"The late summer sun may promise many days of warmth to come, but the chilly morning dew on barefoot toes and dapples of bright colors in the tree tops remind us that autumn is on its way."

Another week, another round of canning and preserving as we make like squirrels, prepping for the winter ahead. We wrapped up pear processing with some juice that we'll use for finger gelatin, jam, and fruit leather.

I really enjoyed the cranberry pear jam this year, as we used Honestly Cranberry freeze dried cranberries. They don't add any sugar (or oils), so the bright cranberry flavor really shines through.

We've preserved one batch each of marinara sauce, tomato soup (double batch), and salsa. The rest of the tomatoes are finally starting to ripen, and the forecast is for several days of above average temps (in contrast to our well below average temps the week before last) so hopefully we'll get more tomato products done.

The ducklings continue to thrive, and spent their first day with full free range access today. We set up their food and water near the poultry tractor where they have been staying, so they had somewhere familiar to retreat. They've mostly stayed in the yard, but have visited both ponds, tagging along with the older ducks.

We got our winter firewood delivery this week, so that is set for winter. As luck would have it, the septic pump truck showed up before the wood delivery truck left, and parked it in. Thankfully the wood had already been unloaded, and the gentlemen were able to maneuver their rather large vehicles around the yard so one truck could get out while the other pulled in closer. We only get wood once a year and the septic pumped every couple of years, but of course they both came at once.

For this week's challenge, I thought I would offer up some ideas for building connections in our disconnected world.

• Listen first, speak second. Show genuine curiosity about the other person’s perspective before sharing your own.
• Ask open-ended questions. Invite stories, experiences, and feelings rather than yes/no answers.
• Find shared ground. Focus on values, goals, or experiences you both care about, even if your opinions differ.
• Use “I” statements. Share your own thoughts without framing them as universal truths (“I’ve noticed…” instead of “You always…”).
• Practice small kindnesses. A kind word, a note, or even a smile softens tension and opens doors for better dialogue.
• Take conversations offline. Sometimes sitting face-to-face over tea or a walk helps people connect more meaningfully than online exchanges.
• Pause before reacting. If you feel defensive, breathe and give yourself a moment before replying.
• Respect boundaries. Know when to step back if a discussion gets too heated, and revisit it later with calmer minds.
• Learn together. Read a book, attend a local event, or watch a documentary together, then talk about what you learned.
• Model grace. Even if the other person is prickly, staying calm and respectful sets the tone for peaceful dialogue.

Pick one idea for this week and put it into practice. Small shifts can make big differences.

All our best to you and yours,

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

This week's featured articles...

Commercial fruit leathers are often loaded with extra sugar or artificial colors, and it's so easy to make your own. I make some each year, and we share them with the neighbor kids. We now have a pear fruit leather recipe on the site to go along with pumpkin and blackberry leathers.

The goldenrod is in full bloom, and the bees are loving it, but it's good for humans, too. Learn how to identify it and use it for food and medicine here.

It seems a little crazy to be thinking about winter with forecast temps in the 80s this week, but it's a good time to look around and check condition on cold weather clothes and order anything that's missing or needs replacement - before you need it.

These are some of our top choices for cool and cold weather clothing - including comfy socks like Duncan's favorite alpaca wool socks.

We made up a double batch of this easy apple crisp recipe for company yesterday and it was a hit.