AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON AT PATINA MEADOW

One of the things I love most about living somewhere where the seasons change so distinctly is how each one brings its own character to our daily lives. Autumn arrives slowly here, with cooler mornings, changing fields, and shorter days, and before long, its colors and textures begin to make their way indoors, too.

Pumpkins gather on the porch, flowers fill the vases, candles glow a little warmer, and the house begins to take on the feeling of the season.

On a recent autumn afternoon, I found myself following that feeling from the Cabin to the barn. I began by giving our space a little seasonal refresh, then headed outside to visit the animals and settle everyone in for the evening.

I began in the living room. Twig taper candles found their way onto the coffee table, along with a gathering of autumnal flowers.

I added a striped linen pillow to the sofa, the sort of little change that somehow makes an entire room feel different.

On the mantel, I brought in some of what was growing around us. A few pumpkins, along with the prettiest little patty pan squash, became part of the arrangement.

I love decorating this way, using what the season is already giving us. I find it gives a special charm to the room, blurring the lines between the outside world and the one I am creating inside.

Once the Cabin was settled for the season, I headed to the barn as the light turned golden. An afternoon at Patina Meadow is rarely just one thing. There is always something to check on, someone to visit, or a small task that turns into a much longer stop than expected.

When I arrived in the barn, I was greeted by the sight of our Valais Sheep. Though a few of them are rather skittish, Cookie allows me to approach to offer pets. Ever since she had her baby, Madeline, something in her seems to have softened. She has become noticeably gentler and sweeter with people. Perhaps motherhood has made her more trusting, or perhaps she has simply discovered that there are good things to be found in a friendly hand.

A few of our Spice goats, Dill, Basil, and Pepper, on the other hand, have never needed much encouragement.

They are always eager to come over and say hello, pressing in close and asking for pets as though they have been waiting all day for someone to arrive. There is something wonderfully endearing about the way goats insist on being part of whatever you are doing. A quick visit to the barn can easily become ten or fifteen minutes of scratching ears, rubbing noses, and listening to their little chorus of complaints when you finally try to leave.

Before heading in for the evening, I stopped to put the pigs away. It is one of those simple farm chores that marks the end of the day. The animals settle into their places, the last bits of work are finished, and everything begins to grow quiet.

As I walked back toward the Cabin, I thought about how much I love the way these two parts of our life overlap. The same season that inspires me to bring pumpkins and flowers indoors is unfolding all around us, in the garden, in the animals, and in the landscape beyond the windows.

By the time I made my way home, the Cabin was ready for autumn, the animals were tucked in, and the day was quietly coming to an end. It felt like a small picture of life at Patina: where home and farm, indoors and out, are always wonderfully intertwined.

xx,

Brooke