Autumn Equinox

John Donne (1572-1631)

No Spring, or summer beauty hath such grace

As I have seen in one Autumnal face.

     Autumn is upon us here at Rockin' A Ranch.  Chilly mornings greet us at 4:30a.m., we linger one moment longer under our covers, snuggling and chatting, listening to the rooster greet the beginnings of dawn before jumping out of bed and grabbing our robes.  Rick plugs the percolator in, I let the cats and "Blue" out for their morning "winkle" and stretch. "Blue" runs the fence line of the ranch, barking and staving off the "yotes" (coyotes), this morning they are close.

     This is our favorite time of year...............Autumn.  Chores like gardening, watering, and weeding all slow down and are replaced with wood cutting, raking leaves and mulching. In one month I will begin to "flush" our breeding ewes.  When the first full moon of November arrives, "Blackcloud" our Churro ram and "Oreo" our wether, will join the girls for several months.  I won't remove them until late in the ewes gestational cycle. "Oreo" is thrilled to get to visit with his mama "Freckles" for a period of time.  Sheep can distinguish between all other sheep, they recognize fellow flock mates and lambs even after years of separation. 

     Our myriad birds here on the high prarie begin to disappear..........Macgillivray's warbler, Orange-Crowned, the Nashville and Wilson's, Song Sparrow, Lincolns, Brewer's, the Green-Tailed Towhee, Western Tanager, Pinyon Jays, Juniper Titmouse and Lazuli Buntings. Soon we will also witness the flocks of ducks and geese heading South in their long journey, but this Fall they won't be able to land on the lake near our home as it has dried up over the summer.  We will still enjoy their flight..... we will hear them long before they arrive overhead.

 At the Autumnal equinox, the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from North to South; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern hemisphere.  This is the time of year for our annual Fall picnic, a     gourmet  picnic which is always accompanied with our own special hot, spiced, wine for sippin'.  We build a fire, put out lawn chairs, chat, eat, hike with the lil' ones, take pictures, nap and towards the end of the day, we listen to the Bull Elk bugling and thrashing about in the woods.  And every single year, a child gets to sit on the lap of "the man" and "drive" us out of the woods. 

     This is the time for plentiful bread baking and soup making.  We love soup, a good loaf of homemade artisan bread, and a glass of wine.  "The man" and myself rarely watch T.V. during colder months, we'd rather capitulate to the crackling of the fire in the woodstove, dim the lights and have a nice conversation, before retiring to bed early, similar to the old days. " Early to bed, early to rise"...................I don't know how " healthy, and wise" we are, but we feel very wealthy with Autumn's splendor upon us.

FALL PICNIC HOT SPICED WINE

1 cup sugar

4 cups hot water

Sliced lemon and other desired fruit(apple, orange, dried berries)

18 whole cloves

6-8 cinnamon sticks

2 (750 ml) Red or Burgandy wine

To Prepare:

Wrap spices in cheese cloth, tie off. 

In a pan, heat water, sugar and spices to boiling for approximately 10-15 minutes

When slightly cooled, remove spices and add simple syrup and fruit to crock pot, putting it on low setting.

Add wine and additional fresh fruit (if desired), heat gently, DO NOT BOIL!

Serve in insulated cups.