Autumn at the dacha

I'm taking a sick day today, or at least this morning. I know that's a rare treat for a mother! My eye swelled up, and we have no idea why. So, Will took the children out this morning for me. Please pray for us!

The day before yesterday we went out to our dacha. We weren't sure if we would spend the night, too, or just go for the day. When it started raining, we decided to stay. It was just too soggy to come back through the woods, and it gets dark so early now.  Will kept us warm with the little wood stove, although it was a lot of work for him.  It doesn't hold heat very well.  However, we found that once the little house was really warmed up, we stayed warm, even without insulation or a real pechka.  (Is there such thing as a "bourgeois stove" in English?  That's what we have.)

On the way out

Tragedy! Natasha the Fish died

We had a funeral for her.

Picking corn!

Proud farmer!

Just before she took a bite

Bringing in wood

Eating the fruit of his labor

Rainy evening activity

Vintage clothing

(I had to take a picture, because I love this, and I don't think it will fit her by the time summer rolls around.)

We still haven't had a freeze here in the city, but it looked like there had been a very light one out at our dacha.  The peony, dahlia and tomato leaves were already black and mushy.  The first frost is actually supposed to be tomorrow night.  We'll see, though, they've been predicting that for a while now; it's always a few days ahead of us, and the weather always warms up before we get to it.

While were we at our dacha, we picked corn and tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers.  I tore down all the old cucumber vines, and planted peas where they had been.  Will covered the green house with plastic, so hopefully those peas will grow.  And of course, everyone had a wonderful time playing!