The bees flock to the asters, one of the last flowers to bloom.

The 10 foot tall sunchokes bloom late, putting on a beautiful display in early Fall, that is also welcomed by the bees that are getting ready for Winter.

The walnuts are falling all over our back yard. Cover your head when you hear one coming- it can hurt!

Peppers are the easiest to freeze for the Winter- just chop and bag. No blanching is needed.

CONNECTING WITH 
EARLY FALL
& CELEBRATING THE 
FALL EQUINOX
(Sept. 21st)

One leaf left on a branch
and not a sound of sadness or despair.  
One leaf left on a branch and no unhappiness.
One leaf left all by itself in the air 
and it does not speak of loneliness or death.
One leaf and it spends itself
in swaying mildly in the breeze.

- David Ignatow

Thoughts from Theresa:

Once when I was a child I sat in our backyard on a windless, Autumn day, and was amazed by the leaves falling all around me, gently spiraling in a silent waterfall of color, peacefully letting go.

Every Fall since then I try to find a similar day, when the wind isn't blowing and the leaves are dropping of their own accord. I watch the yellow walnut leaves in our yard fall in slow, acrobatic spirals. I sit, absorbing the sense of contentment, and try to learn the lessons of letting go with beauty. The trees are preparing to rest during Winter's quiet. I try to be as peaceful as I attempt to let go of Summer and transition into Winter.  

But peace can be hard to find when we need to finish the harvest and prepare for Winter. I try to find the energy to complete the work, while another part of me realizes I am tired enough that I want Winter to come sooner. I am caught between wanting the warm days of Summer to continue forever, and looking forward to resting during the cold days of Winter. 

I'm always somewhat jealous of one of our neighbors, who by this time of the year has stopped trying to grow food and has already pulled all the plants from her vegetable garden. In our yard, there is still a lot to do. I can still pick another round of herbs for drying, and there are medicinal roots to dig up, if only I could find the time. There is likely one more cucumber and some cherry tomatoes if I hunt for them, although I am surprised to realize that I am finally tired of eating fresh cucumber salad and juicy tomatoes. I am ready to switch to Fall and Winter vegetables:  cabbage, beets, carrots, kale....

The garden by now has "gotten away" from me, because there's never enough time to pull all the weeds or harvest everything that's available. The plants don't need me, and the garden is happy to fulfill its own needs and grow in its own direction. I'm never really comfortable with my attempts to control it so that it produces food, and at this time of the year, I can be content to let it go.

I know the killing frost will come soon and put an end to the growing season. Part of me is sad that the annual plants I have nourished from seed and taken care of all Summer will die, but other parts of me look forward to resting along with the perennials during the Winter.

But even after the frost, our work will not be over. Several of our "crops" are best harvested after the plants have died back, or after one or two frosts. This would include kale, sunchokes, rose hips, skirret, and groundnuts. It's also time to pick up the walnuts that liter the backyard, and start the difficult process of removing the husk, drying the nuts, cracking the shells, and finally extracting the edible parts. We have been trying to do more of this each year, in order to use what bounty we have, but it's a difficult job.

In September and early October, we spend a lot of time preserving food for the Winter, some that we've harvested from our yard, and a lot that we buy from the farmer's market. Many farmers will give you a discount if you arrange in advance to buy a large amount from them. Every weekend we freeze, dehydrate, and/or can food. I feel more secure watching the pantry fill up.

There is much work to be done in Autumn, but I am starting to get tired and slow down. I try to be gentle with myself, do what I can, and learn my lessons about letting go of the rest. I try to make time to enjoy the beauty of the Autumn light shining through the leaves of changing colors. 

The plants in the garden are giving their all. Stems and leaves surrender their energy to fruiting. The days are shorter, the air cooler. Autumn is ripeness, an urgency to complete, to go to fruit and seed, to give to the future. 

- Gunilla Norris
A Mystic Garden:  Working with Soil, Attending to Soul

The pantry is filling up with foods we have canned and dehydrated.

Early Fall harvest of herbs, kale, and the last cucumbers and tomatoes.

Our wood piles are ready for Winter.

