AUTUMN

Dylan  Thomas, in "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" talks about the death of his father. When I think of that powerful poem about death, the line, "Rage against the dying of the light," reminds me of  metaphorical images of fall-autumn.


"Then summer fades and passes and October comes. We'll smell smoke then, and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a sense of sadness and departure."
- Thomas Wolfe



Growing up in the deep South, in lower LA [Louisiana], fall meant Grinding Season [sugar cane], pecan picking, the Sugar Cane Festival, bonfires, and cool evenings.
Now I love searching for the perfect pumpkin with my grandchildren, cooking crock pot soups, and gazing at fall leaves.

Ideas for Fall

Plant pansies.
Pansies, a fashionable Victorian flower, were meant to be the flowers of lovers. People believed that pansies could transfer lovers' thought without spoken words. The derivation of pansy is French, pensee, meaning thought. Pansies have colorful face-makings in the petals. Plant now for blooms that last through the winter months.

Plant bulbs: Oct 15-Dec 15.

Rake leaves, talk to your children about leaf colors, the jump into leaf piles with them.

Carve a pumpkin. Purchase a pumpkin carving kit at a drugstores or other retail store.

Make pumpin bread. Por batter into cute leaf-shaped bakeware.


Make a pumpin cake. Pour batter into a fluted bundt pan. Add orange food coloring to white frosting. Frost cake. Turn flat-bottom ice cream cone upside down in center of cake, add green food coloring to white frosting and frost green--voila--the pumpkin stalk!

Read a book about fall to your grandchildren: Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins. Check out the library for more titles.