The burnished orange and cream coat of the large tomcat blended into the fallen autumn leaves, making him look rather like an odd shaped pumpkin as he sat waiting patiently for an unlucky rodent to emerge. His coat was thick and warm, ready for the cooler temperatures ahead. He'd come a long way from the lanky, hungry, lonely fellow we'd adopted nearly six years ago.

We're coming up on Reggie's 6th anniversary of coming to our home, so I thought I would share a little bit about my favorite ginger feline in today's newsletter.

We encountered Reg (full name "Reginald R Cat") for the first time while visiting friends in October 2020. We'd left the back of the van open after unloading, and Reg invited himself in and climbed up on the seat and starting purring at my eldest son.

We started talking with the friends, and came to kind out that he'd recently been dumped at their place. (His poor little chin had skid marks underneath.) It was the year of the COVID lockdowns, and many shelters were filling up with pets that people got earlier in the year and then changed their minds about once things started getting back to normal.

He'd obviously been a house cat, as he was very friendly, but they couldn't let him in the house due to allergies, so he'd been staying in the barn. We didn't need another kitty (we had three already), but I couldn't say no to those big golden eyes and that ferocious purr.

Once we got him home, it became more obvious that he had been struggling as an outdoor cat. He was big but thin, with a hacking cough that we later figured out was due to a severe roundworm infestation. It was tough getting meds into him at first, as I suspect he had trust issues from how he'd been mistreated. (He deals with it like a champ now.)

He spent a lot of time napping in those early weeks, recovering from everything he'd been through. He loved snuggling with us and with the other cats. He was so meek and sad that even Miss Kitty let him snuggle with her, and she didn't let any of the other cats nearby.

Now time has passed, along with our two oldest cats. The Maine Coon cat left to be a companion to another Maine Coon that had lost its partner. Reg has been joined by Le Mew, and the two of them are best buddies. You can regularly find them out hunting together or sacked out on "their corner" of the couch. (You can also see them on page 274 of Common Sense Preparedness.)

I'm sorry Reg had a rough start, but glad that he's joined our family. He's a fine furbuddy - and still has a ferocious purr.

This Week’s Resilience & Abundance Boost

• Leave room for the unexpected. We certainly weren't looking for another cat when Reggie climbed into our van. Some of life's greatest blessings arrive without an invitation — and occasionally covered in orange fur.
• Give healing the time it needs. Whether we're tending an animal, rebuilding after a difficult season, or recovering ourselves, progress doesn't always happen quickly. Good food, rest, patience, and a safe place to land can accomplish a great deal.
• Remember that trust is built through experience. Reggie had good reason to be wary when he arrived. Consistent kindness eventually taught him that medicine wasn't punishment, hands could be gentle, and this particular group of humans could be trusted.
• Offer what you can. We couldn't change what had happened to Reggie before he found us. We could give him food, medical care, companionship, and a warm place to sleep. We can't fix everything, but that doesn't make the things we can do any less important.
• Notice how far you've come. It's easy to focus on what still needs doing and forget to look back. Sometimes the best reminder of progress is a formerly skinny, sick, frightened cat sitting fat and sassy in the autumn leaves.

Abundance isn't only measured by what we store in the pantry or harvest from the garden. Sometimes it's the simple privilege of having enough time, care, and resources to make life a little better for another living thing — and discovering that they make our lives better, too.

All our best to you and yours,

Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan)

Enjoying Fall — and Getting Ready for Winter

October is one of those in-between months when there's still plenty to enjoy from the garden and orchard, but winter preparations are starting to move higher on the to-do list.

This week's articles cover both sides of the season — putting the garden to bed and preparing for snow, plus a few flavorful ways to make the most of the fall harvest.

Put Up the Snow Fence Before You Need It

Nobody wants to wrestle fence posts into frozen ground, so fall is the time to think about snow fence installation. More importantly, placement matters. A snow fence doesn't stop snow; it changes where the wind deposits it, and putting the fence in the wrong place can make drifting worse instead of better.

We share what we've learned from years of using snow fence along our long Wisconsin driveway, including placement, post spacing, the gap under the fence, and other details that help it do its job.

Read: How to Put Up a Snow Fence​

A Little Horseradish With a Lot of Kick

Fall is a good time to dig horseradish, and homemade horseradish sauce has a flavor and kick that's hard to match with most store-bought versions.

This recipe came from our friend Betty and includes basic prepared horseradish, creamy horseradish sauce, and an easy cocktail sauce. It's also a good way to keep an old-fashioned food tradition alive — especially if you have a patch of horseradish that's been quietly taking over a corner of the yard.

Read: Easy Horseradish Sauce Recipe with Fresh Horseradish Root​

Turn Fresh Cider Into Hard Cider

If you have access to fresh, preservative-free apple cider, making hard cider doesn't have to be complicated. The simplest version uses wild yeast and can produce a lightly alcoholic, fizzy cider in just a few days, or you can take the slower route for a traditional cider suitable for longer storage.

It's one more way to turn the apple harvest into something that can be enjoyed long after apple-picking season ends.

Read: How to Make Hard Cider (The Easy Way)​

Warm Up With Mulled Apple Cider

For those who prefer their cider hot and cozy, a pot of mulled cider is hard to beat on a chilly autumn afternoon. Apples, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, orange, and ginger make the house smell wonderful while giving you something warm to sip.

The recipe includes a homemade mulling spice blend plus several flavor variations, and you can make a whole pot for company or scale it down to a single serving.

Read: Cozy Mulled Apple Cider with Flavor Variations​

Fall gives us a little of everything — harvests to enjoy, chores to finish, winter preparations to make, and hopefully a few quiet moments with a warm mug in our hands before the snow flies.

Will We See You at Homesteaders of America?

Next weekend, we'll be heading to the Homesteaders of America Conference, and I'm looking forward to connecting with some of you in person!

We'll be speaking on “How to Design, Build, and Use a Root Cellar,” sharing practical tips from our own experience with natural food storage — what works, what doesn't, and what we'd do differently.

We'll also have a spot at the conference where you can stop by, say hello, learn more about Common Sense Preparedness, and visit with us. My son, Duncan, will be along for the adventure, too. (August V is keeping an eye on the homestead.)

If you're attending HOA, please come find us and introduce yourself. One of the best parts of doing this work is getting to meet the real people on the other side of these newsletters.

And if you're not going to be there, I'll share a little of the adventure when we get home.

P.S. Thank you to those that have left a review of Common Sense Preparedness. It really does help!