Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Fall Fires
 |
| Cover art, 1936, by John Newton Howitt |
Autumn Fires
by Robert Louis Stevenson
In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!
Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.
Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!
 |
| Norman Rockwell |
Sunday, September 25, 2011
An Apple a Day
Repost from September, '07:
Tomorrow, September 26th, is the birthday of Johnny Appleseed!
John Chapman was the first to see the need to introduce these trees to the west. Did you know that it was a requirement in America at the time of westward expansion that homestead claims have an orchard? The apple tree isn't native to this country and had only come to the American eastern coast from Europe with the first settlers. The pioneers didn't have seed catalogues from which to order, of course. So, it was a mission of far-seeing charity that motivated Johnny.
It appears from early accounts of his life, that John Chapman was a welcome visitor wherever his westward wanderings brought him. Though he was quite an eccentric ~ a vegetarian who, more often than not, dressed in rags ~ he was known for being a gentle spirit, as well as a generous one, and apparently had more than one brush with heroism. He is known to have been an intermediary between settlers and Indians, solving various disputes. One story goes that during the war of 1812, when Johnny was in Mansfield,Ohio, the murder of a local merchant gave rise to fears of an iminent Indian uprising. Johnny, with all the walking he had done, seemed to have developed the swiftness and stamina of a marathon athlete, as he volunteered to run to the nearest town, Mount Vernon, to get help. This was a 26 mile run!
Johnny planted his first orchard near Licking Creek (Yeah, that's really the name!), Ohio, and I haven't been able to find if there are actually any more of his orchards or original trees in existence. If anyone knows of any, please let me know!
But you can get a graft from original Johhny Appleseed stock at raintree nursery. How cool would that be?
To celebrate the day, I think we'll go up the street to the farmstand and get some of the apples grown up the hill from us ("Honey Delicious"----SCRUMPTIOUS!), and make some baked apples, using Clarice's recipe over at Storybook Woods.
I think we may try Dawn's apple stencil idea at By Sun and Candlelight. The Littles may even be able to manage this one and a good time and a mess will be had by all (I say this with a smile on my face, really!).
I hunted around and found a fun, educational 'puter game called Bad Apple for the children to play as a treat. And maybe we'll go outside and see if we can find any apples on our 100% organic (read: "full of worms") apple tree to eat or make into applesauce.
It's good to be homeschooling again, so I'm spurred to do all this fun stuff! (*Lisa in 2011 -- misses doing all these things with all her children around her...)
Happy Johnny Appleseed Day, everyone!
Here is a sweet and simple little prayer to end with -- attributed to the original Mr. Appleseed.
Oh, the Lord is good to me,
Tomorrow, September 26th, is the birthday of Johnny Appleseed! Born John Chapman in Leominster, Massachusettes in 1774, Johnny Appleseed is one of the American legends, that unlike Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill, was a real, live human being. And the fact is that what we imagine of his personna is perhaps a humble understanding instead of an exaggeration!
This was an amazing man! He started out on his westward journey in 1801, heading west across the Ohio territory with the express purpose, just as the story goes, of planting orchards. With his packet of seeds and a pack on his back, and, as some legends go, barefoot and with a pot on his head, John Chapman set out to bring to the pioneers of the west the goodness and health of this wonderful fruit.
It's often imagined that individual trees were actually planted by Johhny Appleseed, but, in truth, his aim was more particularly to provide the seeds to the western settlers, as their faithful tending would be needed to bring the seeds to seedlings and the seedlings to bearing trees. He had also planted nurseries of his own in Northwestern Ohio. The caretakers he left in charge sold the apple trees on shares and Johnny would return every couple of years to retrieve his profit and check on his trees. Though he was not interested in being a millionaire, and if he were, his bad bookkeeping would have prevented it anyway, the small amount of money he made kept him afloat.
John Chapman was the first to see the need to introduce these trees to the west. Did you know that it was a requirement in America at the time of westward expansion that homestead claims have an orchard? The apple tree isn't native to this country and had only come to the American eastern coast from Europe with the first settlers. The pioneers didn't have seed catalogues from which to order, of course. So, it was a mission of far-seeing charity that motivated Johnny.
