September has always been my favorite month of the year. It brought a fresh new school year, and I loved the idea of a new start, and a clean slate as a mother and a teacher.

And September at the farm, generally, been a good month, too. It’s meant for final harvests from our gardens as well as from those farms around us, canning season to preserve the goodness of all those summer gifts, and the slow tidying up of the garden and its pots of this and that.

This September, it has been all about containing Bowie in the house and on the leash as she continues to heal from her acl surgery. Although we won’t know for another week for sure, it seems as though Bowie has mended well and wants to be done with her recovering patient status. Taking her on walks these days has become treacherous, as any passing car or squirrel must be chased right away…and at top speed. All that leash walking training I put so much time into has gone the way of sultry summer days, she’s feeling good and wants to show it. September has been a frustrating month for Bowie, and a therefore a challenging one for me. Bring on October, and a return to normality at the farm – which means a Bowie back barnside with her big pastures and flock of sheep.