> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.stonewallnews.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Out on the Ranch: Sweeping into Autumn - URL: https://www.stonewallnews.net/out-on-the-ranch-sweeping-into-autumn/ - Published: 2026-10-13T13:29:42.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-13T13:29:42.000Z - Author: David Capocci - Tags: Columnists There is a point at the end of summer when the ranch begins to change its habits, and we find ourselves changing along with it. The garden’s abundance gives way to the harvest, gourds begin arriving at the house, and the long days of summer surrender to cooler mornings and earlier evenings. We begin looking inward, tending to the house and preparing the ranch for the quieter months ahead. Here in the Cascades, the change announces itself in more ways than the calendar can mark. This is alpenglow season, when the setting sun has shifted from behind the house in summer to the southern sky in front of us for fall and winter. Its low profile means long shadows; by late afternoon the house is in the shade of the western trees; while down meadow, a yurt is still bathing in warm evening sunlight. The landscape has not changed its geography, but our relationship with its light has changed entirely. Our habits follow the sun. September brings harvest rituals. Pumpkins are the last to be displayed in the front reception, welcoming visitors to the seasonal change. October brings besom rituals, and this year our annual oregano broom making tradition has grown into something more: a public offering of ritual, intention, and a little seasonal magic. A besom is a small ceremonial broom, traditionally used to bless the threshold of a home, and symbolically sweep away unwanted influences. Ours are crafted from oregano grown at the ranch, an herb associated with happiness, joy, and good health. What began as a personal annual tradition has become an opportunity to invite others into the practice, giving guests time and space to make something with their own hands and imbue it with their own intentions. The crafting takes about an hour and starts with gathering a bouquet of oregano. A length of silky red ribbon is brought to bind the besom, while a lock of hair may be included as a personal touch. Copper is added to amplify and focus the working, while the red ribbon represents protection, resilience, and the binding of one's intentions. As the besoms take shape, we practice the words that accompany the work: *“Sweep, sweep, sweep the ground,* *All negativity must be bound.* *I banish all that is profane,* *Only positive shall remain."* *There is something satisfying about turning a familiar household task into a deliberate act of care. We sweep our floors all year, but a besom invites us to consider what else we might want to clear away as we enter a new season.* *The house has its own autumn ritual, too: the simmer pot.* *When the bugs begin looking for warmer accommodations as the air turns crisp, we gather young cedar boughs and mint from the garden and add them to a cauldron with spices, oils, and a little blessing. Clove, allspice, and cinnamon sticks from earlier seasons find their way into the mixture, making room for fresh ingredients on the spice shelf. Citrus oils brighten the air, and fresh catnip discourages little fruit flies around the harvest.* *As the pot simmers, its fragrance travels through the house transforming the atmosphere. We are clearing, refreshing, and preparing our home for the months when we will spend more time inside.* *These rituals are not about pretending we can control every change that comes our way. They are ways of meeting seasonal change with intention. For some that may simply mean their summer wardrobe gives way to sweater weather. For us, using familiar traditions to mark the seasonal transition, helps us pay attention to what the season asks.* *At the ranch, the calendar of autumn continues to unfold. September belongs to the harvest, October to the besom and Halloween, November to blessings as we bring turkey to table and tuck the ranch in for winter, and December to the solstice bonfire, when we gather again to welcome the returning light and the start of Winter.* *Each month brings its own traditions, and its own invitation to pause. Perhaps that is the real value of a seasonal ritual: it reminds us that we do not have to make every change all at once. We notice the light changing, adjust our habits, and gradually make room for what comes next.* *If a little oregano, red ribbon, and simmering spices help us do that with a bit more gratitude and magic, so much the better. After all, autumn is our favorite time of year in the Pacific Northwest.* *![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/10/fe641d22-0243-44b5-bd98-db4c9fc9bea5-1-1.jpg)* *September - the final pumpkin harvest is displayed in the reception area. | Photo by David Capocci* *![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/10/ecf1fadf-efee-46f3-aaa3-9fa6a844eb43-2-1.jpg)* *November - turkeys are almost ready for that farm to table moment. | Photo by David Capocci* *![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/10/135ad2b4-9f67-4a98-a3b9-55162bddbd15-1.jpg)* *December - the winter solstice bonfire ritual open to the public on December 21st from 4-6pm. | Photo by David Capocci* *---* *![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/10/David-Capocci-1.jpg)* *David Capocci is one of the owners of the homestead campground, Paca Pride Guest Ranch, along with his husband, Glenn Budlow, and business partner, Tim Leingang. Having purchased land to build a legacy project in the mountains, they went from city boys to rural ranchers, turning their yurt camping experience into a business plan to reinvent the family farm and bring “glamping” to the public. This column shares their ongoing experience in working and living as out and proud members of their community in their guest ranch setting. Learn more at [https://pacaprideguestranch.com](https://pacaprideguestranch.com/?ref=stonewallnews.net)* *---*