Epic Weekend

Remember how I said that I am busy every waking weekend of my life this fall. That theme is continuing. This weekend was so jam-packed that it ended up getting spread across 4 days. Four! Yes, no, I just recounted, it really was four. Here is what was done...

--Friday: Clue party at the Cliftons. I was Miss Peacock and made myself a glorious flapper-esque headdress of feathers. Dan has pictures, so maybe one day you will be able to see me in my regalia. Post-party party was an impromptu dance time, jump around awesomeness, which was food to my soul. Remember that, everyone I've ever lived with, how we would just have these spontaneous parties of dancing, how we could not not have them? Yep, it was like that.

--Saturday: Apple picking. First though, there was a stint at Jericho Road's workshop on cultures, facilitated by Jon Arensen. Aka--listen to crazy, interesting stories about Murle, geese, cows, and being high context for an hour. Then we headed off on the most beautiful drive up to the Orchard. It was a proper fall day of the blustery, low hanging grey clouds, bundle up variety. We picked Northern Spys and Fujis and I brought home 30 pounds of apples, which are going to become the most wonderful confectionous things you ever dreamed of. Then Jer and Eric practiced throwing apples to and at one another, at trees, and for distance throws. Then on the drive home, we stopped for doughnuts at Tim Horton's. Some people drank their coffee because some people think it is something other than bilge water, but some other people know better.

--Sunday: Work stuff. Brunch with the amazing people who organized this film we were screening, including this woman who wrote a book on homeschooling and was so knowledgeable and fascinating about education, sexism, and race issues. I could have listened to her talk for three days straight. Also, sidenote: smothered cornbread. A very good idea. Then a tabling event which yours truly helped to coordinate, and general mayhem before the screening of the movie. Then, the movie "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," which focuses on the Liberian women's peace movement, which helped to bring down the oppressive Charles Taylor regime. Not your typical documentary about war torn African nation. So inspiring, so hopeful. Grassroots peace efforts can work, people! Then, reception, cheese and crackers and such.

--Monday: The pressing of the apples. I will be eternally indebted to Jeff and Thryn for coming up this fall. Ever since we went to Jeff's house to press apples back in college, it is something my soul longs to do every year! The process is gorgeous and the result ruins your life, by which I mean, in olden days, apple cider from a grocery store is something that you feel like you could enjoy. But, after you've tasted home squeezed, you can never go back. I have four large bottles sitting neatly in my freezer, we'll see how long they last, now that I've taken to drinking apple cider like it's water. We'll see...

So that was the weekend of epicness. I'll post again when life is slow and sleepy. Any day now, I'm sure...

S.

Fine Things of Fall

Me and really large pumpkins, photo courtesy of Housemate

O ye blog, how silently hath ye wandered thru the vales...and so on and so forth. Guess it's time to step up the game where the old blog is concerned. My only excuse at the moment is that the days are packed with fine things, like the aforementioned belly-dancing class and the goodly bible study, and don't you worry, soon, so very soon, the winds will howl and the snows will blow and I will have nothing to do except sit under quilts and tippety type away with new blog posts for y'ins. Hasten the day.

And so today, I have no great words of wisdom nor any news. I have been reflecting for some time about the passage of these goodly season. It seems to be a theme of my life ever since I moved to Buffalo, and I hope it continues this way, to try to orient my life around the rhythm of each years' seasons, through seasonal eating and seasonal celebrations and rituals. I think it focuses me every few months on the way that time flies, and the way that NOW is the time to do every good thing. Or every thing that is good in this season. Transitioning to fall this year has been hard, though, as I think many find who live in the northern climes. The spring and summer were so short, and we don't feel quite ready to go back to the long dark and especially the cold of the winter months. It hasn't helped that, after a few unseasonably warm days, the weather seemed to pull the switch and settle us in for long weeks of cold drizzle and gray. I have, in fact, felt much comforted to feel my own struggle echoed by many out there in the blogosphere.

The other thing that has been helping has been to dive into the glories of fall, rather than trying to hold on to everything that I love about summer (including the produce. Notice to the zucchinis in my fridge: you are the last of your kind and you must go!). This summer, too, was so great and so full of what summer should be. Swimming in lakes, bonfires, picnics, sleeping late, hot days, fruit pies, ice cream (oh my god. i have eaten so much ice cream.) But, though it was loosely implemented and conceived in the summer, I am putting my new plan of seasonal goals into full effect in the fall. Basically, when the season starts to change, I brainstorm everything that this season means to me, everything I feel like I MUST do before I run out of time. And then I go about and do those things. So far, it has been great. So now, I share with you, in no particular order, my list for fall, both the complete and the uncomplete:

1. Buy mums and bulbs. Plant bulbs, mums, and those two intrepid trees. (VISTAs were given trees at our earth day service project. I took 5 and so far only 2 are still surviving. They are in the ground. I hope they live till the spring. I also love bulbs. Working in the yard this season actually brought back buried memories of how when we lived in Omaha it was my job to strip all the leaves off last year's cuttings. In spite of my black thumbs, I still love to garden!)

2. Pumpkin patch. Check, as of this weekend. Any of the Omaha crew reading this, I hope you have as many fond memories as I do of Val's Pumpkin patch, the storybook maze, the pirate band, and of course the hayrack ride out to pick you own pumpkins. Well, yesterday me and my housemate made a voyage out to Clarence to check out their pumpkin patch. It was very different, more of a carnival atmosphere than the country, down home vibe of Val's, but there was still a hayrack ride, and a petting zoo, and the most amazing pumpkin cannon that would shoot out a pumpkin so high you literally lost sight of it. And of course the pumpkin olympics, of which we witnessed the pumpkin gut dash and the pumpkin pie eating contest. And lots and lots of pumpkins and mini pumpkins and gourds and indian corn. A good, good day and I am so looking forward to carving my big pumpkin for our...

3. Halloween party. I just finished decorating the house today, although we clearly still lack some fake gravestones and cobwebs for the front yard. And I am still waiting for the perfect costume ideas...any thoughts?

4. Raking Leaves (and jumping in piles of them and raking them up again)
5. Apple picking-and subsequent makings of pies and sauce and butter

That's pretty much all there is for now. Fall seems to be a pretty short season around these parts, but if you have anything that quintessentially speaks of fall to you, do feel free to share!

S.