"Mushrooms dappled the edge of the tree line, rising in circles like miniature villages of fairy houses. The fairly ring mushrooms were aptly named, as it was easy to imagine the wee folk dancing around the earth-toned whorls that emerged after the rains. The mild fall and gentle rains coaxed so many mushrooms to spawn that we harvested enough for several meals without making a significant impact in the display."

Our mild November weather continues here in northeast Wisconsin, but I'm not complaining. It's much easier to deal with some mud than freezing your tail off shoveling a mountain of snow.

We have rain mixed with snow in the forecast for the next several days. The duck patrol is loving it, spending their days running between the ponds, orchards, gardens, and field.

The chickens are having a blast, too, working over the brassica patch in the garden. Captain Featherpants, our rooster, has gotten HUGE. Thankfully he's a good fellow, watching over all the ladies and calling them over when he finds good snacks.

August has been dealing with a new Federal pain in the backside called the Corporate Transparency Act, which requires small businesses to register with the Feds (above and beyond all your other paperwork). If you have a small business you need to register with FinCEN by January 1, 2025 or face fines of up to $10,000.

I'm mentioning this here so our readers who are also small business owners a heads up, but you need to do your own research and registration. This is the site for the program - https://fincen.gov/boi​

It looks like the gentlemen of the house nearly have supper ready, so I'm going to wrap up for now.

All our best to you and yours,'

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

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P.S. This week's rule of Ikigai is (From the book, "Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life") is a good reminder as we head towards Thanksgiving:

This week's featured articles...

This can be a stressful time as we juggle various obligations to wrap up the year. I've updated the Home Remedies for Headaches article to help those aching noggins.

It's a great time of year to stock up on fresh cranberries. They keep well in the fridge, or you can freeze or can them for longer storage.

We have recipes for:

• ​cranberry sauce -including canning instructions, but you can make this now and keep it in the fridge, too
• ​cranberry cookies - with fresh cranberries
• ​cranberry orange bread - this is great to have on hand during the holidays. You can make it ahead and freeze.
• ​cranberry walnut pie - this is half pie, half bar cookie, all yummy
• ​cranberry apple pie - this is beautiful for holiday gatherings
• ​cranberry chestnut bars - gluten free, no refined sugar