Simple Joys
It was just a regular week this week, full of teaching and writing and enjoying the cooling weather here in Florida. And a little fun here and there.
No one celebrates cooling weather more than Floridians. Fall is embraced with passion. After I finished teaching my twice weekly set of classes yesterday I went to the local pumpkin patch with my grown daughter and four year old grandson. We looked at every pumpkin there to find just the right one. The grandson at first wanted a yellow one -- he loves things that are different. This place had them -- even green ones -- as well as every size and shape of pumpkin you can imagine. But at some point he changed his mind and picked out a small orange one for himself and helped his mom pick out a big pumpkin of the same color that will sit on the front porch. The stem reminded me of a curling tuft of hair. I didn't get to see the face they carved on it later because they were decorating the bushes in the front yard with little orange pumpkin lights and a big grinning plastic spider and I had to head home. But I can imagine it will have a very interesting face. I brought home a simple small one I'll leave uncarved because I like it that way. Well, maybe I'll carve a face in it and put a votive candle inside the night the kids come for candy... I haven't decided. I'm kind of liking the idea of taking the money I'd spend on candy and sending it to the United Nations organization for children (UNICEF). Did you ever carry around one of those little boxes to collect donations for it at Halloween?
Even though it's been cooler, instructions had to be looked up to preserve the pumpkin after it was cut. Fortunately, I found those instructions on my Yahoo home page this morning and sent them to her.
Earlier that day I celebrated another rite of the season: the eating of my first piece of pumpkin pie for fall. It was a reward for making it through the day of work with a bad cold (another first for the season). There's a little Greek diner near where I teach and I went there to be mothered by the older waitress who served me Greek chicken and rice with lemon soup. Both the mothering and the soup helped me feel much better. I've convinced myself that the pumpkin pie is a nutritious vegetable that will help in the healing, too.
I'm looking forward to other simple joys of the season...we don't get the gorgeous display of colored leaves like up north, or the snowflakes in the winter. But fall brings the end of the hurricane season and people start moving around outdoors walking and going to art festivals and things we can't do in the blazing heat of summer. Last year I missed Thanksgiving because I was in the hospital overnight so I plan to have a big portion of turkey and dressing and pie to make up for it and I don't want anyone to use the word "diet" around me. Or oink as some members of the family do to each other when we over-indulge.
I hope you're enjoying the simple joys of the season in whatever part of the country you live in.
Blessings,
Barbara
PS: take a look at my newly redesigned website. My son did a great job and was given permission to use photos taken by a friend of his who recently visited Bird-in-Hand in Lancaster County. Makes me yearn to be there now. Also check out the trailers for three of my books on the site. I hope you'll enjoy watching them!
No one celebrates cooling weather more than Floridians. Fall is embraced with passion. After I finished teaching my twice weekly set of classes yesterday I went to the local pumpkin patch with my grown daughter and four year old grandson. We looked at every pumpkin there to find just the right one. The grandson at first wanted a yellow one -- he loves things that are different. This place had them -- even green ones -- as well as every size and shape of pumpkin you can imagine. But at some point he changed his mind and picked out a small orange one for himself and helped his mom pick out a big pumpkin of the same color that will sit on the front porch. The stem reminded me of a curling tuft of hair. I didn't get to see the face they carved on it later because they were decorating the bushes in the front yard with little orange pumpkin lights and a big grinning plastic spider and I had to head home. But I can imagine it will have a very interesting face. I brought home a simple small one I'll leave uncarved because I like it that way. Well, maybe I'll carve a face in it and put a votive candle inside the night the kids come for candy... I haven't decided. I'm kind of liking the idea of taking the money I'd spend on candy and sending it to the United Nations organization for children (UNICEF). Did you ever carry around one of those little boxes to collect donations for it at Halloween?
Even though it's been cooler, instructions had to be looked up to preserve the pumpkin after it was cut. Fortunately, I found those instructions on my Yahoo home page this morning and sent them to her.
Earlier that day I celebrated another rite of the season: the eating of my first piece of pumpkin pie for fall. It was a reward for making it through the day of work with a bad cold (another first for the season). There's a little Greek diner near where I teach and I went there to be mothered by the older waitress who served me Greek chicken and rice with lemon soup. Both the mothering and the soup helped me feel much better. I've convinced myself that the pumpkin pie is a nutritious vegetable that will help in the healing, too.
I'm looking forward to other simple joys of the season...we don't get the gorgeous display of colored leaves like up north, or the snowflakes in the winter. But fall brings the end of the hurricane season and people start moving around outdoors walking and going to art festivals and things we can't do in the blazing heat of summer. Last year I missed Thanksgiving because I was in the hospital overnight so I plan to have a big portion of turkey and dressing and pie to make up for it and I don't want anyone to use the word "diet" around me. Or oink as some members of the family do to each other when we over-indulge.
I hope you're enjoying the simple joys of the season in whatever part of the country you live in.
Blessings,
Barbara
PS: take a look at my newly redesigned website. My son did a great job and was given permission to use photos taken by a friend of his who recently visited Bird-in-Hand in Lancaster County. Makes me yearn to be there now. Also check out the trailers for three of my books on the site. I hope you'll enjoy watching them!
Posted by Barbara Cameron at 10/22/2010 6:33 PM 
Categories: An Amish Christmas, Quilts of Lancaster County series, A Time to Love
Tags: Amish fiction
Categories: An Amish Christmas, Quilts of Lancaster County series, A Time to Love
Tags: Amish fiction
Barbara, I was born and reared in Tampa, so I can surely identify with your weather/season reports in your articles. One delicious delicacy that has hit the scenes at this time of year is pumpkin cheesecake at Olive Garden. Try it - you will LOVE it. mew
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I have to challenge your statement that no one celebrates cooler weather like Floridians. Have you been to AZ? Everyone is quite excited to be out of the 100 degree temps! That is except for my husband who thinks it cold if it gets into the 70's. He is a true desert rat!! Enjoy your cooler weather, I sure am enjoying ours! Thanks for your blog.
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Nice article Barbara, would love to have 100 degrees right now....it's freezing in Ohio....I have my heater on and about 3 top layers....BRRRRRRRRR
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