Some plants, like these rose hips, are best harvested after the first frost.

Celebrating the Fall Equinox 
(around Sept. 21):
Giving Thanks

On the Fall Equinox day and night are of equal length, balancing between Summer and Winter. After the Equinox, the nights will become longer than the days, ushering us into the darkness of Winter. 

It's the traditional time to give thanks for Nature's abundant harvest, both literally, in what we've been able to store in our pantry to sustain us through the Winter, and figuratively, in other areas of our lives, which often parallel the changing seasons. 

Sometimes in our consumer culture it's easier to focus on what we don't have rather than give thanks for what we do. I believe that giving thanks helps us appreciate and preserve our blessings, because the universe sometimes has a way of bringing our attention to the things we don't appreciate by taking them away. I hope to never lose something and find myself regretting that I didn't appreciate it while I could.

Most mornings in the quiet time when I'm riding the vanpool to work, I say this prayer of thanksgiving to myself, which is paraphrased from one of my favorite novels (The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge):

Great Goddess,
Bless this Day, 
    (and I think of all the people to whom I want to send blessings)
Thee I Thank
    (and I connect with feelings of appreciation while thinking of
     what I'm thankful for)
Into Thy Hands
    (and I think of the things I'm having trouble with and don't know
    how to improve, offering them to the Universe, to remake into 
    something better)
Blessed Be.


I give thanks for the shelter of my home, for being
   warm in the Winter and cool in the Summer,
    while I think of those who are homeless
I give thanks for having running water and electricity
    while I think of those who walk miles for water
    or have lights for only a few hours a day
I give thanks for feeling safe
    while I think of those who are refugees from war
I give thanks for the health that I have
    while knowing my ability to walk may lessen as I get older
I give thanks for my cats
    while thinking of those who do not have others to cuddle
I give thanks for my partner
   while thinking of those who face life alone

I try to give thanks for all the things in my life that could easily be taken for granted, to make sure I appreciate and enjoy them while they are still here. 

And because I believe in a loving, abundant universe, I also:

Give thanks for unknown blessings
already on their way.

- Native American saying

Our Tree Banner:
Achieving Balance and Giving Thanks

As we began to delve deeper into what the Equinox means to us, I created a tree banner to symbolize the season and hang above our altar in 2020.

We used pieces of construction paper to add our thoughts and wishes to the tree about how we could achieve more balance in our lives, by bringing in that which would nourish us, and getting rid of that which is no longer useful:

• In the roots, we added what we wanted to bring into our lives, what would gestate underground over the Winter, what would be the foundation of the future. In blue wave shapes we indicated what we hoped would nourish us (exercise, meditation), like water nourishes the tree. In brown seed shapes we listed projects we would like to pursue, that would sprout and grow in the Spring (write a new book?).
• In the tree limbs we added leaf shapes to symbolize what we would like to see gone from our lives (overeating, working too hard). They would blow away like the autumn leaves.
• I don't believe balance can ever be achieved without realizing what we have to be thankful for, so around the strong trunk of the tree, we listed those things we were grateful for (a mortgage free home, each other), that are the foundation of our lives.
• At the Spring Equinox in March, we can bring out the tree and see how far we've gotten in achieving the balance we hoped for. We can go through the process again, but in reverse, with the new leaves symbolizing what we want to bring in, and the roots symbolizing what is released into the soil.

To make the banner:

• Choose a background fabric of appropriate size.
• My tree is on a 24" embroidery hoop. It could also be made as a square hanging banner.
• To make the tree, cut a thick pile of equal length pieces of yarn in shades of brown. Position the pile in the center of your fabric. Using a similar color thread, lightly sew across the trunk area at the top, bottom, and middle, to hold the trunk in place.
• Then spread out the yarn for the branches and roots, and sew them on. It's not necessary to sew every inch of each strand of yarn. Just use the thread to anchor key points that keep it in the shape you want. If you leave some of the yarn loose, you can slip your pieces of paper behind the yarn so you don't need to pin them on.
  

Native Virginia Creeper puts on a good Fall display.

