Tag: Fall

Sunday Snapshots

It seems I haven’t seen the sun in a week; maybe because I haven’t. The sky cleared just enough last Sunday to view the Super Blood Moon Eclipse, but perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to read Lovecraft under such a sky – the rain continues to fall, the water continues to rise, and the weatherman predicts more over the next days.

Now, I tried taking pictures of said eclipse, but my iPhone doesn’t take great moon photos – shocking, I know.

So, what else happened this week?
 
Several of my history students presented projects centered on the Thirteen American Colonies; as part of that project, they cooked a meal and dipped candles:

Venison and Potato Stew with Greens and Spiced Cider

Beeswax Candles with Red Dye

 
Then, it was time to celebrate National Coffee Day:

IMG_4136

You wouldn’t know to look at it, but this medium dark roast with two cream and two sugar was FREE!

 
The celebrations continued – despite the rain – with the First Day of October!

For Krystal: Chi Frappuccino

For Me: Salted Carmel Mocha Latte

 
Finally, here’s a random picture of stuff left in my pockets at the end of the day:

IMG_4148
 
Oh, and I didn’t forget about the rain:

 

What did you do this week?

 

Do you have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

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Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

This Rain is Ruining the First Days of Autumn

rain on window screenThe rain comes falls down and the water rises up. It was kind of nice at first: a calm, gentle rain – the kind that beats a calming staccato on tin roofs. One week later, the storm is a bad guest that won’t take the hint. It’s October; it’s supposed to be Autumn. Instead of preparing bonfires, raking leaves, and planning pumpkin carving, we should have built an ark. We should have been able to wander about in the cool fall evenings; instead, the parks are closed and I’ve been sent home early due to flooding. Ah well, a longer weekend to prepare for my classes. Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll binge on Netflix while power eating my way through our supply of “emergency snacks” and browsing the internet. I may even tackle that reading pile. If the rain keeps up, it’s entirely possible we won’t have school Monday. Thank goodness Hurricane Joaquin has made a right turn into the Atlantic – just so long as he doesn’t gain strength and circle back ’round with a vengeance.

Let It Be Fall

Autumn Walkway

The calendar shows September 23 and marks the Autumnal Equinox, which means it is now officially

Fall

Autumn

Herbst

I love Autumn; I suppose that’s why I’ve been in such a good mood today.

So, to celebrate the start of the best season ever, here’s some reasons I adore the Fall.

Cool Weather for Running

Apples, Apple Orchards, and Apple Pie

Perfect Temperatures for Jeans and T-Shirts

Thanksgiving

Deer Hunting

Reformation Day

Softball

Pumpkins

Leaf Piles

Bonfires

What about you? What do you like about the fall?

Other seasons need not apply.

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Requiem

Dear-OctoberFall promotes quiet introspection. The frenzy of activity-filled summer “break” is now a distant memory and the “back-to-school” season is over (thankfully). Semester exams are two months away – the distant horizon, as it were. Now is the time to simply be.

I find myself gravitating between several spots:

morning coffeeSitting in my chair in the living room, wearing my comfy pants and an old hoodie, wrapped in my trusty comforter, and having a cup of coffee close at hand.

Relaxing on my front porch – now the mosquito hordes have abated – enjoying the crisp fall evenings punctuated by the sound of the neighbor kids playing make-believe in the yard next door. Really, they haven’t been that bad since they ran their brand-new four wheeler into our house on Christmas Day.

75_Auditorium-emptyMeditating in an empty auditorium during some down time. During the week, I take one planning period to specifically not do anything. Even now, I’m waiting for choir practice to start. I’m here several hours early just to take time to mentally relax. It also doesn’t hurt to have WiFi access, but still – I’m not doing anything but write.

nbcemeteryNevertheless, the most relaxing place I can think of is a cemetery. No, I’m not obsessed with death. No, it doesn’t creep me out. I think I can thank my sister for my love of cemeteries – she took me with her as she traced our family tree in rural Pennsylvania. An afternoon of hunting headstones and reading the 100+ year-old epitaphs became something of a ritual. There are several cemeteries in my town: the old Episcopalian cemetery that existed almost before the town, the modern “garden-style” cemetery that has banned headstones, and (my personal favorite) the 19th and 20th century cemetery now famous as the place where television show Sleepy Hollow filmed some burial scenes.

I don’t know where your quiet place is, or if you have one. Wherever it is, take the time to enjoy it.

