A Change of Seasons

            For years, this poem hung in my classroom during October and my students were required to memorize it. I bet a few still recite it proudly as they kick up the fall leaves and celebrate the change of season. Perhaps there is someone in your household who would like to memorize it …give me a call and let me hear it if anyone does!

October

The summer is over,

The trees are all bare,

There is mist in the garden

And frost in the air.

The meadows are empty

And gathered the sheaves--

But isn't it lovely

Kicking up leaves!

John from the garden

Has taken the chairs;

It's dark in the evening

And cold on the stairs.

Winter is coming

And everyone grieves--

But isn't it lovely

Kicking up leaves!

by Rose Fyleman

         The weather here in The Northwest has finally flipped. Gone are the dry hot sunny days of summer (something like eighty-six consecutive days without rain) and early fall and here to stay are the gray days that I love the very best! After three glorious days of wind and pelting rain, fog and erased landscapes, everything is soggy and puddled. Soon the brown thirsty landscape will morph into green, and wool sweaters will replace t-shirts....aaaahhhhhh! My kind of weather.

Summer Folks are Gone. Hours Reflect the Season

Peaking in the Window

          I have just returned from four days with my writing group in a sweet little beach cottage in Long Beach, Washington. With a background of pelting rain on the windows and wind rattling at the doors, we snugged by the woodstove and spattered ink on the white pages of our notebooks. Really, there is no better way to get to know people than to freewrite: “I remember the clothes I wore” or “Busted” or “A Summer Place”. We would write on a prompt and then read it back to the group...Over and over, dispite differences in age and professional backgrounds and family backgrounds, we were reminded of how similar our lives have been and that we, as women, have many common threads that have been woven through the tapestries of our lives.
      Our writers' weekend coincided with the annual Cranberry Festival and opening of clamming season in Washington state, so this pulled us away from the cozy couches by the woodstove and out into the windy wetness of October. Here are a couple of photos to give you a feel Long Beach today.

Breakfast Above the Beach

Waiting for Leftovers

Sharing the Beach

Clam Diggers on Opening Afternoon

Experienced Clam Digger

Inexperienced Driver

            Cranberry Harvest was in full swing and we were able to walk out into the cranberry bogs and watch how it was done. I had not realized that cranberries are gown in a sandy soil, and are only flooded for harvest. The pictures below show the ripe cranberries growing and ready for harvest followed b the actual harvesting in the flooded bog. Unfortunately the men who were raking the cranberries to the far side of the bog, and the men who were working the harvester took off for a lunch break before I was able to get a photograph of them.

Cranberries Ripe and Ready for Harvest

Flooded Cranberry Bog Being Harvested

            The Cranberry Festival reminded me of a Thanksgiving on the farm when we decided to be purists and only serve what we had grown. It was an amazing feast: homemade beer, fresh-pressed apple cider, a leg of lamb, mashed potatoes, string beans, creamed onions, tomatoes, squash, and of course apple and pumpkin pies for dessert. As I recall, we did get the thick cream for whipping from Stanley Swansen, the dairy farmer across the road, but the rest of the feast was homegrown by the Lizotte family.

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Donny's 70th

            Other events are note worthy this month as well: Auggie had his 6^th birthday last week, and Donny will celebrate his 71^st tomorrow! I am reminded of a great party Donny had here in Portland this time last year for his big 70^th! Best wishes to both birthday boys and may they have many happy returns of their special days!

Auggie's 6th

 So next comes Halloween! I am trying to think up a great costume for trick-or-treating with Jude and Auggie. I might be a Grand Mummy. Stay tunned!

            Happy Halloween!