Did I say Fall? I meant Winter.

Right.  So, I woke up this morning to this:

Same idyllic fall apple tree as on Sunday, except covered in snow!  There are two ways to look at this:

1) Baby J's first snowfall!  Awwww.

2) Snow in October?  Are you flipping kidding me?  Out came the winter boots + the drive into work this morning was a bit of a nail biter, what with the freezing rain and sleet on the roads.  Already?  In October?

After the shock wore off, I immediately began pondering my bundling strategy for Baby J.  A Vermont winter is going to call for some serious layering action for the little guy, and being the Patagonia junkie that I am, I couldn't help but immediately think of their beyond adorable baby collection.  I recently stopped into our local kid-focused outdoor retailer to assess my options.  Imagine my luck to have a Vermonter mama of no fewer than 4 boys overhear me peppering the saleswoman with questions, and chime in with her seasoned advice which, coincidentally, was heavily laden with Patagonia recommendations.  Well, twist my arm lady.
So, here we have the Baby Reversible Puffball Bunting and the Baby Capilene 3-Set:

Edibly cute + admirably functional.  Love how the hands fold over into mitts on the Puffball, to offer warmth and keep mittens from going astray.  Love anything reversible.  Love the whole thing. And for the time between now and when it gets truly frigid (because I have faith and hope that fall will indeed make a comeback), we have these adorable fleece buntings, each with a different level of Cookie Monster-ness, but both with equal ingenuity.  How brilliant is it that the legs zip into one sleeping-bag-esque piece for naps and stroller jaunts, but then also zip into legs for car rides and crawling adventures? Genius!

And because we are very lucky people, no sooner did I start to ruminate upon this bundling business, than a Patagonia package showed up on our doorstep this evening, courtesy of Baby J's fabulous auntie, containing the following:

In the words of RZ, I DIE.  Baby J is downright delicious in this lime green loveliness. Thank you!!!

I know what you are saying.  "Mama J, you promised us recession-friendly information!  What is with this Patagucci collage?  Have you lost your mind?"  To you I say these three things:
1) Patagonia is an investment.  I fully plan to use this gear on current and future babies, and then pass it on to cousins; their stuff is that durable.  They also have a lifetime warantee on all of their products, in which case, say one day when Baby J is 20, and I want to pass this on to a wee cousin of his, and I dig out the Puffball bunting to find the zipper is broken, I can march right into the nearest Patagonia retailer and have a new one in my hands in minutes, no questions asked.
2) Patagonia is an inspirational company.  They have a green vision and the most amazing corporate politics.  They are just the kind of company I am proud to support.  From their Footprint Chronicles, to their always amazing and thought-provoking Environmental Essays, they completely walk their talk.  I love it.  And for the ultimate elevating tale of personal triumph over adversity, check out the story of my buddy Jeff, who is one of their Patagonia surfing ambassadors. Very cool.
3)  The cuteness.  Who can resist it?

Finally, on a separate topic, the change of seasons means local gardeners are racing to harvest the last of their goodies.  This beauty came to us from the garden of one of the husband's co-workers (thank you!)...how awesome is this?

Cabbage is from garden, and pictured with not-small bunch of bananas for scale.

Aside from 20 gallons of slaw, what to make from this bad boy?  We are accepting suggestions/dares.

Bring it.