I am currently in Vermont for a funeral. Yes, this is a bummer, but Grammie, my Grandmother-in-law had a long and rich life, and went relatively quickly while taking a nap. So aside from the obvious sad nature of the trip, I decided to make cider with rotten apples. Pun intended, since fall in Vermont is cider-making season.

Fall is a beautiful time to be in Vermont. The leaves are just making their final gold, brown and deep orange twilight before falling off the trees and welcoming stick season. I have never seen stick season here, as I have never been back this time of year. I saw neighborhoods that I have never seen before when they were covered by a veil of summer leaves.

Upon leaving Rutland the other day, I realized that we forgot to pick up eggs for the morning. No problem...in Vermont, you will inevitably pass a sign for "farm fresh eggs" where you can knock on the door to somebody's farm and pick up a dozen eggs probably layed that morning. Of course, the farmer was a charming French woman who moved from Paris to Vermont twenty years ago. She had a beautiful french courtyard that the chickens strolled through, and did not mind that we knocked on her door in the middle of dinner...but of course!

Free Range Chickens enjoying the good life outside of Rutland

Since it is also Halloween weekend, and Declan has been dragged around this week to funeral homes, in the company of senior citizens on cold, rainy days, we decided a fun fall event was necessary to remind him that there is joy in coming back east.

Billings Farm, an historical working farm in Woodstock, Vermont, was holding their Halloween family farm festival. Eating doghnut on a string, pressing apples for cider, carving pumpkins, bowling pumpkins, horse drawn sleighs, all in costume.

Even though it was 45 degrees and drizzly, it was a fun way to burn off steam. Our friend Adam and his two sons, Lincoln and Henry, joined us for the fun events.

Declan meets Jim the Clydesdale

Although I am not quite sure why the bumper sticker says "Vermont is for Lovers", it is a beautiful place to visit in Autumn, no matter what the circumstance.