Fall doesn’t have to be a stressful time

Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees and the front yard is covered with a crisp, crunchy carpet of maple leaves. The pecan tree out by the shop has also shed most of its leaves, making it more difficult to fi nd the fallen nuts.

We recently discovered some new competition for the pecans. When Jim went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, he discovered some critters tripping the motion sensor light on the shop. He came back andreported a family of raccoons was raiding the pecan tree. I went to check it out and, sure enough, I saw four coons bustling about under the tree. We often see grey squirrels scampering around the back yard; and each year the pecan crop attracts the crows, blue jays and cardinals who come to hunt their share, but I didn’t know coons liked the nuts.

We do enjoy seeing the variety of wildlife that traverses our back yard. Only a few days after we spiedthe coons, we were standing outside the back door and three whitetail does emerged from the fence row and sauntered across the back field to our south fence. About midway across the field, one of the trio burst into a playful display of running and kicking up her heels. She seemed to be really enjoying life.

Homemade baked goods are popular menu items this time of year. A persimmon cake studded with nuts was a hit at our quilt class gathering Saturday. I sold all the walnuts I picked up, but I bought some kernels for use in baking and plan to crack some pecans soon.

Naturalist and outdoorsman, Justin Rashid, in his “Outdoors With Justin” column, recalled that for mostrural American families getting in a good supply of native nuts for the winter used to be as routine as the gathering of fi rewood. He says black walnuts “are now widely neglected across America as a source of food.” He reminisced about a winter in his northern Michigan home that was remembered for several furious blizzards that drove folks indoors for days. It was then, sitting at his kitchen table with a fl at rock to strike against, that he learned where the expression “a hard nut to crack” originated!

It seems everyone enjoys getting together for a hearty meal when the weather cools in the fall. I went to the civic center for a spaghetti dinner benefi ting greatnephew Austin’s Big Black youth football team. These boys have a 32-7 record and went to the Super Bowl the last three years, winning it twice. It was a good meal for a good cause, helping fund letter jackets for the team.

Many are dashing here and there this time of year, stressing about cooking and cleaning and such. But we don’t have to fall prey to the hectic pace of the season. Marian Wright Edelman, in her book, “Guide My Feet,” suggests relaxing by meditating on “The Nun’s 23rd Psalm” from All Saints Convent in Catonsville, Md.

It goes like this: “The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush. He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals; He provides me with images of stillness, which restoremy serenity. He leads me in ways of effi ciency through calmness of mind. And His guidance is peace. Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret, for His presence is here. His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance. He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity. By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquility, My cup of joyous energy overfl ows. Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruit of my hours for I shall walk in the place of my Lord and dwell in His house forever.”

Susan Holland, who works for the Westside Eagle Observer, is a lifelong Benton County resident.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 11/20/2013