September at Last

68 and drizzling, very overcast as the remains of Hurricane Ida pass over us. Foggy again.

I am glad to see the beginnings of the end of summer. Surely September will treat us better than July and August? I have to admit, though, while August had some really hot days, we had enough rain, enough cool mornings, and that is why I don't mind August. But I truly, deep-down hate July. I am simply not made for hot weather. I suppose it's my British heritage speaking? Give me cloudy days, cool weather, and I'm a happy woman. 

As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many." 

So here's to this month when harvest gets into full swing, when the trees sigh and let loose of their summer crowns, when the birds flock and fly to the south, when the gardens struggle gamely on to give us those last, somehow sweeter tomatoes, when the color of the roses seems deeper and brighter somehow. It's September, the month of yellows and oranges mixed with the green, and cooler days and longer nights. I raise my coffee cup--but no pumpkin spice in my cup yet-- to all of that.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 214: Fall

54 this morning and the promise of a warm, beautiful day. Yesterday was nearly 80, almost too warm, at least for this time of year. In summer, we'd have thought that was a cool day. The rain on Tuesday has kept the leaves pretty, although many are dropping.

This gorgeous autumn weather continues, with the best display of color we've had in some time. We don't have to go far to see beauty; just a walk up our driveway or a short drive across the ridge can satisfy. 

This photo and the next 5 are from Tuesday morning, when it was raining. I had an appointment for a skin scan at the dermatologist (just checking to be sure there are no lurking cancerous cells, and there are not ) and it was fairly bucketing, as my Irish friends might say. 

Even in the rain, it's still so beautiful here. I never get enough of looking at this land where I live.

And then yesterday, it was gloriously clear.

Such a feast for the eyes, no matter the season.

These old oaks have been my friends since I moved here. Some of them are quite hollow, but they still withstand the high winds on top of the ridge.

I hope Fall is as memorable where you live. Even in these Covid times, we can still seek beauty, and be refreshed and renewed by just a little time in nature. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Welcome, Autumn: Charms, Poems and Recipes

Although the temperatures do not feel like it, autumn in all her glory is just around the corner. Today, it was 91 degrees (F) and felt like full-on summer, but surely this will soon pass. I browed through some old photos to remind myself that yes, fall is coming. This one is of our road, taken a few years ago:

So, to get us ready for the season, here's a charm you may want to try that is supposed to be done around the autumn equinox:

"The following charm used to be thought effective if spoken during the time of the Harvest Moon--that is, the full moon occurring within a fortnight of the autumn equinox, September 22 or 23.

When you go to bed, place under the pillow a Common Prayer Book open at the part of the marriage service in which is printed 'With this ring I thee wed'. Place on it a key, a ring, a flower, a sprig of willow, a small heart-cake, a crust of bread, and the following cards: the ten of clubs, the nine of hearts, the ace of spades, the ace of diamonds. Wrap all these around in  handkerchief of thin gauze or muslin. On getting into bed cross your hands and say:

Luna, every woman's friend,

To me thy goodness condescend; 

Let me this night in visions see

Emblems of my destiny.

If you dream of a ring or the ace of diamonds, it means marriage; bread, an industrious life; cake, a prosperous life; flowers, joy; willow, betrayal in love; spades, death; diamonds, money; clubs, foreign travel; hearts, illegitimate children; keys, great trust and power; birds, many children; geese, remarriage."

Harvest moon, 2010

While I am not planning to try this charm, I would truly hope that there is no marriage, death or remarriage in my future! I'd take the children, travel and joy, though.

One of my favorite writers is Thomas Hardy. I know he's out of favor these days, but I am still a fan. One poem I particularly enjoy is his Night-Time in Mid-Fall.

It is a storm-strid night, winds footing swift through the blind profound; 

I know the happenings from their sound; 

Leaves totter down still green, and spin and drift; 

The tree-trunks rock to their roots, which wrench and lift 

The loam where they run onward underground. 

The streams are muddy and swollen; eels migrate to a new abode; 

Even cross, 'tis said, the turnpike-road;

 (Men's feet have felt their crawl, home-coming late): 

The westward fronts of the towers are saturate, 

Church-timbers crack, and witches ride abroad. 

And another by Hardy:

Autumn in King's Hintock Park

Here by the baring bough
  Raking up leaves,
Often I ponder how
  Springtime deceives,---
I, an old woman now,
  Raking up leaves.

Here in the avenue
  Raking up leaves
Lords' ladies pass in view,
  Until one heaves
Sighs at life's russet hue,
  Raking up leaves!

