Welcome! God has blessed the Atlantic community with yet another beautiful week, hasn’t he?
While driving along Adamsville Road last weekend, I noticed pumpkins and cornstalks gracing front porches, and leaves beginning to turn golden, orange, and crimson. It’s amazing the way the trees seem to know precisely when to change colors.
I’ve seen archers out hunting, and I’ve heard talk of trunk-or-treat in East Fallowfield. Even though I’m still longing for warm days, fall has arrived.
I’ve dreaded fall and winter for many years, as the shorter, gray days trigger depression. I revel in the long days and sunshine of spring and summer. But this year I’m not afraid. My life is vastly different than it was last year, and I have great hope for continued happiness and peace, no matter what lies ahead.
There are so many ways to absorb the beauty and fun of this season. Walking on country roads. Gazing at golden leaves with sunlight shining through. Closing my eyes and smelling dried or burning leaves. Tasting apple crisp and pumpkin pie.
Some of my favorite memories of autumns past include hayrides with the late Lloyd Gerber. He could turn a simple drive around the backroads of East Fallowfield Township into a thrill ride. I’m talking, white knuckling your hay bale with one hand and clutching your kid to your chest with all your might with your other hand. He was one of a kind, and I am blessed to have known him. He surely did make me laugh, and I made memories I cherish on those hayrides.
Other happy memories include carving pumpkins as a kid. It was always a blast, especially when we got to eat the roasted pumpkin seeds afterward. I don’t know if anyone else considers caramel corn a seasonal food, but I always think of it during fall, probably because my mom made it while we carved pumpkins.
And then there’s apple cider and fresh apples from local markets and stands. I was recently given a huge bag of Cortland apples. They came straight from a tree—not a store. They are dimpled and spotted, but they’re delicious. What a treat!
Now is definitely the time to take long walks in the woods, take pictures of changing leaves, and sip warm, spiced cider. I hope you can carve out time to spend an afternoon or two this way.
Have a wonderful week! Blessings!