Change of the Seasons

Jason and Cliff, along with two
apprentices, Jordan and Jessie, getting the job done.

Fall has arrived, and we are feeling it here at the ETC. As the temperature drops here in Tennessee, we start the process of winterizing the property. The very first of these yearly rituals is the replacing of the kitchen window.

The window is removed every June, as the weather heats up, and replaced with screen. This allows all the heat created from cooking to move on out of the house. And, during our first cool snap after Fall Equinox, we put it back in. Just in time, too, as getting up to cook breakfast at 6am was starting to be an exercise in "How fast can I get this water to boil, so I can have some tea?!"

Some other signs that fall is here:

• The pear tree has finally been stripped of all its fruit, having fed a gaggle of Gaia University Southeast students.
• We're all showing off our favorite sweaters that have been stored during summer.
• My kitten slept under the covers with me last night.
• The tomato plants have been ripped out of the greenhouse and replaced with winter greens.
• Cloudy days and cool rain.
• I'm starting to think of the lower story of the hostel as "Siberia," its common nickname during winter due to its tendency to collect all the cool air in the house.
• The kitchen is decorated with a bounty of pumpkin and butternut squash from Mt. Lebanon Farm.
• The sound of the kettle singing in the early hours of the morning. Repeatedly.

So, what's your favorite sign of Fall?