September here at Wild Mountain Homestead is unpredictable. Gardening at 8,000 feet elevation, we’re always on the lookout for the first frost. Come September we check nightly lows and keep our fingers crossed that we can get a few more weeks out of the dahlias and have enough time for the cherry tomatoes to ripen.
Our first season here we had a killing freeze on Labor Day and had to spend the weekend furiously trying to harvest as much as possible. This year (knock on wood) we’re getting a warm and gradual transition into fall. I’m simultaneously ready cozy and never want summer to end, so it’s nice to have a longer runway into the season change.
Lucky for us the garden in September 2024 is overflowing and doing great. We have dahlias, sunflowers, cut flowers, lettuce, carrots, beets, and all manner of squash, pumpkins, and gourds.
I try to take a daily tour of the flowers, knowing that soon everything will be frozen and covered in snow.
Oakley loves following me around on these daily walks and always brings his own camera to document the day.
The sunflowers tower over Juniper, but she loves going out to smell them. She insists that we keep an arrangement of flowers on a low shelf in the house so she can smell them everyday. This kid REALLY loves flowers.
The farmer’s market runs through the month of September and each week I’m impressed all over again with all of the amazing things we have on display. Matt stays up late into the night harvesting everything with a headlamp. If you like fresh produce, this is as good as it gets. Each carrot, beet, or piece of lettuce has been lovingly picked just hours before it is sold.
While the days have been warm, we’re enjoying cooler evenings and mornings. I’ve loved baking since I got my first cookbook at the age of 9. And while I do bake sourdough all summer long, there’s something special about fall baking.
The kids were quite pleased the other day when we had homemade donuts.
It takes nearly an hour to get anywhere from where we live. The driveway itself is a bumpy, slow adventure that takes at least 15 minutes to navigate.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle of life and wish we lived somewhere with more convenience. But when I look at these photos, when I go outside, or when I see my children happily hiking through the forest, I know this is right for us.
It’s not the secluded inconvenience that’s the problem, it’s society’s obsession with hustle.
If you’re feeling called to slow down and disconnect, know you’re not alone. And know that you have a choice. It won’t always be easy or fun, but I believe in you. You can build a life you love. You can live on your terms. You can forge a new path.
Here’s to less hustle, and more time with our hands in the dirt and hearts invested in building a life we love.
