Autumn has come....

The colors (and smells) of fall are very welcome here after such a scorching summer. After months of daily watering, after a period during which our empty rain barrels forced Michael into making seemingly endless trips back and forth to Lick Run Creek with many (many, many) buckets, it's so nice to see the cooler temperatures, feel the rain, and smell the new crisper edge to the outdoor air. Indoors, it smells different, too, since we're dehydrating habaneros. They have a distinct, pleasantly warm scent that has permeated the entire house. Outside, the wild turkeys and the deer are milling through the field below the beehives.
Winter preparation continues. Yesterday, I spent several hours on the back door and door jamb, which I haven't touched since 2007. The white paint had begun to peel and crack. This morning, however, it has a glossy new coat of butter yellow paint. Some pictures appear just below:

The back porch door before its new paint job....

...and the door after the new paint job.
The Hex Sign (which had actually been on the door before) is there
because hey, I'm a Pennsylvania Dutch girl. The image is a
"Double Distlefink," symbol of good luck and happiness, doubled.

Each day, the orange blaze travels further across the trees on the hillsides.

This morning, despite the intermittently heavy rains, the wild turkeys are
out foraging on the hill below the bee hives.

While I write this, Jasper is snuggling by my side. What a nice feeling it
is to have a dog snoring beside you.