Astir

Dear-OctoberThe calendar changed today. I suppose there’s nothing inherently special about turning the page of an arbitrary system set up hundreds of years ago. But the fact it’s October 1 means something to me.

You might remember I absolutely love the fall. Perhaps love is too strong; maybe it isn’t strong enough. Something about this time of year really gets me going (in a good way).

As I sit here with my caramel-flavored coffee and Boston Cream doughnut, I can’t help but think of things to come.

medieval doctor plague mask Throwback Thursday!

Halloween Superstores offer “affordable” costumes and decorations. I never buy anything, but hold out hope that *this year* I’ll find an affordable black cape to complement my plague mask – or as mass commercialism calls it, a “Venetian Masquerade Mask.” Come on marketers – how can you not call it a plague mask? Do you know how many you’d sell?

Pumpkins – need I say more?

The weather becomes cooler and more runner-friendly. Normally I’d be winding down – or up, as the case may be – for a marathon. Unfortunately, I’m not able to afford one this year. That doesn’t mean I still can’t be excited!

Although I haven’t been able to get out hunting for the past few years, I enjoy listening to the tales my students and colleagues bring back from the field. They also bring me venison, so that’s a plus. I’ve earned a reputation for some of the best venison roast around (thanks, Dad!).

venison roast Not mine, but similar.

Apple pie made from fresh, orchard-grown apples. Again, I don’t mean to brag – all right, in this case I do – but I make some of the best apple pie you’ll ever have. I make the dough from scratch and make my own filling with a secret blend of apples and spices. You can’t just throw any old apple in a pie, you know. Well, I suppose you can, but it won’t taste good. Sorry, that’s just how it is.

Martin LutherFall Festivals, Harvest Festivals, Corn Mazes – Yes! (Just say “NO!” to the fair!)

Reformation Day – come on now, you must have figured out I celebrate it!

And that’s just events in October; November offers a whole other month of wonderful fall bliss!

Happy Autumn, Everyone!

There is Something in October . . .

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;

We must rise and follow her,

When from every hill of flame

She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

~ Bliss Carman

I love October.

Fall began a few weeks ago, but October is the first true Fall month. The invigorating autumn air makes running downright enjoyable after the long, hot summer. The swarming insects begin to die off; I can finally bask on my front porch and finally use the patio furniture we bought three months ago. Leaves have begun to turn color, calling into remembrance fall afternoons of my childhood spent raking leaves with my grandmother – “Mind the rhubarb!” – and the campfire smell of burning leaves. Bath and Body Works fails to compete.

burning leaves
Because my municipality prohibits burning . . .
Photo Credit: pbase.com

Already the requests for apple pie come in. Nearly every student – even those who “don’t like pie” – wants a piece. I’m flattered, really. Rarely are there leftovers, but the ultimate compliment came from my mother when she said I make a better apple pie than she did. Along with the apples come the pumpkins. Soon the Episcopal church will set up their Pumpkin Patch and the orange gourds of fall will mix and mingle with the 18th century gravestones. The innards will be carefully scooped and separated by me; my wife will turn them into muffins, cupcakes, and roasted seeds. We’ll spend some weekends with the cousins carving faces; I have an epic Dalek design for this year.

dalekpumpkinThis month has a special reading list. Although it has nothing to do with the month, I always read The Hunt for Red October a some point in the month. This year’s reading will be bittersweet: Tom Clancy passed away last week; now I’ll never get my autographed copy. At least he finished one last book. Ray Bradbury makes two appearances this month with Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Halloween Tree. I remember seeing Halloween Tree as an animated special when I was a kid; I wonder if any stations will show it? Speaking of animated specials, be sure to watch Tim Burton’s classic stop-motion masterpiece: Nightmare Before Christmas. I found the 20th Anniversary Edition at B&N the other week. Hopefully it will go on sale after the season.

OctoberReadingOvershadowed by Halloween, October 31 is also Reformation Day. Without intending to, Martin Luther sparked a revolt against the Catholic Church that – in turn – influenced the creation of hundreds of Protestant denominations and introduced the concept of religious freedom – an idea not seen since Justinian made Christianity Byzantium’s only legal religion. In college I used to slip random portions of the 95 Theses into student boxes or under doors. I tired passing them out to Trick-or-Treaters a few years ago, but now no-one even bothers to come to my door. Oh well; it’s just another tragic result of America’s declining educational system.

Enjoy your pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin donuts, and apple pie. Drink coffee on the front porch. Enjoy fall. Love October.

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