Cold at Last

October so neatly hoodwinked us into believing that fall never existed that I had the girls wear only sweatshirts as outerwear on one tomato-hunting trip. The wind surprised and sliced right through us, though, and we were forced to raid my mom's knits drawer for mismatched hats and mittens. I layered raincoats on top of the sweatshirts for added warmth, but I still shivered looking at the girls.

The hat Millie is wearing is one that I wore in high school and college; it was fun to see her face underneath those familiar checks.




They helped Mom gather squash from the garden.










They helped me gather tomatoes. (I needed help; my fingers were bare and blue.)





They pestered the horses.








"Yes, Mama, the barbs are too close for your comfort."



And one little girl decided that, chill or no, she was too stylish to cover up with an old blue hat.