out here but cannot spend the time with them they'd like, so I am taking two on and we are going to learn to ride them the Horse Whisperer way - natural horsemanship. This is a beautiful thing. I'm very excited for tomorrow morning to come.

Our garden (and likewise our kitchen) is full of fruit even now. THere are winter tomato varieties here, which thrive in our garden almost as well as the bumper crop of GIANT spiders currently residing all over the whole town. We also have persimmons, the last of the pomegranates, strawberry guavas that fall daily, a new crop of herbs, lettuces, ever-happy strawberries, more oranges, pomelos, eggs and snap peas on the horizon. Even a second crop of apples is about to ripen. I cannot leave out the passion fruit with its odd hard purple egg-shaped fruit filled with such an unusual and pleasing fruit.

The days begin grey and somehow the sun bursts through in the afternoons. By evening it is cool. Tonight we dined on Carlsbad mussels in white wine butter sauce. Dessert was an apple crisp from the apples we'd picked in Julian on Saturday.

When I gathered eggs I spied another mouse. I called Vindaloo once. She came bounding up to the garden gate. I led her in and said "Look in here, Lou. Fetch it up." The thief was dealt with swiftly and completely and left limp for me to admire. Love this dog!

The insanity of Halloween carnivals looms large on the horizon. Leaves are falling, decorations adorn the house. Everyone is full, contented and asleep.