If ever there was a month that sings, it has to be October.
This month of color begins quietly like a single voice; faint, but far from weak; crisp and clear. As the days progress, the single voice strengthens and other “voices of color” join in, sounding young and fresh like a children’s chorale. Mid-month brings the mighty chorus as the landscape is alive with the changes of the season. As a final gift, October’s song is the sweet harmony of a fine old barber shop quartet; a rich melody that’s sweet and soothing to the soul. It’s one of those lovely
constants in our lives.
canopy of fine maples that reach far from either side of the road. When the leaves are in their peak, this will be a gorgeous drive. I “paint” the picture in my mind.
We turn into the farm, and to the left is a building that houses a shop that sells jams and jellies, maple syrup and the accompanying pancake mixes, bean soup starters and a host of other delicacies. It is a feast for the eyes as well as for the tummy. The girls enjoy the BIG pumpkins that rest on the table. Scarecrows hold court and preside over the entire scene.
Before going to the orchard we go into the second and smaller building. This is my favorite of the two!! Hardy Mums line the walkway, and the deep hues are stunning on a grey day. Here we find Christmas ornaments and country decorations, little hand painted pins (many of them shaped like apples!!) more jams and jellies but the best of all – fresh hot cider donuts!! Behind glass and working like elves you can watch the entire process from start to finish. The donuts are dropped into the hot oil and as they bubble your mouth begins to taste the sweet tang even before you have the donuts in hand. Erik gets a few plain and a few with cinnamon and sugar on them. We nibble (well, ok we gobble) cider donuts on the way to the hay wagon that will take us to the orchard proper.
Not quite a mist, and not quite a rain; it drizzles on us, but we’re having fun and we try not to take notice. Cassandra and I attempt albeit in vain to keep our glasses dry and I do my best to keep the camera from getting wet. The hay wagon collects us and we jostle and bump our way to the apples. The girls giggle and squeal, just as girls should. Laughing, Rebecca announces that the ride is “scary”. It seems to me that I remember announcing the same thing to my own Papa on another hayride when I was that age. Life has a way of circling back on itself and I’m reminded of the Harry Chapin song, “Circle”.
All my life's a circle;
Sunrise and sundown;
Moon rolls thru the nighttime;
till the daybreak comes around.
All my life's a circle;
But I can't tell you why;
Season's spinning round again;
The years keep rollin' by.
It seems like I've been here before;
I can't remember when;
But I have this funny feeling;
That we'll all be together again.
No straight lines make up my life;
and all my roads have bends;
There's no clear-cut beginnings;
and so far no dead-ends.
Chorus
I found you a thousand times;
I guess you done the same;
But then we lose each other;
It's like a children's game;
As I find you here again;
A thought runs through my mind;
Our love is like a circle;
Let's go 'round one more time.
Chorus
The orchard is heady with the smell of fall. The damp earth mingles with the smell of apples and the air is alive with a flavor all its own. I look at Erik and “The Sweet Potatoes” as I call them, and I realize that what I have is wealth beyond words.
The girls each run for a tree declaring that they’ve found the best spot. It doesn’t take us long to fill a bag with sweet crunchy Macs and tart Courtlands. The “grounders” were free for the eating, and eat we all did. Delicious!!
We decided to walk, instead of ride back to the car. Along the way we couldn’t resist taking a pumpkin (for the deck, of course). It is a huge tall pumpkin and Linus would be pleased to know that it came from “a very sincere pumpkin patch”.
Home feels good and hot soup for lunch even better. It is a fine day and we’ve enjoyed it to the full. Now is the dilemma. Should we make a pie or a crisp first??
There is a nip in the early morning air today, and the sky is almost periwinkle as the sun begins its rise. Except for the tops of the trees swaying ever so slightly, all is still. It’s a peaceful time of the day. Scooter dozes in the big bay window, his eyes opening every once in a while to see what he might
be missing out of doors. I think to myself that I should be doing this or that, but the day is young and I linger a little longer, trying to make my tea last. The cup is warm in my hands and it feels very good.
It’s apple season here in New York state, and as a special treat yesterday, we took the girls apple picking. With rain in the offing, we dressed appropriately, each with a hat or hood. Cassandra brought an umbrella, “just in case”. Despite the fact that the drive was only a half hour or so, it was accompanied by the usual, “Are we there yet??” I smile each time I hear it, knowing that these days will fly by, and someday I will only hear it in my mind as a sweet memory. I want to hold fast to these times.
