farmer's market

first, there were swarms of stink bugs (I went from never seeing a stink big before to becoming so well-acquainted with them I could probably give all of the west coast an extensive history of the stinkers), and now there are swarms of lady bugs.* we've got eight more days of work here at mt weather and will be heading back to sacramento before we know it.

I'll definitely be missing these autumn leaves, crisp country air, and beautiful scenic drives. 

this past weekend was spent visiting a local farmer's market and browsing the organically grown fruits, vegetables, meats, and gluten free goodies. there were jams of all kinds and jars and jars of apple butter (which is a relatively new concept to me and I am so glad we've been introduced because it is delicious). we ended up buying a large container of unpasteurized apple cider, recommendation courtesy of a FEMA deployment employee. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful fall weekend.

*I would like to point out that, after an extensive conversation with two of my coworkers, these creatures are not lady bugs. they are, in fact, asian lady beetles. and they bite.