The Fall of the Year

In the fall of the year folks up New England way like to be outdoors as much as possible before the long days of winter close in on them. Because you had such a warm summer this year, I expect you are ready for the 50 and 60 degree temperatures you are getting now.

Living in the south I almost miss digging out my wool sweaters. They were always so pretty and nice to pull on if the weather suddenly turned windy and brisk.

I do remember enjoying the change in the air. It gave you a lot of energy as I remember. To be outdoors raking leaves; picking apples; or taking a hike along a country road or trail are activities New Englanders often enjoy this time of year.

Do you remember horse chestnut trees and the fun we had with those inedible nuts? I understand the tree is in danger of becoming extinct. Do you know where one of the trees is at this minute?

It is a time of reaping, of collecting the harvest of pumpkins, squash, and Indian corn. It’s the time for a cup of cold cider and for leaf-viewing trips. Buses full of senior citizens are probably arriving to view the foliage as I write.

Of course there are always the football and soccer games to attend on a weekend afternoon. All the colleges have their homecoming activities now and tailgating parties abound.

As I looked through my art work and poetry related to this season, I found some things you might enjoy. The art was done many years ago as was the poetry pieces. I hope you enjoy them.

Autumn Knocked on my Door Today

Autumn knocked on my door today.

It came in its entire splendor,

And in the path of the whistling

Wind, came Jack in all his grandeur.

Jack touched the tips of my maple leaves

To turn them crimson and gold,

And the leaves that fell to grow no more

Flew swiftly to my doorstep.

Autumn knocked on my door today

Bringing warnings of days to come,

While I, watching its silent rain,

Remembered autumns of years gone by.

A certain sadness comes of this season

Recalling memories all but forgotten.

Autumn knocked on my door today,

And it spoke with its sun upon the land,

“I bring you abundance, glory, and courage to face the winters your soul cannot release.”

I replied only in the silence of my heart

With the contentment of one renewed.

Yes, renewed of hope and courage

To face sad memories perchance they should return.

Autumn knocked on my door today.

Getting Ready for Winter

Autumn wind swept skeleton leaves under my door.

It rattled the windows and wound its wily way

    around to the back yard patio.

Another gust shoed the summer dust away,

   cleaning nature’s house.

I watched an apple fall amongst rusty leaves,

    rolling to nestle with the rest,

    and I noticed the ash tree’s hair

     grows thinner every day.

Tabby’s fur grows thicker now;

The night air stings her nostrils and she

     scratches to come inside to nuzzle

     down into her favorite lap as if to say,

     “I’m ready for winter now.”

     Have a good autumn everyone and thanks for listening.

New Landscapes

In the personal landscape department, I was interested to read an article in the most recent AARP newsletter about what today’s college freshman sees as his or her own personal landscape.

The article noted that today’s freshmen don’t view the world in terms of Vietnam and Watergate like we did. Their world is framed instead by 911 and Afghanistan.

They cannot remember a world without computers or, in fact, a computer that doesn’t use CD Rom disks instead of floppy disks.

Few of them know what cursive writing is and have never seen a carousel of Kodachrome slides (remember that song "Kodachrome" by Paul Simon in 1973?). They also don’t remember hard line phones with a coiled handset.

To them, Clint Eastwood is a sensitive film director, not the “Dirty Harry” character we remember in his films.

College professors be warned and be aware. Here comes the next generation.

Welcome to All

Welcome to those of you who followed me here from the “old blog” site and welcome also to any new readers we have with us. Since I “moved” here late in August, I have been having a terrific time developing pieces I hope you will enjoy. Therefore, I not only am able to bring you a weekly blog, I can also bring you news of worthy benefits and good works going on in your communities; Maine recipes, many more pictures; and other news I think you should be aware of.

As I said before, this site doesn’t belong to me alone. You are also invited to send me your stories and suggestions for stories and any other information you feel the readers will enjoy. My friend, Jean Monroe, has already contributed a report on the Union Fair. I am not able to attend such events, so any reports you can give me on such affairs are greatly appreciated.

If you have pictures to share either with or without a story, please send them to me in an email attachment. Do not send professional shots as I would need permission to use them. Please label the who, what, when, and where we see in the picture. Do not imbed your pictures with your story as they will not load into the blog that way. If you want to send them to me snail mail, email me and I’ll send you an address to send them to. I can scan them on my printer. Unfortunately, I cannot return them to you.

You may also use this space to advertise any benefit for a specific group or individual that is coming up. Please give me about two weeks warning so I can get them in in time.

I welcome any suggestions you may have for this blog space. If I think everyone will enjoy it, I will include it here. I especially would like to see your comments on my blogs. There is a space for that at the bottom of each blog. If your comment doesn’t appear right away, be patient. It seems that I have to approve them and subsequently hit the correct box before they will appear.

Welcome again. Have fun. I look forward to my association with you and as always:

Thanks for listening.

Sandra

UPDATE - October 1

As we close the archive for September, there are a few things you should remember.

Maine Recipes: They will always appear in the Sept. 2010 archive as I just keep adding to them. The newest recipe entries always appear at the top. Check often, because I do add recipes quite often.

The October events for the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum will remain in the September archive. It will move up every month so that you will have more time to plan. The ad for Live music every Sunday at the museum will remain in the Sept. archive.

I have deleted the DEPARTMENT category. I will make separate places for Benefits and Good Works, Recipes, and Discussion Groups (the last to be created soon).

Please consider becoming a Follower. Click the FOLLOW button below.

Please also support my advertisers seen in the right hand side column. Click on any ad and it will benefit me financially.

Consider hitting the donate button also. Even if you donate just $1. I will donate a portion of the money collected throughout the year to the Rockland Public Library and the Rockland Historical Society.

Don't forget to check the links at the top of the page. The podcast is really interesting. Just hit the Listen link. You need to have a program loaded like RealPlayer to hear it. Most of them are free. Just download them when suggested to and follow instructions.

Check out the Sneak Peek for the 2009 CD, which is still on sale. Click that box on the right if you're interested in purchasing it.

Thank you for your support in this new endeavor. I look forward to continuing to give you a new story once in a while and also information you can use. Have a nice Fall.