October 1, 2025
There are just so many things I enjoy about autumn!
Despite the fact that the arrival of autumn leaves
means winter is on its way, I love the colours. There are times, especially if I’m
facing east with a west hanging sun behind me, that those trees simply shimmer.
I’ve only recently seen the first trees in our neck of
the world beginning to show their fall colours. My daughter thought that the
calendar was not as it used to be. She said that these days, at least with regard
to the seasons, the calendar was at least two weeks behind.
Her first example was when I pointed out that a few of
the trees we passed which had some yellow and red leaves mixed in with the green
they were the first I’d seen. She told me her theory and pointed out that we
were just now seeing those colours, and it was already the end of September.
The second example came when she recalled her school days.
Local farm kids would be excused from high school for the first two weeks of
September, because it was harvesting time.
There were a lot of ginseng and tobacco farms in this
area, market-garden ones as well, and they were, almost all of them private
family endeavors. This of course required an “all hands on deck” approach. As
we were driving about last Sunday, we passed farms that were just now getting
to the business of harvesting their crops.
This past weekend was one for the record books, at
least it seemed so for me. On Saturday, daughter and I went to St. Jacob’s Farm
Market, a first for just the two of us. We’ve tried to go once a year, in September,
but somehow missed last year. David usually comes too, but his scooter was on
the fritz, so he stayed home.
We had a list as we left the house just before
eight-thirty in the morning. Despite a good beginning to our own gardening
season, the green beans faltered. So top of the list was a basket of those, to
freeze for the months ahead. On the fruit side of things, we wanted some
peaches—I like to make a pie or two with fresh local fruit. And we wanted to
make a good amount of apple sauce. I though a half bushel of apples should do
it.
David wanted me to get so pears so I could do with
those what I was planning to do with the apples. I agreed and brought home a
basket of those.
They have a good selection of meats there—some from
herds raised without antibiotics and growth hormones. We purchased three
enormous “smoked pork chops”. They would be our supper that night.
Jennifer wanted some good black forest bacon, but the
only bacon she saw was smoked, so we passed. We did, however, bring back two pounds
of mixed deli cold-cuts—much to David’s delight.
Of course we bought some home-made jam, some local
maple syrup, and the one thing we never leave that place without—freshly made-before-our-eyes
apple fritters. Jenny and I stopped for
breakfast upon leaving the market and were home before one p.m.
While she napped, I set about making a potato salad to
go with the chops we were having for supper.
I did worry some, once I got home, that I might not be
able to process everything in a timely fashion. But I managed, over the next
couple of days, to do just that. And that was even with doing our regular
grocery shopping on Sunday.
I believe with all my heart that my heightened energy level
from Saturday to Tuesday inclusive was divinely inspired—thank you, Lord. Only
the apples remain to be “sauced” but they do keep well and are scheduled for processing
this coming weekend.
And now, if you’ll all excuse me, I think I am taking
the rest of this day, Wednesday, off.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
