Fall is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. I love the process of getting ready to” rest and nest” for the winter at the Manor. Getting ready for fall here is definitely focused around working in our gardens. We have 58 rose bushes on the Manor and we trimmed every one of them back in the last few days. The veggie and spice gardens had to be cut down and turned over. I bring in any plants I want to overwinter. This year I am overwintering my geraniums, coleus and several tropicals…our home offices will look like jungles for the winter. I put in several hundred bulbs this fall and Bret planted a bunch of garlic. I cannot wait to see the results of all of it in spring! This year we ordered a lot of new seed varieties to start more plants inside over the winter. The goal is to not have to buy anything from a nursery next year when we bring the gardens back to life in Spring. Not because I am cheap (which I am) but there is something about learning to work together with nature that feeds our souls. Eating the fruit of all the tomato and peppers I grew from seed this year was amazing!
Fall is always so beautiful here. Our sleepy little town is full of so many huge, beautiful old trees…the colors are amazing. We have several hedges of burning bush on the property…I never get tired of seeing them change their color.
Fall is also our favorite time to hang out in the yard at night with the dogs. Bonfires are fun for all of us. The Misfits love running around the yard at night and they know they are going to get some sort of yummy roasted snack from the fire.
There is something about fall that makes it easier for me to slow down…probably the shorter day light hours. It feels easier to call it quits for the day when it gets dark so early. I used to hate the shorter days that come with winter…now I love them and look forward to resting a lot more. There were so many years when the changing of the seasons did not mean anything to me and certainly didn’t impact how I carried on with my daily life. The busy-ness of corporate life just seemed to motor me on through the daily grind…season after season…year after year…I wonder now how I did that for so long…and what sort of toll did it take on my body, mind and spirit? Manor life is different though; I think and do things differently…it’s a much slower life and it definitely bends and shapes around the cycle of the seasons. Fall and Winter are so much more about “resting and nesting” now. I look forward to hunkering down with more time to rest, read, write, create and of course snuggle with the Misfits.
My sweet Trudy could teach us all something about resting. This tiny, magical little dog does not have a care in the world despite being blind and deaf. She is so incredibly peaceful and intuitive. She lives every minute solely in the present and relaxed. I like to think that her stable and spoiled life here has something to do with it…but it is more likely her magical spirit…she is truly a blessing.
Wishing everyone a blessed start to the holiday season!
Nancy & The Misfits
Don’t forget about our Misfit Manor shop! We have great gift ideas for dog moms/dads and super fun Pawty supplies! We have started a GoFundMe for Sophia’s upcoming surgery (more on that later).