Intense and stormy fall weather arrived yesterday, it poured all night, blew open a bedroom window and sent lamps, glasses, devices flying all over the floor. Fate slept at the foot of our bed and was still for a full three hours, a  record time. She has never been out of the crate at night before.

The wind blew all night and all day, there were heavy rains until early afternoon, reports of hurricanes headed our way, leaves blowing all over the place, and wind-blown apples flying off the apple tree, almost all of them gone now. This is my favorite weather, I got one good round of sheep-herding in during the rain. Dog and sheep were  restless in the wind.

Chloe was soaked through and through, she was out grazing in the rain, the donkeys came out to meet Maria and me for the afternoon chores and daily apple and carrot feeding. Maria was her usual artistic self, Dickensian fingerless gloves and hoodie.

Tonight, the first fire of the post-summer season, by no means the last. We have some serious weather, wind and rains days ahead, the forecast predicts clear and sunny skies for the Open House. Glad the hurricane decided to let us have it in peace.