For my 35th birthday in 2008 I got a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings from my darling husband. For my 36th birthday this year I got this spaceship-looking composter. So romantic.

Starting in May we have been adding all of our produce scraps to this crazy composter. We eat more fruit and vegetables that I realized, as we dump about 2 large bowls of trimmings every day. We fill up the bowls with not only produce, but paper towels, egg shells, coffee liners and grounds, and leaves from the yard. The composter sits on a handy stand equipped with wheels for easy spinning of the orb. I'll admit, it can get a bit funky. We had it on the back deck but we moved it to the "garden" to help with inevitable dripping and the occasional ant visitors. It's working out much better out there and isn't as big of a topic of discussion whenever we have friends over for back deck cocktails.

A great byproduct of composting for us has been our huge reduction in curbside garbage. We have trash pick up once a week and whereas before we would fill our barrel each week, we sometimes find that we only have one or two bags of trash in the barrel. We already separate all of our recycling and take it to the recycling center every couple of weeks: glass, plastic, aluminum, cardboard, junk mail, and more. So we feel really good about reducing what we're putting in the landfill each week!

The monster composting globe was getting heavy. Spinning it was getting difficult. We have, after all, been putting two big bowls of scraps in it every day for about 4 months. Interestingly though, it appeared to only be half full. The magic of composting! So today we decided it was time to empty it out and start fresh. We took some sticks and limbs from recent storms and built a little "cage" to hold the compost. The idea is that we can come to this pile when we do our future plantings but keep the composter spinning. We rolled it down to the backyard and dumped out dark, beautiful, earthy-smelling soil. A few worms, no foul smells, and a corn cob or two that hadn't broken down.

We created a thin layer of "power dirt" to nourish our flowers and plants. Just a thin layer! Imagine all those bags of garbage that could have been hauled away to who-knows-where. Instead, mother nature took charge and broke it all down for us to use again. Love it!

Turtlenecks and turnips

Blue jeans and leather jackets. Long cotton scarves and boots. Red highlights. The crock pot. Full bodied red wine with hearty beef stew--don't forget the crusty bread.

I love all four seasons. I have decided that it's important to me to live in a place where I can experience all of them. Flowing with Mother Nature and her rhythms is comfortable to me. I have always been the type of person who looks forward to the next big thing, always ready to move forward. The past few years I have really been working to live more in the present. Daydreams of what lies ahead are useful to get me through some of the monotony of my everyday life as a stay-at-home mom in the suburbs. But being fully aware of what is happening right now can be so rewarding--especially in times of change.

I have always thought of fall as a time to reconnect with the Earth, to set new goals, and to reflect on where I am. I like New Years resolutions, but they are never as meaningful to me as the work I do in early September. I would think that maybe springtime would be a more likely time to be called to start anew, like nature. Summertime is so free...it's hot (especially here in Georgia), clothes are lose and light, a dip in the pool can substitute for a day's shower, a salad and a pinot grigio won't weigh me down. Then I feel that slight chill in the air. We've had some rain, we've raked some leaves, and we don't mind so much if the kids leave the doors hanging open. Things are changing, and it calls me to ponder what is changing in me.

I've been snooping around for goal setting programs online. Getting organized with my thoughts is important in me accomplishing things. For several years I have been focused on raising the kids. Carving out time for me was one of my goals, and I've been successful at that! Now I'm finding that, with all 3 kids in elementary school, I have plenty of time "for me"--now what am I going to do with it? Like nature in autumn, it's time for me to shed my old leaves, gently. It's time to go within and start settling in for deeper growth. No hibernating, no dormancy...there is serious work to be done. The flightiness and "distractability" of summer must take heed in the attentiveness of fall.

To think of next summer, it seems so far away. We still have a full fall, winter, and spring to experience and accomplish before those long, muggy days return (although I'm sure we're not done with them this year yet!). I'm excited about the work that I can do between now and then. I'm excited to light up a fire in our fire pit. I'm excited to go barefoot on the cool Earth on the evening of a full moon. Get motivated, get organized, get focused. Get cooking! Fall vegetables, soups and stews, hot tea in the afternoon. So much to do! I'd better get on it!