Gathering around the Fire Pit.............

 

Well, Labor Day has come and gone, and by the most part so has the summer.  The end of summer vacations and the end of playing in the sun.  Here on the farm, we really do not get summer vacations, and our playing in the sun is really  "working" in the sun.  Labor day to us means this crop year is coming to a close, and we finally get to slow down a little.  We have spent all summer working hard at growing our crops.  Most of the hay is cut and stored away, the oats are almost ready to harvest,  the cows are fat and happy, and those cute little baby calves are not longer little.  We are sooo ready for some down time.  But back to summer.  Not taking summer vacations was one of the hardest things for me to adjust to when I married my Farmer.  Growing up, my family always went camping for 2 weeks every summer, so I really missed camping.  Since this was pretty much out of the question, we did the next best thing.  We brought the camp ground to us.  We put a fire pit in our yard. Over the years, this has been one of the best things we have ever done.  When our boys were little, we would even roll out our sleeping bags and camp out by the pit on those warm nights.  Until the skunks showed up, then it was back inside.  (but that's another story)  All of our summer gatherings are around our fire pits (all of our families have pits in the back yards).  And our pits are not just little things.  They are made from truck wheels or tractor wheels.  And we have gotten very good at cooking on the pit.  My Farmer is famous for his BBQ ribs, and I've even cooked pizza on the pit, but never tried again. We love cooking breakfast over the fire.  We have cooked breakfast on the fire pit for our class reunions.  On Labor day, we have a large family gathering here at the ranch, and a lot of the cooking is done on the fire pit.  Here are some pictures.

Pancakes on the griddle, nothing better......

 

Breakfast is done, ring the dinner bell!!!

evening gathering....nice fire......

Trying to savor these last summer days, we have been cooking every meal this week on a fire pit, at someones house.  Like I said, we have slowed down a bit, so now we can enjoy it!  And whats better than sitting around a fire with family and friends and enjoying each others company. Nothing!! SO if you are ever in our neck of the woods, stop by and we'll put a log on the fire, throw on some beef steaks to cook, pop open a cold one, and tell each other some stories.  THAT'S what livin' the farm life is all about....................and I'm lovin' it!!

pork steak and new potatoes and onions

If you've got some fireside stories, I would love to hear them.  Just them me a comment.  Thanks!