Erika Rosenbaum Photography: November 2013

What beauty, what charm. The cold sets in.

This season for me is :

a) Sudden - Suddenly upon us, cold and colourful. Shorter days and stuffier noses. Summer seems to fly now that I have a family of my own. I'm so grateful for the long lazy days we spent sitting around outside this summer.

b) Sweet and Sad - The dark creeping in, the cold wind making me pull my little ones closer. The end of our garden for now; the overripe tomatoes squished into the empty ground. There is something about this time, when I look ahead to the long cold season, that makes me sad. Not *boohoo* sad, just *sigh* sad.

c) Homey - I like to hibernate. I'm certainly busy and somewhat social in my own way but I also like to stay cozy and close to home, baking with LOTS of butter and cooking large healthy soups. I shift into a low-speed, granola, martha-stewart-esque frame of mind and being for a few weeks as I plan my winter. I'm very tempted to pickle and can.

Many trips to Quinn Farm give us an opportunity for outdoor play with a purpose. We bring home their fresh bread and muffins and spend time chatting with animals in the barn. I also like to visit the farm as I think about giving this season. The Quinns stock a ton of lovely gift ideas: baked goods of course, local honey, lovely jams made with farm-fresh ingredients, arts and crafts from select local crafters and a large selection of toys and games from award winning Melissa and Doug. In the spirit of buying locally and reducing the amount of "stuff" we give, the farm is a great place to stock up on affordable and thoughtful gifts for everyone.

Sunday mornings at Jean Talon Market also offer a ton of fun food options. I guess this season is largely about cooking and eating for me. What better way to soothe my ennui?

I love to take photos in the Fall. Here's a mish mash of our busy weekends.