It appears from early accounts of his life, that John Chapman was a welcome visitor wherever his westward wanderings brought him. Though he was quite an eccentric ~ a vegetarian who, more often than not, dressed in rags ~ he was known for being a gentle spirit, as well as a generous one, and apparently had more than one brush with heroism. He is known to have been an intermediary between settlers and Indians, solving various disputes. One story goes that during the war of 1812, when Johnny was in Mansfield,Ohio, the murder of a local merchant gave rise to fears of an iminent Indian uprising. Johnny, with all the walking he had done, seemed to have developed the swiftness and stamina of a marathon athlete, as he volunteered to run to the nearest town, Mount Vernon, to get help. This was a 26 mile run!
Johnny planted his first orchard near Licking Creek (Yeah, that's really the name!), Ohio, and I haven't been able to find if there are actually any more of his orchards or original trees in existence. If anyone knows of any, please let me know!
But you can get a graft from original Johhny Appleseed stock at raintree nursery. How cool would that be?
To celebrate the day, I think we'll go up the street to the farmstand and get some of the apples grown up the hill from us ("Honey Delicious"----SCRUMPTIOUS!), and make some baked apples, using Clarice's recipe over at Storybook Woods.
I think we may try Dawn's apple stencil idea at By Sun and Candlelight. The Littles may even be able to manage this one and a good time and a mess will be had by all (I say this with a smile on my face, really!).
I hunted around and found a fun, educational 'puter game called Bad Apple for the children to play as a treat. And maybe we'll go outside and see if we can find any apples on our 100% organic (read: "full of worms") apple tree to eat or make into applesauce.
It's good to be homeschooling again, so I'm spurred to do all this fun stuff! (*Lisa in 2011 -- misses doing all these things with all her children around her...)
Happy Johnny Appleseed Day, everyone!
Here is a sweet and simple little prayer to end with -- attributed to the original Mr. Appleseed.
Oh, the Lord is good to me,And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need
The sun, and the rain, and the apple seed.
The Lord is good to me.
(Is there a candy bar holiday coming up??)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Corn Husk Angels Tutorial
(Reposted from August 30, 2007)
You will find there are two main sources of corn husks. You can buy and husk your own fresh corn, saving the silks for hair for your angel. This gives you the added bonus of having the wonderful corn to eat. Or you can buy pre-dried husks, used for making tamales. If you use fresh husks, you will need to dry it for several days (weeks, months, whatever) until it is stiff and completely dry. Be careful to keep husks separated and air circulating around them to avoid mildew.
After your husks have completely dried, (or after taking them straight out of the tamale wrapper bag), you must soak the now-dry husks for ten to fifteen minutes. Yes, it seems counter-intuitive after drying it, just to wet it again, but this is necessary in order to make the husks pliable. After soaking them, wring them dry. We then lay them out on a cookie sheet at this point for ease of transporting to our crafting area.
Next, we pre-cut several pieces of string, about 3-4 inches long, for binding husks together. Then we make the arms, by separating outcorn husk strips (app.1" wide each), and tie them at the tops.
Next, we braid them. You'll need two braided arms per angel. Pictured here is enough for two angels.
Then we prepare the angel's hair, either by gathering up a big fluff of cornsilk, or winding string or yarn around our hand several times, as so:
Next, take the "hair" and lay it on top of three pieces of corn silk, two side by side on the bottom, then the third piece overlapping the two on top, just under the string or silk.
Layer some more husks on top of the string "hair," following in reverse, with one piece of husk immediately over the string, and two more side by side on top of it. Doing it this way allows for a smooth "face," as you'll soon see.
Get a sturdy piece of string or yarn and tie the whole bunch securely at the very top.
Then, reach under the husks, take the end of the hair and turn the whole thing "inside-out."
Like so:
Smooth the husks down and around to form the head below the hair and make a tight knot, forming the neck.
Now, take the two arms and set them side by side, tying them together in the middle and trimming where there may be too much braid there overlapping.
Take a rolled up piece of husk about an inch thick to tuck in over the arms to give some shape to the angel's bodice.
With the angel lying face up, lift the front three sections of her skirt and place spread at a right angle two peices of husk cut and formed into wings, then, on top of the wings and under the "bodice" piece, add the arms.
