Autumn Tuesday (Something New) & An Update

Autumn is truly my favorite time of year.
(I know, for those of you who've been with me for a while, you're just shocked).

The mere sight of colorful leaves, pumpkins or Halloween decorations makes my soul burst with joy and brings a smile to my face as does the crisp, chilly wood smoke scented air.


In addition to my regular posts, I've decided to share with you writings and other surprises about and in tribute to Autumn throughout the rest of this Season.

Today I'm going to start off with some favorite passages from "New England Fancies" by W. Elmer Ekblaw. My copy is a first edition, signed by the author from 1935. Hubbs bought it for me 3 years ago in a shop down town.

"Autumn Haze"

"The season of subdued enthusiasm has come. Summer wanes and the winds of October bring the chill that warns of Winter.

The peace that comes with work well, and well-nigh, done hovers over all Nature's domain, and nothing soothes the restless surge of our hearts so well as the peace of Autumn, the peace of harvest, the peace of garnered stores, the peace of homes prepared for Winter.

Young and old, we set ourselves to the slower step of September now past, the softer mood of misty mornings and hazy evenings.

The haze that hangs over hill and harvest, that drifts between the woodlands at dawn, that steeps the horizon in mystery at noontide, and that settles over the hollows and the valleys at nightfall, symbolizes best the change in atmosphere, the change in rhythm and reason..."

"Apples Are Ripe"

"Apples are ripe in the orchards, and their harvest is on. Wild apples are ripe in the fields and forest bush, and the wild folk know full well where they fall. Baldwin and Ben Davis, Gravenstein and Golden Delicious, Winsap and Willowtwig, Russet and Rhode Island Greening, Saps of Wine and Sheepnose-their names are legion, and every name recalls memories of delightful Autumn days, cider and apple butter, pies and dumplings!"

"Apples are ripe in the orchards. We harvest and store them for Wintry days ahead when wind piles high the snow and frost chills our bones. Then with a juicy Baldwin toasting on the hearth, a rosy Winesap baking brown in the oven, or a jug of Jeniton cider tantalizing from the mantlepiece, we may hark back to the days of opening blossoms, or ripening grain or harvest abundance, and feel secure in the faith that they will all return."

"Autumn Color"

"We take too much for granted all this loveliness, this splendor, this mantle of luminous color over our hills. We motor though it unmoved, we tramp through it and do not feel its charm, we cast our eyes over it unstirred by its wonder; and yet it is the most inspiring of earth's incomparable majesties, worth the traverse of a continent, or the mightiest ocean, to behold."

"The Winter Sleepers"

"When September passes over into October, and the harvest moon gives way to the hunter's moon, the first chill winds creep down the hills as sunset draws the curtain of dusk over the evening sky, and the woodchuck and the chipmunk, the bear and the jumping mouse, put the finishing touches to their snug underground dens, nibble the last of provender, and stealthily withdraw themselves from the snow-awaiting world, to sink into Winter slumber."

Just a quick update: Tomorrow morning I report to the hospital for pre-op testing (blood work, paperwork, etc) and on Friday, 10/15, I'm going in for a day stay surgery to correct a portion of the tube which leads from my left kidney to my bladder and hopefully get the nephrostomy tube out of my left kidney as well. Hubbs and I decided the more evasive procedure is the best one because it doesn't just correct the problem for now, it hopefully corrects it permanently so I won't have any more problems passing any kinds of stones in the future. I had a similar surgery on the right hand side 5 years ago (though that one was more evasive than this will be) and I haven't had a problem on that side since. I'm praying this brings everything to a healthy close for me in this department and I can finally & fully move on from this horrendous experience. After all, it will be 4 months passed since this started once I'm finally finished with recovery!