Friday Five: Autumn

Singing Owl at RevGalBlogPals gives this week’s Friday Five about Autumn:

“Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest. Jeremiah 5:23b

The Autumnal Equinox has just come 'round again. I took a look back at our Friday Fives and noted that it always seems to make the Rev Gals and their Pals think of changes.

There is something so nostalgic about this time of year, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. The nights grow cooler, crops are harvested, for some of us the leaves are beginning to change colors. The scent of smoke is in the air, pumpkins are in the stores (or on wagons, or in roadside stands for those of us in the country). I'm thinking of putting away my summer clothes and pulling out the sweaters. And I have a tub of Fall-themed items that my husband just lugged up from the basement. I'm looking for my scarecrow.

For this week, let's share some memories along with some hopes and expectations.”

1. Share a Fall memory.

I remember a lot of contemplation from my childhood, though my guess is that those who knew me as a child would not have known I was thinking that much! In the autumn, I loved to kneel on a chair in the living room, looking out the big window at the cars driving through the rain. There was always music playing; sometimes Enya or Priscilla Herdman (just downloaded one of her cds onto my computer yesterday because it felt like fall!), but I recall one time in particular when Pachebel’s Canon was playing and it just felt perfect. That memory is one of the happy places I go when I’m feeling low.

2. Your favorite Fall clothes--(past or present)?

I just moved my fall and winter clothes box to my new place, because I knew I had enough to cover me if it turned cold (we’ve had some really hot days lately). The box is clear, so I could peek inside - a little bubble of excitement popped inside me! I saw my wool cloak which I like to wear to church. It is brown with an orange and golden-yellow geometric design. I also saw some cool weather tunics, which look cute with narrow legged jeans and boots…. Basically, I like all my Fall clothing! But that’s what happens when you live in a state that’s cold 9 months out of the year!

3. Share a campfire story, song, experience...etc.

So many of my memories from childhood are of camping, sitting around the campfire, hearing silly and scary stories, or just talking about all sorts of things really, so much so that it would be hard to pick just one! But really, although Christmas is the time I think the most about my extended family, Fall is the time that reminds me most of my nuclear family – going to the Downtown library on a rainy day with my mom, hiking through the woods on the lookout for deer with my dad, endlessly harassing my brother and sister for inclusion In their ‘big kid’ worlds… it reminds me of how blest I was, even with all the struggles we had, that I was so loved, so assuredly.

And this reminds me of the passage above. There were things to be afraid of for me as a child, and I was afraid and worried frequently. And yet, I never questioned if I was loved; it went without saying that we would be there for each other. And that’s really what this passage says to me about God – the power of creation may frighten us at times, but it should also prove to us how deep and wide God’s love for us goes, and that she will always be there for us.

4. What is your favorite thing about this time of year?

The weather, of course… Fall really has become my favorite season, and for more reasons than just the weather, but even though I had to rush back upstairs to find my long forgotten umbrella this morning, another little bubble of excitement popped when I heard the noise of cars driving past my house in the rain… (see above)

5. What changes are you anticipating in your life, your church, family...whatever...as the season changes and winter approaches?

There have already been some changes in our family, and they will continue to take time for healing and adjusting. I am moving in a few weeks, which is a change that affects the whole family, since I have been living with my brother and sister-in-law. Also, I have taken on some new and not so new responsibilities for this fall, and that is a little scary, but I’ve made up my mind to say no to any further requests!

Bonus: What food says "AUTUMN" at your house? Recipes always appreciated.

I only like soup when it’s cold outside, so I always look forward to appreciating my favorite soup again – butternut squash! Unfortunately, I am lazy and usually get the kind in a can or box, or go to Wolfgang Puck Express for theirs!

I also, like my mom, feel like eating aeblekage, but you can go to AuntieKnickers blog to learn about that!

Here’s an extra bonus of my own, BOOKS and MOVIES:

I have a book and a movie that are mandatory for fall. The book is one from a local Minneapolis writer (who as far as we can tell, only wrote the one book), and is a young adult novel about a boy who moves from Minneapolis to a farm in Pennsylvania….where he meets the ghost of his ancestor just in time for Halloween! It’s called The Riddle of Penncroft Farm, by Dorothea Jensen

The film I have to watch is Baby Boom with Diane Keaton. It is so deliciously 80s and there is a great montage of the fall when she is working in the orchard and making babyfood and then driving around Vermont selling it… I rent it every year!