With another piece of sturdy string, cinch in the angel's waist under her bodice and tie tightly.
Take a narrow piece of husk, and lay it behind the angel's neck; pull each end forward over her bodice, criss-crossing it in front; then tie this piece in place behind the waist with another piece of narrow husk.
Pull her arms into the position you like and tie with a piece of small string or thread, then trim the ends to make neat hands. You can make a halo out of very thin strips of husk braided and tied in a circle. To make her stand, trim the bottoms of her skirts and spread outward.
And, here she is, a little harvest angel!
You will find there are two main sources of corn husks. You can buy and husk your own fresh corn, saving the silks for hair for your angel. This gives you the added bonus of having the wonderful corn to eat. Or you can buy pre-dried husks, used for making tamales. If you use fresh husks, you will need to dry it for several days (weeks, months, whatever) until it is stiff and completely dry. Be careful to keep husks separated and air circulating around them to avoid mildew.
After your husks have completely dried, (or after taking them straight out of the tamale wrapper bag), you must soak the now-dry husks for ten to fifteen minutes. Yes, it seems counter-intuitive after drying it, just to wet it again, but this is necessary in order to make the husks pliable. After soaking them, wring them dry. We then lay them out on a cookie sheet at this point for ease of transporting to our crafting area.
Next, we pre-cut several pieces of string, about 3-4 inches long, for binding husks together. Then we make the arms, by separating outcorn husk strips (app.1" wide each), and tie them at the tops.
Next, we braid them. You'll need two braided arms per angel. Pictured here is enough for two angels.
Then we prepare the angel's hair, either by gathering up a big fluff of cornsilk, or winding string or yarn around our hand several times, as so:
Next, take the "hair" and lay it on top of three pieces of corn silk, two side by side on the bottom, then the third piece overlapping the two on top, just under the string or silk.
Layer some more husks on top of the string "hair," following in reverse, with one piece of husk immediately over the string, and two more side by side on top of it. Doing it this way allows for a smooth "face," as you'll soon see.
Get a sturdy piece of string or yarn and tie the whole bunch securely at the very top.
Then, reach under the husks, take the end of the hair and turn the whole thing "inside-out."Like so:
Smooth the husks down and around to form the head below the hair and make a tight knot, forming the neck.
Now, take the two arms and set them side by side, tying them together in the middle and trimming where there may be too much braid there overlapping.
Take a rolled up piece of husk about an inch thick to tuck in over the arms to give some shape to the angel's bodice.
With the angel lying face up, lift the front three sections of her skirt and place spread at a right angle two peices of husk cut and formed into wings, then, on top of the wings and under the "bodice" piece, add the arms.
With another piece of sturdy string, cinch in the angel's waist under her bodice and tie tightly.
Take a narrow piece of husk, and lay it behind the angel's neck; pull each end forward over her bodice, criss-crossing it in front; then tie this piece in place behind the waist with another piece of narrow husk.
Pull her arms into the position you like and tie with a piece of small string or thread, then trim the ends to make neat hands. You can make a halo out of very thin strips of husk braided and tied in a circle. To make her stand, trim the bottoms of her skirts and spread outward.
And, here she is, a little harvest angel!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The Season at Our House
Just a few shots of some of our traditional autumn decorations.
(Our little hiding squirrel is scampering here somewhere.)
 |
| The first traditional lighting of the fire on the feast of St. Michael, Sept. 29th |
 |
| The fall village is up on top of the very-dinged- during-moving black buffet. But Moon Man has yet to get a-hold of some candles... |
 |
| Yep. There he is. |
 |
| The inimitable "Jack the Haystack." We made this guy way back when Jon (19) was a baby. He's up in a tree because we don't trust Noey-dog to leave him be... |
Happy Autumn, Everyone!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Father in Heaven,Creator of all
and source of all goodness and love,
please look kindly upon us
and receive our heartfelt gratitude
in this time of giving thanks.
Thank you for all the graces and blessings
You have bestowed upon us,
spiritual and temporal:
our faith and religious heritage,
our food and shelter,
our health,
the loves we have for one another,
our family and friends.
Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity,
please grant us continued graces
and blessing throughout the coming year.