Traveling along the Taconic, I was amazed to see what a difference a day had made. Instead of one continuous stretch of green, I could see the shape of the individual trees as they start to take on color. It is the season of change to be sure.
It’s an old and established orchard situated high on a hilltop that we visit. The road to get there is under a
The Simple Pleasures
Maples in the fall
Apple Orchards
October’s Music
Sincere Pumpkin Patches
Hayrides
(Even though they’re scary!!)
Harry Chapin
Hot Soup
A Nip in the Air
Wealth Beyond Measure
October 31, 2003
The frost is on the pumpkin – it must be the witching time!!
For the past week the “smell” of Halloween has been in the air. Ah, I can see you smiling now, but truly, I kid you not. You can smell it. I remember being very young and measuring time by the signs around me. When the canning factory was making tomato soup in town, it was time to return to school, and when the horse chestnuts were dropping from the trees, it was Fair time!! Well, near the end of October there is a spice in the air and it is the smell of Halloween to be sure. Many of the leaves are on the ground,
andthe air is damp and cool. The earth mixes
with the leaves and the aroma is thick and heady and unmistakable. I can close my eyes, breathe deep and in an instant I’m a child again and giddy with the excitement of going “Trick or Treating”.
My Mom would take me to either Waddles in Port Dover or Woolworth’s in Simcoe, and the displays would be overflowing (or so it seemed to a little girl) with masks of all descriptions. Now I have no idea what the masks of today are like to wear,
but I remember the ones that we had, and they were hot, sweaty and like a sauna on your face. This isn’t mentioning the fact that you couldn’t see out the eye holes!! Halloween night was always cold and usually raining which necessitated being bundled up like a sausage. It was inevitable that something made of scratchy wool would be snug up to the skin. When you add a costume over top of the wool, the middle layers, the obvious winter coat, the mask itself felt like torture. In reality though, we didn’t care because there was the promise of bags and bags and tons and tons of CANDY!!!!! Sometimes in-between houses I would lift the mask and feel the steam rise from my cheeks. The combination of cold air and hot breath, the layers of
clothing and the sweet anticipation of the night were without a doubt Halloween traditions.
I grew up in a small town, where you knew your neighbors, and they knew you. I’ve always joked that I grew up in Mayberry, but I’ve come to realize that isn’t such a bad thing after all. As children, we knew that certain houses were “musts” to visit on Halloween. Mrs. Forsyth, for example, always made homemade fudge. It was quite a walk from my house but once you stepped inside her door, and smelled all of the wonderful things she had to sample, it was well worth the trek. The only
problem with visiting Mrs. Forsyth was that she wanted to visit, and I was so anxious to “get back out there”!! I had miles to go (or so it seemed) and bags (just one actually) to fill!!
My dentist gave out toothbrushes and toothpaste. I thought this to be the cruelest injustice at the time, but you can bet your bottom dollar that every kid I knew had to visit that house too. Sigh. Some people can really knock the wind out of your childhood sails.
Tonight, we will take Cassandra and Rebecca out Trick or Treating. They are so excited they’re ready to bust. Cassandra is going to be a Midnight Princess and Rebecca will be an angel.
The girls have spent the last two weeks coloring pumpkin pictures, making ghosts from tissues, and last night I had some Halloween mazes for them to do. They even put on a Haunted House for us a few days ago. It was held in their bedroom. Erik and I received homemade invitations and Cassandra told a story while Rebecca did the sound effects. For the Headless Horseman, Rebecca has a hobby horse that gallops and whinnies. She missed her cue the first two times, and as Cassandra repeated that part of the story the hobby horse finally chimed up. It was all that Erik and I could do to contain the laughter. In the end, I had to applaud their efforts and their sweet imaginations. It’s at moments like that I wish I could slow the hands of time and keep them little just a wee bit longer.
Last Sunday we took the girls to their school’s Scare Fair. It was an afternoon of simple old-fashioned fun. Upon arriving you purchase tickets that are forfeit as you play the different games. Games included 7/11, ring toss, and a myriad of different games where the object was to throw a bean bag through a hole. There was a batting cage and a place to have your photo taken with a scary looking monster. The prizes for the games were wooden nickels that you redeemed for “real” prizes. Both girls came away happy, having enjoyed the time. The four of us ended the afternoon with pizza and sodas and it was good to sit and talk and laugh together.
Tonight as the moon is full, and the wind whistles through the trees, and as specters of every kind wander the streets, listen closely for the faint sounds of the goblins. Keep those that you love close by for fear of ghosts and ghouls.
