Preparing for Autumn: Gathering the abundant harvest at the end of summer, canning the last of the vegetables and making pomegranate jam, watching the first leaves dance down to the ground, grabbing from the upper shelf a sweater to wear, taking out the rake, stacking the cord of wood in the shed, and smelling the Autumn aroma in the air.
More than any other season Autumn reminds me of Willows. The decor of my mother’s and my cousin Judy’s home are autumn homes: Soothing, homey, comfortable, inviting, always something baking in the oven, clothes drying on the line. Homes that were soaking up the pleasures of simple living are as easy as running through a pile of leaves.
Judy and my mom rearrange their homes with the seasons. Decorating them to celebrate the moments at hand. I miss that tradition, I miss home most during Autumn. Is that pumpkin pie I smell hot from the oven? My memory tells me it is.
Autumn is my mother’s birthday, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, which is usually when I go home to visit.
Growing up in the country with my four brothers meant we played outside most of the time. We rode bikes, helped our parents clean the yard, played around the barn. It also meant I was raised to be a farmer’s wife. My mom taught me housekeeping: The art of setting a table, stacking a linen closet neatly, grocery shopping, cooking, baking, ironing, and changing a diaper- Those things that she knew by heart. The things that created a happy home in her world. My parents assumed I would marry a boy from Willows. It was a predictable bet.
Well, those lessons helped even if the predictable bet was never made, and a distant land became my home.
What season do you favor?
Summer is hot- but oh, the seasonal fruits and vegetables!
Winter is cold- with its haunting countryside.
Spring and Autumn play the twist of bringing one season in while sorting the other season out the door.
Some of these are photos from my cousin Judy’s home. Judy has a love affair with books. She uses them in her decor, and the bindings, more than the subject, depict the season’s color theme.
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