This we ask in the Name of Jesus,
Our Lord and Redeemer.
Amen.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The Frost is On the Pumpkin
"When the Frost is on the Punkin"
WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here—
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me—
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
~ James Whitcomb Riley
(1853 - 1916)
The frost is on the punkin
And the oatmeal's in the pot,
Come and get it, children,
While it's still hot!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Shine On, Shine On, Harvest Moon
Harvest Moon October 3rd-4th this year! Join us in watching the moon rise tonight where you live and pray for our nation and our world as we head into this fall season!Three Moonscapes by artist Caspar David Friedrich:
Moon Rising Over the Sea 
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Fun Projects for Thanksgiving Week
We found a few things to try out for next week through our favorite crafting headquarters, Crafty Crow.
We'll most definitely make this simple bead bracelet that tells the Thanksgiving story. I know the little girls will love that one! And this collage turkey project looks like lots of fun. And, of course, handprint/footprint turkeys are a must do! So easy for the little ones. Check out the pictures of our finished products here.
And for edible fun, we're going to have a hard time choosing between these super easy chocolate kiss acorns, these adorable turkey cookies these corn on the cob cupcakes, and these oh-my-gosh-adorable oreo cookie turkeys. We may have to make them all!
Last but not least, if you're looking for recipes for the Big Day on Thursday, Catholic Cuisine posted its Holiday Food Fair last week! Lots of fabulous ideas over there!
We'll most definitely make this simple bead bracelet that tells the Thanksgiving story. I know the little girls will love that one! And this collage turkey project looks like lots of fun. And, of course, handprint/footprint turkeys are a must do! So easy for the little ones. Check out the pictures of our finished products here.
And for edible fun, we're going to have a hard time choosing between these super easy chocolate kiss acorns, these adorable turkey cookies these corn on the cob cupcakes, and these oh-my-gosh-adorable oreo cookie turkeys. We may have to make them all!
Last but not least, if you're looking for recipes for the Big Day on Thursday, Catholic Cuisine posted its Holiday Food Fair last week! Lots of fabulous ideas over there!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Must Be November...
The week in pictures...
An autumn tradition, our little brown squirrel hides all around the house this time of year. As soon as the children spot him, he scurries away to find another hiding place. So far he's shown up hiding behind the flowers on the mantle, on the shelves over the stove (above), and the latest spotting was here on the trike. 
Following are a few of our autumn decorations, including some embellishments for our St. Theresa portrait, a work in progress of Jon's. We put this painting out at the beginning of October for her feast day, finshed or not, and here we are a month later... Nobody has the heart to take it down. It may just be a permanent fixture here on top of the piano. Maybe when Jon comes home at Thanksgiving, he'll take the hint and get out his paints to finish it...
Some close up shots of our autumn village, below. We use the top of our school cabinet for our seasonal displays. The Bible verse on the print hanging above is Ecclesiastes 3:1. The five little pumpkins on the fence (below) we made in honor of our children's first and favorite autumn poem.
The lights on our autumn wreath were the prize for a major literary award I won recently. Don't they look neat? (Incidentally, the kids havent noticed it yet, but our little squirrel is hiding in the leaves on the wreath...)
Here are the Saints after they came marching in last Saturday at our parish All Saints' Day party...
Three of our little saints down there. On the far right, Gabey as Old Testament St. Daniel; on the far left, William as his lion; in the middle Anna as St. Germaine.
All Souls' Day visits on Monday, Nov.3rd, to pray for dear ones and those who may never get prayers.Here we are visiting the grave of a dear parish priest, Fr. White. He got lots of prayers and lovin' and a bouquet of autumn leaves from Gabe.
Here are Theresa, Cathy, and Gabe, tending to the grave of our little one, Matthew. We have a bouquet of autumn flowers to add to his grave as soon as we figure out how to weight it properly so it won't blow away. Oh, how the wind does blow out here! (We're thinking we may just fill the pot with rocks, which will hold the pot down, but we're not sure if that will help keep the flowers in place. We've had a problem with this for years ~ the flowers blowing out of the pot. Anyone have any ideas ~ outside of concrete?)
All of our faithful departed...
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)