October is now over. It was a lovely month.
As I was out picking up walnuts the last couple of weeks, I enjoyed the colorful leaves drifting down all around me. A few times I was accompanied by an industrious squirrel who was busy nearby harvesting his share of the nuts. And one day I had a larger “helper” when a black heifer strayed over where I was working and persisted in nosing around my bucket, even pushing over a sack full of walnuts I’d already picked up!
The days continue to grow shorter and evenings bring a chill in the air, but there’s still plenty of time to appreciate the fall beauty in field and forest.
Jo Northrop, author of “Simple Country Pleasures,” is one of my favorite writers. She once wrote of October, in a column she titled Autumn Idyll, “The month is filled with golden days that drift into evening shadow and an autumn chill that beckons us to hearth and fire. Just tramping along any wooded country road brings great pleasure, as the trees in their brilliant leafy garb remind us poignantly that the season changes, andwinter approaches.”
Northrop related that walking in the woods made her reflect on what the trees and woodlands mean to us. In grandmother’s day trees were the raw material for many household items. Wooden bowls,plates, breadboards, potato mashers and spoons were an essential part of every kitchen. Dough was rolled out with wooden rolling pins and the finished loaf of bread topped with butter from a wooden mold.
James E. Trice, author of “Butter Molds: A Primitive Art Form,” has quite a collection, some adorned with flower or acorn designs. The rarest and most valuable features, an eagle, cows and a rabbit.
Jim and I had a pleasant outing Saturday afternoon, Oct. 23, when we drove to visit a friend at his ranch near Wyandotte, Okla. The coffeepot was on so we got a cup and enjoying sitting, sipping and visiting with other guests on our host’s front porch. Horses grazed in the valley below and a plump groundhog scampered across a pathup near the barn.
Soon we filled our bowls and sampled the spicy chili simmering in a big pot on the stove. On the butcher block nearby were bags of corn chips, tortilla chips and grated cheese to accompany our chili. There were also Indian corned beef and a cake for dessert. We had a delicious meal and brought home a container of chili and another of trail mix.
Our host’s kitchen is heated with a wood stove which he’s fired up once this season, and he reports it adequately heated the whole house.
Firewood is another of the woodland’s riches that comes to mind in fall. When the air grows cold, a crackling fire is a symbol of home, hearth and happiness. Some families are returning to wood as their primary heat source. Wood stoves and fireplaces are used for auxiliary heat, and friends gather to share the warmth and a sense of peace. We are all drawn to a cozy fire. Even the cat and dog compete for space near its flame.
Cool autumn days are ideal for splitting and stacking firewood. Even with all our sophisticated heating and cooling equipment, there is still a sense of security in having a neatly stacked woodpile handy by the back door.
“If the power fails,” folks think, “we will be warm.”
They think of winter mornings when they willhave coffee by the fire and afternoons when snowsoaked socks will be hung to dry in front of it. On an icy day, who does not head straight for the fireplace or stove and stand in front of it warming their hands?
Now we see color everywhere. Trees in the fence rows are decked in shades of yellow, red and orange. Bright orange pumpkins sit on many doorsteps. The grocery produce department features orange pumpkins and sweet potatoes, shiny red and yellow apples, sparkling cider and assorted brown nuts. So we stock up. We know we are poised on the edge of cold and snowy weather and we want to feel ready.
Susan Holland, who works for the Westside Eagle Observer, is a lifelong Benton County resident.
Opinion, Pages 7 on 11/03/2010