Thursday

They say this is one of the warmest Septembers on record here, in Wisconsin. If you're one of those who likes crisp Fall air, one of those who likes the annual ritual of taking out the corduroys and fall sweaters, then you'd be impatient with this string of warm days.

For me, it's like summer only better. The mornings are cool (though unfortunately too cool for the porch), the sunrise is at a decent hour (so the cheepers aren't restless to get out at an ungodly time) and the early hour is quite pretty, in misty sort of way...






The garden is long past its peak blooming period, but we're not short on color!






And though we do eat breakfast inside...






... as the day progresses, I shed my sweater and take in the warmth of this beautiful season.

I'm with Snowdrop quite early today -- there to watch her wake up, there to give her a morning bath, there to feed her breakfast.



a delightfully original way to suck a thumb: she indicates her hunger here...



On my lap now, after her meal, with that satiated look of contentment... I should note that the girl really loves selfies and timed release photos:






We play upstairs...



chillin'





if you're happy and you know it...


... and downstairs...



mirrors are so interesting! they don't reflect just you...





if you're happy and you know it then your face will really show it...



And then, after her nap, grandpa Ed, who seems to have been missing us over at the farmhouse, comes over and when I look at her next to him, I think -- wow, she seems small...






... and the three of us go out for a lovely walk around the little lake.






Yes, these are the last days of summer-like delights.






Back at Snowdrop's home, we wait for her parents to return. I am amazed (but not really) at how different guy play is with little ones. And how much the little ones love it. Here's Snowdrop, chillin' on Ed's lap...






And here she is, delighted to see her parents come home.






The evening is a bit unusual in that Ed and I have a guest, a Tormach colleague of Ed's, but we're all rather casual and laid back about it and I have a chance to ask about various places to explore in England as the visitor hails from there.

The evening, of course, comes early and especially early for the two hens, whom we put away before 7 now and it's a lovely ritual, as they now doze calmly on the fence by the coop and swooping them up together is an act of protection and an opportunity for an affectionate pat on the back.





A summery fall day. You couldn't ask for a better one.