"Crazy runs a horse

          Crazy through the forest

               Autumn leaves sparkle"

                                Vinny McKee

    A long time since the last blog... I had hoped to take you on a journey through the orchard and the vineyard, to follow the fruit as it grew and matured...

... But what can I say now? "It did!" Grapes, apples, pears -- all produced in splendid fashion. For the second year in a row, we were able to harvest Lemberger grapes from our Stony Hill Vineyard, and the pear harvest was one of the best we've seen.

    Now fall is merging into winter, and a friend reminded me how special this time is (Thank you, Michelle!). The peace, the stillness of an orchard waiting for winter... gone is the bloom bursting forth of springtime, the cacophony of voices of the orchard workers as summer gives way to harvest, the mechanical voices of the tractors, mowers, and sprayers...

     All... is... still...

     Absorbing into mind and soul the peacefulness and quiet beauty of this season -- walking down the rows amid shimmering golden-green leaves, with the only sound being that of the nearby murmur of the river and the rustling of pear and apple leaves beneath our feet -- what an immeasurable gift!