Just as my shape you see
  Raking up leaves,
I saw, when fresh and free,
  Those memory weaves
Into grey ghosts by me,
  Raking up leaves.

Yet, Dear, though one may sigh,
  Raking up leaves,
New leaves will dance on high---
  Earth never grieves!---
Will not, when missed am I
  Raking up leaves.

A bit of a melancholy note in this one, perhaps, but then Hardy's work tended that way usually.

And finally, to get you in full autumnal spirits, a recipe for mincemeat. If you have never made it, take my word, it's delicious. I preserve mine in jars, and process by modern requirements. Here's a recipe I posted eight years ago (I've been blogging quite a while, it seems!):

About 20 chopped green tomatoes--sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt and let sit for one hour, then drain the tomatoes,cover with boiling water and let sit for about 5 minutes; drain again. NOTE: You can omit the tomatoes and add more of the apples  and other fruits.

1 orange--grate the rind and chop the pulp
Mix the tomatoes and the orange in a large saucepan. Then add:
12 apples, chopped fine (peel or not, it's up to you)
1 pound of seedless raisins
1 1/2 cups of chopped suet (I know, I know, sounds weird. I've actually made the mincemeat without it and liked it quite well).
2-3 oranges
1-2 lemons
3 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed firmly
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook the mixture until it's boiling hot. Pour into hot sterile jars and seal. Process pints at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes. This recipe makes about 10 pints.

You can vary the amounts, add lemon, nuts, golden raisins, etc. It's really up to you; just be sure to keep the proportions of ingredients the same to have great-tasting mincemeat.

For more autumn ideas check out some of my older blog posts:

How to make dried apple and orange garlands

Pumpkin recipes

Fall weather superstitions

Sources:

Hardy, Thomas. The Complete Poems of Thomas Hardy. Macmillan, London: 1976.

Radford, E. Encyclopedia of Superstitions. New York: Reprinted by Greenwood Press, 1969.

The Autumn Book: A Collection of Prose and Poetry Chosen by James Reeves. William Heinneman, London: 1977.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Busy Fall Days

I am sure most of you find yourself very busy this time of year, trying to finish up garden work, celebrating Halloween, planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas and generally getting ready for Old Man Winter. It has been the same here, and I still have a ways to go before I can relax and feel like I have a grip on things again. I interspersed this post with photos of what the leaves are looking like here at home; it's really getting pretty.

I finished up the last of the ghost stories presentations on Saturday, with a performance at the West Virginia Independence Hall Museum. It was a dark and rainy day, but I enjoyed the long drive to Wheeling, WV, which is in the northern panhandle of our state. I take the road that follows the Ohio River all the way up, a gorgeous, quiet drive through small towns and pretty scenery. I allowed plenty of extra time so I didn't have to hurry and could just enjoy the trip. It was an overnight stay, but I was lucky enough to meet up with the Tarowskys--Judi and her husband Tom came to listen to stories, then we went out for a long, leisurely dinner. Afterward Judi and I worked on the brochure for a program of Celtic stories we are planning to offer as a storytelling team. Both of us know many Celtic stories and I have quite a few ballads; Judi tells folktales from Wales mixed with others from Scotland and Ireland. I am excited about the possibilities for this venture.

This week I have been back to work on furniture, trying to get a few things turned out quickly to fill spaces in Ravenswood, as sales have been very good there for the past month. I also needed a shelf or cabinet or something for Marietta after we sold one of the Hoosier cabinets there. Larry also worked on furniture, repairing, spraying, and even building a ladder to add to the booths.

Other to-do list items included writing a few articles that were due, designing a couple flyers, and working on plans for the Christmas carols program. And, best of all, two storytelling friends, one from Philadelphia and one from Brooklyn, NY, came to visit. It was just an overnight stay, but it had been three or four years since I'd seen them, and it was so good to reconnect.

Outside is really looking like fall at last; it's taken a long time for the leaves to change this year for some reason--maybe because the temperatures stayed unusually warm? We have not had a frost yet, although some areas of our state have had some good snowfall already. I still have a few outdoor chores to do to be ready for winter, and I am thinking time is running short. So I'd better get on it, hadn't I?


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

'Tis the Season: Autumnal Verses

Dark comes early now; leaves are drifting down in a steady shower, and the birds are leaving in hurried flight. The sun is losing her warmth, but windows glow with lamplight in the gloaming. It's a time of year that has inspired poets for centuries. Here are a few of my favorites that seem to touchthe autumn at its very core.

In slack wind of November

  The fog forms and shifts;

All the world comes out again

  When the fog lifts.

Loosened from their sapless twigs

  Leaves drop with every gust;

Drifting, rustling, out of sight

  In the damp or dust.