Fall Poetry:

O sacred season of Autumn, be my teacher,
for I wish to learn the virtue of contentment.
As I gaze upon your full-colored beauty,
I sense about you an at-homeness with your amber riches.

You are the season of retirement,
of full barns and harvested fields.
The cycle of growth has ceased,
and the busy work of giving life is now completed.
I sense in you no regrets: you've lived a full life.

I live in a society that is ever-restless,
always eager for more mountains to climb,
seeking happiness through more and more possessions.
As a child of my culture, 
I am seldom truly at peace with what I have.
Teach me to take stock of what I have given and received,
may I know that it's enough, 
that my striving can cease 
in the abundance of God's grace.
May I know the contentment that allows 
the totality of my energies to come to full flower.
May I know that like you I am rich beyond measure.

As you, O Autumn, 
take pleasure in your great bounty,
let me also take delight in the abundance 
of the simple things in life which are the true source of joy.
With the golden glow of peaceful contentment
may I truly appreciate this Autumn day.

- Edward Hays

Red leaves like blood drip
from the wounded maple
until it is dry.

- Theresa Berrie

Seasonal Music:

Autumn, piano solos by George Winston, 1980, Windham Hill Records.

Seasonal Reading:

Fall Foliage: The Mystery, Science, and Folklore of Autumn Leaves
by Charles W.G. Smith, with photography by Frank Kaczmarek
2005, a Falcon Guide, the Global Pequot Press
ISBN: 0-7627-2788-8

---

Each kernel is a gem 
with its own amazing colors and patterns.

HOW TO MAKE CORN NECKLACES
From Theresa

Bundles of "Indian corn" can be found at farmer's markets this time of the year, and adorn many doors as a seasonal decoration that mimic Fall's favorite colors. Each kernel has its own unique and beautiful palette. I like to work with these to create seasonal necklaces.

This is a simple project, making it easy to share with children. I always find that adults love it too, though. I was selling crafts at a Women's Spirituality event once and these necklaces became popular among a group there who remembered having them when they were younger.  

If you don't want a necklace to wear, these beautiful strands also make wonderful garlands for draping around a Fall altar, or look lovely hanging in a window. They will last for years if lightly used.

Here's how to make them:

1.  Remove kernels from several cobs of varying colors. Starting at the narrow, top end of the cob, push with your thumb on the first row of kernels, pushing away from the second row of kernels, toward the top of the cob. Make a twisting motion around the cob to detach the kernels.  It sounds hard, but once you get it started, it's fairly easy.

2.  Boil the loose kernels in a pot of water for 15 minutes to soften them.

3.  Drain the kernels and spread them on a bath towel that will soak up any excess water. Be sure and appreciate how beautiful they are. I like to run my hands hands through the pile and watch the colors change like a kaleidoscope. 

They have all the colors of Fall.

4.  Thread a needle. If using regular sewing thread, it should be doubled for strength. If you'd like your necklace to last longer, you can use fishing wire instead of thread.  Make sure the that the length of your thread or fishing wire is long enough to go over your head when the necklace is complete. Or, if you want a shorter or fancier necklace, you can use a metal necklace clasp (below) which can be bought from craft or jewelry supply/bead stores.

5.   The boiled kernels are softest near their base (the thinnest end). Push your needle through this end (see photo on the left), and keep stringing kernels until you've completed your necklace.  Knot the two ends of the thread together to finish the circle, or tie on the two parts of the clasp and join them.

6.  Here's a large shot of some finished garlands.  
Some people prefer to make them with multiple colors and patterns, others prefer all red or all yellow.  
Aren't they beautiful?

This type of corn was, of course, a staple crop for many Native Americans. I tried cooking it once many year ago according to a recipe I found in a seasonal cookbook and it tasted pretty bland. I have since read Carol Deppe's The Resilient Gardener:  Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times (2010, Chelsea Green Publishing, VT),  which focuses on growing beans, squash, and this kind of corn.  
She made the corn sound so tasty I wanted to run out and grow some myself so I could try cooking it again.

MAY YOU KNOW THE BLESSINGS OF AN ABUNDANT FALL!