Hello Fall
Fall is officially here, and we can begin drinking (if you haven't already) pumpkin spice lattes. I wonder if I can get a turkey sub with that...LOL!!!
We are enjoying cooler nights as we look forward to clear, crisp fall days. I've seen a few colorful leaves, but peak fall beauty is still weeks away. That's okay because it gives us time to make the most of this beautiful, fun season.
I've already made several apple pies. Who doesn't like apple pie? One time, shortly after Uncle Fred, Betty, and their youngest daughter, Ellen, moved to Spruce Run, they invited the family for dinner. I remember only two things about that long-ago evening. Betty served delicious apple pie for dessert. I'd always eaten apple pie with vanilla ice cream, but Betty served it with cheddar cheese. I've eaten it that way ever since. The other thing I remember is my dad arguing with Betty about whether brewed coffee tasted better than instant. He insisted you couldn't tell the difference between the two. She said brewed was much better and didn't back down. I think I was impressed by her calm determination to stand her ground, or grounds 😃 as the case may be. If I had been older and an experienced coffee drinker, I would have sided with Betty. I still can't believe he argued there was no difference between brewed coffee and instant.
I'll pull out a few favorite recipes, and we will enjoy pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pie throughout the fall. I found a new recipe the other day. It's Pioneer Woman's recipe for Pumpkin Caramel Monkey Bread. How good does that sound? I used to make monkey bread quite often with butter, cinnamon, brown and white sugar, but I haven't made it in a while. Instead of using canned biscuits as most recipes call for, I use my sourdough bread. Does that make it healthier? I think it does.
There are, of course, fall festivals to enjoy. I probably won't have time to attend any this year but have enjoyed many in the past. The Boones Mill Apple Festival was always fun, and so was the Ikenberry Orchard festival. One year, during college, I enjoyed the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival in Ferrum with Melody and her father. It was very interesting, educational, and a lot of fun too. Years ago, there was a pumpkin festival in Craig County. Deidra was hired to paint faces there, and Mom often accompanied her and enjoyed the delicious fried apple pies they sold. I hope you will enjoy a fall festival or two this year.
The simplest pleasures often bring the greatest joy. Watching the beautiful color creep down the mountains or being caught in a shower of golden leaves swirling in the wind is a delight. Sipping a cup of your own pumpkin-flavored coffee and enjoying one of the aforementioned treats is a sweet reminder of the everyday blessings we have.
I was thinking about how much we loved collecting leaves in the fall as kids and ironing them between two sheets of wax paper to preserve the color. Walking in the field or the woods and seeing the acorns ripe and ready for the deer and squirrels to enjoy was fun and somehow comforting. Hearing the crunch of dried leaves underfoot and the unmistakable aroma of fall filling our nostrils brought a unique feeling of joy, and it still does.
I'm going to make the most of fall this year. What about you?
"That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air...Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clear by summer." Wallace Stegner
Something of a jubilee in the beginning of autumn. I love that, don't you?
Now get out there and make the most of this fall!
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