     --from A Year's Windfalls by Christina Rosetti

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night’s decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

       --Fall, Leaves Fall by Emily Bronte

It is a storm-strid night, winds footing swift

Through the blind profound;

I know the happenings from their sound;

Leaves totter down still green, and spin and drift;

The tree-trunks rock to their roots, which wrench and lift

The loam where they run onward underground.

The streams are muddy and swollen; eels migrate

To a new abode;

Even cross, ‘tis said, the turnpike-road;

[Men’s feet have felt their crawl, home-coming late]:

The westward fronts of towers are saturate,

Church-timbers crack, and witches ride abroad.

            

       --Night-Time in Mid-Fall by Thomas Hardy

                                          Stay warm, all. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Fall Look

Slowly the change is coming...as this Tamarack tree is showing with its slight golden glow.

Nearby, on the banks of the creek, a small tree tips gracefully towards the water,

while the sunlight makes lace of the leaves on these.

Playing a little peek-a-boo

I'm not sure if this was a holly or a mountain ash, but the berries were numerous and colorful.

On the drive to Cross Lanes Saturday, I noticed this little building sheltered under a huge tree.

Nearby was this vine-covered old barn, slowly sinking into the earth.

Gates always attract my eye--maybe it's the lines, or order against nature's random arrangements?

I

It's been frosty-cold at home in the mornings.

  

I saw this old steel bridge near Jackson's Mill. I think the sign said Two Mile Run Bridge. No longer in use, but at least it's still standing.

After this cold snap I think we'll see a rapid change from green to gold, but I've enjoyed the gentle transition of the past week. I hope you're warm and have not seen the snow fly just yet where you are.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Off to Jackson's Mill!

This has certainly been a busy month. After the sidewalk sale and all the work of shifting things into a new space at the Riverbend Antique Mall last weekend, a full day of storytelling at the Ripley Middle School, restocking all three booths and the Ripley Ghost Walk this week, it feels like time for a rest.

But this is October, and rest is not part of the plan for this month. Tomorrow I'll be on the road to Jackson's Mill (stopping to tidy up our Spencer booth on the way) for the West Virginia Storytelling Festival. 800+ school children will be there to hear four of us telling stories and singing songs. We also have an evening concert for the public planned for Wednesday night. So fun ahead!

I'll be back to work at the Ravenswood booth Friday since we sold several pieces of furniture this week and there is space to be filled.  Here's what sold:

The red and white dinette set we refurbished last spring

and the steel cabinet I re-did recently.

The tall wood cabinet is gone, and the green cabinet in the background is on layaway.

Saturday evening I'll be in Beckley, WV telling more ghost stories at the Beckley Arts Center.

And in between all this I will be enjoying the incredible fall colors. There is no place as beautiful as West Virginia in autumn, I am pretty sure.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Ah, Fall! A Garden Stroll

The weather has been incredible the last week or so. Cool, and crisp, and one night so chilly that I heard a few people around our county had light frost. Fall has certainly arrived. We've spent most evenings around the firepit, enjoying the fire and the company of our three dogs. Before we settled in by the fire last night I took my camera for a quick walk around the gardens, trying to catch some of the color and light of a glorious autumn evening.

These little sunflowers are volunteers planted by an industrious chipmunk who was stealing bird seed. We had several little patches of these coming up in the oddest places. Very nice of him!

My little red, white and blue corner

with yet another volunteer plant--this one is corn! I suppose the chipmunk planted it too, and I just left it to grow.

Very determined Stevia pushed its way right through the garden bench.

I love the look of this old chair against the picket fence. There were other flowers in that pot but whatever this white stuff is, it took over! It's quite a hardy plant, surviving even when I forgot to water it.

Through the garden gate...Larry wanted me to be sure to take a photo of his Indian corn. He just planted a few hills, but it certainly made the most of itself. We're still waiting for the kernels to finish turning color. He planted this in mid-July, pretty late for Indian corn, but I think we'll get some decorations from it.

I swear, this corn must be 12 feet tall! The tomato stakes you can see are about 3 1/2' tall, so that gives you some idea of the height of the corn.

So pretty right now, and the soft evening light really makes everything so much brighter.

The knockout roses are still blooming but I am worried about them. They were hit hard by winter, almost killed back to the ground. They have recovered a little bit, but they don't look too strong to me. I hope this winter will not be as hard on them.

Well, that's the tour. Not a lot to see, but I am trying to enjoy the colors and the flowers while they're here. Old Man Winter will be raising his frosty head before too long, and all we'll have to remember the flowers will be these pictures.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.