I think it was already back in September now that we went apple picking this year. Mostly macintosh and a few gala. It was one of those too warm in the sun, too cold in the shade sort of days. Alan took the pictures because my hands were full with Ephraim. Tennyson was our little champion apple picker. Friends Rita and Oleg joined us. Fresh donuts and cider, brats, and way too many bees (poor Janie got stung near her eye!) See last year here.

Baby Ephraim Burton joined us on August 17 (if you follow me on instagram you've already seen that announcement and a pic of the new babe). I promise I'll be sharing some pictures and the story of his birth soon, but before that I'm popping in to share the pictures that piled up in the couple of weeks before he was born. The peaches are long done (we were happy to have peaches this year, but we neglected the tree a bit so the peaches were a little small - I still managed to make a couple of cobblers, so I was happy). The sunflowers are now beginning to bend over, and the garden is dry and even more overgrown, but I still was able to harvest enough jalapeños to pickle a bunch, some tomatoes to roast in the oven, fresh herbs to dry, and even some cucumbers.

We're enjoying our new baby and delighting in discovering the new routines that allow us to function as a family of five, excited for fall and the unfolding of this new season in the life of our family as well.