The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.”
It was dark when I woke up, but the sky has brightened with morning. The papers were just delivered. Gracie is sleeping on the couch. She doesn’t like early mornings. I’m starting to dislike them myself.
A few errands need to be done today, and I want to stop at the farm stand for those mums, a couple of pumpkins and some apple cider. I love the colors of autumn, and I love them in the garden best of all.
Carving pumpkins was a Saturday event. My mother would put newspapers on the kitchen table, and she’d do the cutting of the pumpkin. Our job was to clean out the guts. We never thought cleaning the guts was gross. To us, it was the perfect kid job. We’d reach in and get a handful of pumpkin insides mixed with seeds, make appropriate noises and pretend to toss the guts at each other. I remember strands of pumpkin guts hanging from my hand and that would always send us into peals of loud laughter. It’s a kid thing.
I know winter is waiting its turn, but I can’t help but love these crisp mornings. The air smells fresh and the humidity is gone. On the morning of the first frost, I love to walk across the white topped grass and hear the crunch of my footsteps, but I’m not wishing for that frost to come too soon. I’m perfectly willing to wait.
The sun still warms the day but casts shadows different than the summer sun. The leaves are dappled, no longer bright with Β morning sunlight. The afternoons die quickly. I don’t guess the right time anymore. I always think it later than it is. My mind still has its summer setting.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Apple cider, early darkness, Pumpkin, pumpkin guts, shadows, Sunlight
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September 24, 2012 at 2:11 pm
I’ve never carved a pumpkin in my entire life, to be honest I was quite old before I saw my first pumpkin π Our climate isn’t the best to grow them I’m afraid. My winter squash didn’t even flower this year π π π
Frost and fog here this morning and I was thinking, on my way to work, that this would have been a great morning to drive around and take photographs. It was so beautiful everywhere.
Have a great day!
Christer.
September 24, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Christer,
Ever since I was little, I’ve always had a pumpkin. Now I use them more for decoration and put them on my front steps.
The day was around 65Λ , perfect for doing errands. Gracie was happy for the ride.
September 24, 2012 at 2:53 pm
we had our first frost this weekend. way too soon…
September 24, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Greg,
I agree totally-far too early for a frost. It doesn’t bode well for the \winter.
September 24, 2012 at 3:43 pm
When its 5.30 am, I grab the “streamlight” put the terrier on her leash and venture out in to the cool dark Michigan morning. The Streamlight can pretty much illuminate the entire neighborhood and identifies a rabbit or a deer which quickly distract Maggie from the task at hand.
Following our morning dance on the dew saturated lawn, Maggie and I drift down the driveway to collect one of three papers necessary for at least one printed newspaper per day. Frankly I rarely open a paper these days as the delights of the ipad more than meet my needs while slugging down a couple of weetabix.
Once newsprint was important, I would ride through the south London suburbs folding a broadsheet (The Times) trying not to make contact with the poor chap jammed in to a seat next to me. Today I might scuff through some article in the NYT but really not so much anymore.
The first frost is coming, the annuals will be done, and Maggie and I will continue our morning adventure as the snows and sleets add to the terrier being a terrier.
September 24, 2012 at 5:45 pm
My Dear Hedley,
Gracie runs outside and does her business then comes right back in and goes to sleep. She is not a morning dog.
I still get my two newspapers, and I have a cup of coffee with each one. That has been my morning ritual for years. Now, though, I spend far more time with each one than I did when I was working.
Gracie doesn’t mind the weather changes. Even though Boxers don’t have a whole lot of fur she still likes to run outside on a cold, wintry day. She even goes out in the rain which my other Boxers avoided. She only hates a downpour. She loves the snow!
September 24, 2012 at 5:39 pm
I’m with Gracie, I don’t like early mornings. But due to different time zones your blog fits perfectly into my rhythm of life π
The amount of public pumpkins over here is growing each year. Nice color, but Halloween is more a commercial campaign yet than a tradition. It slowly replaces our traditional Thanksgiving, which is around the same time of year. Times change, the kids like Halloween and globalization has affect on holidays. That’s ok, but as you said, it’s a kid thing. Not grown up with that pumpkins day I keep ignoring it.
But I fondly remember reading Peanuts comics as a kid: Linus sitting in the field with his blanket waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear…
September 24, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Birgit,
I too am not a fan of early mornings, but I seem to have an odd daily rhythm since my trip and it’s been dark every morning when I come downstairs.
I like pumpkins for their color and usually have a couple on the front stairs. Last year I even had a white one just for the contrast with the orange. Here Halloween is the holiday second only to Christmas for the amount of money spent on costumes, decorations and parties.
September 24, 2012 at 6:43 pm
Hi Kat,
I was in Washington DC for the last 5 days, without my computer. My phone is a dumb one so no internet. We went to the National Book Fair on the Mall and had a wonderful time listening to authors talk about books.
Now I’m back and everything is just the way I left it. Dammit. Those house elves are slacking. π
Anyway, my first errand tomorrow is to find some fall things for the front steps. Pumpkins and mums and ornamental kale. I won’t carve the pumpkins because it’s messy and I have all the mess I need. But they look lovely even without the embellishments.
Enjoy the day!
September 24, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Hi Caryn,
You had me worried. I even asked Christer if he knew anything! Glad you’re back!!
A favorite book store, now gone, had the best writers come and talk about their books, and I loved to listen to them.
I love the front steps this time of year with their pumpkins and mums. The colors are wonderful. I noticed many of my neighbors have already decorated. I was going to shop today for my decorations, but the dog was hot waiting in the car at one of my stops so I brought her home and decided to stay.
The damn house elves!
September 24, 2012 at 6:49 pm
When we were kids we carved pumpkins for halloween. We threw out the inside because my mother didn’t know what to do with them. I personally don’t like to eat pumpkin anything especially pumpkin pie. I think it’s the texture and the spice that doesn’t agree with my taste buds. However, when I was in Hong Kong I had lunch with a local businessman and he ordered cold pumpkin soup for desert. I tried the soup and it was very good and very sweet. It didn’t taste anything like pumpkin pie.
I also have given up on the daily newspaper. The Dallas Morning News wanted too much money to renew our subscription and I can read all the news I want on my iPad for free. I have apps for USA today, The Huffington Post, Slate and CNN among others.
Today the high in Dallas was a cool 96 degrees. Fall may be football, Halloween and apples but the temperatures and changing foliage is more than a month and a half away.
September 24, 2012 at 7:05 pm
Bob,
I like the taste of pumpkin. My friend makes the best cheese dip in a sugar pumpkin. She cleans out the pumpkin then puts in a couple of kinds of cheese ( I forget which) then it bakes in the oven. When it comes out, you mix the cheese and the pumpkin together. It is delicious!!
I like pumpkin cookies and pumpkin whoops, and we always have pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but I know what you mean about the texture.
I have news coming to my iPad and computer, but I still enjoy the paper.
It was only in the mid 60’s here today.
September 24, 2012 at 10:43 pm
Not only was the newspaper expensive, had a very Republican orientation, but I have to take it out to the trash every day.