We've lived in this place for nearly three years and I still have this fear that whenever we go outside everyone is going to freeze to death. And the bad news is, you can never really trust the weather man. It's nothing personal against him, it's just that the clouds in these-here-parts have a mind of their own.
So on a Friday morning I put the treasures in long sleeves and boots, and I put a coat in the car for each of us just in case.
When we pull in the gates of the Happy Apple Farm, I can feel my cheeks glowing. It's sunny and warm and my heart is bubbling over with simple joy.
The simplicity of the county life can draw you in faster than you can say "chicken pot pie."
When we get out of the car the kids don't even hesitate and they run up and down the endless rows of apple trees and they giggle and chase one another. They climb up as high as they can go and throw apples down to the friends below.
Out here in the country, we don't have to micro-manage our kids play time, we simply open the front door and they run out into hours of innocent adventure. They can always find some extravagant way to entertain themselves because they know that if they ever tell this Mama that they're bored, there's a nice little list of chores hanging on the fridge that are always in need of getting done.
This place is a gift to me and my family.
That my kids get to grow up with these simple pleasures is sheer gift.
Fall is here and joy is in the air! :)
