back to standard time {november 7, 2022}

As we approach the winter solstice, dusk arrives early these days and it arrived even earlier when Daylight Savings Time ended on Sunday. T and I took a walk as the sun set at 5:29 p.m. The almost full moon was rising in the western sky and the first pale colors of the sunset turned more vibrant as day turned into night. 

Parents with young children and dog owners dislike this century-old clock changing ritual as it usually takes a week for body clocks to adjust to the time change. The Senate has voted to make Daylight Savings Time permanent and now it has to pass through the House. With all the opinions that have to be considered and politicking in general, my bet is that we'll "spring forward" in March. 

fall back {november 6, 2022}

 A favorite memory from the 2020 fall time change...

The "fall back" time change got my big dog Ted and me out on our early morning walk during that time in between light and dark. Before we went out the door, for whatever reason, I grabbed my big camera to take with me. Outside was so peaceful; no cars or people on the streets. The brisk air jolted me out of some brain fog: fog that came from the hour time difference, fog from thinking about my father-in-law's passing and my kids losing two grandparents in five months, fog from missing my chocolate Lab Hunter, whose soft ears were such a comfort when I was stressing out. So Ted stopped to pee and I looked up and saw the full blue moon. We weren't far from the river walk. I'm dragging Ted, bribing him with biscuits to hurry him to the path along the Great Miami so I could take a picture. We made it, Ted got another biscuit, and I snapped a few photos. This moon has me geeking out a little. There hasn't been a full moon on Halloween since 1944, it's a blue moon (2nd full moon in the same month), and it's also known as the Hunter's Moon. Call it what you will...fate, happenstance, serendipity, God wink...

You all make it a great day.

saturday silly {november 5, 2022}

 

in a pickle {november 4, 2022}

While we were away for a long weekend and quite a few of my veggies began their journey to the trash can. They weren't spoiled, just a little wrinkled, and still good enough to eat. French breakfast radishes, a red Italian stuffing pepper, half an English cucumber (this is beginning to sound like a meeting of the United Nations), a few rings from an Ohio candy onion, a hot banana pepper grown on my friend's farm, and a good ole Kroger carrot could have made their way into a salad but I wanted to do something different for their last days in the fridge. Pickles.

Making is pickles a quick, easy, and delicious way to preserve many garden vegetables, especially those forgotten few from the veggie bin. My go-to recipe comes from page 57 in Joshua McFadden's Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables. It's a low acid with a touch of sweetness brine that doesn't overpower the taste of the vegetables.

Basic Pickle Brine

1/2 c. rice vinegar

1 T. white wine vinegar

1 1/2 c. hot water

5 T. sugar (I cut it down to 4 T.)

1 T. plus 1 t. kosher salt

Put everything in a pot or big pitcher and stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Using a clean canning jar, fill with your vegetable(s) in a way that shows off their beauty, pour the brine until the vegetables are completely covered and the jar is full, and screw on the cap. Refrigerate for up to 2 months. Start tasting after the first day to see how the flavor and texture are developing. They are ready to eat as soon as you think they are.

the secret life of bees {november 3, 2022}

Noticed this dead bee on a fall flower. Bees have a lifespan of only six weeks. They continue gathering nectar as they age, until the day they can't make it back to the hive. This seems like a pretty nice final resting place.

(Credit: Dayton at Work and Play)

wordy wednesday... día de los muertos {november 2, 2022}

The Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2. It is widely observed in Mexico where it largely developed, and is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage. Although related to the simultaneous Christian remembrances Halloween (All Hallows' Eve) and All Saints’ Day, it has a much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than mourning. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased using calaveras (decorative skulls) and marigolds, building ofrendas (home altars) with the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased.

Back in my days of teaching 8th grade Spanish and Language Arts, the lesson this time of year was about Día de los Muertos, comparing and contrasting the differences between this day, Halloween, and All Saints' Day. The final assignment was to create an ofrenda for a loved one who had passed away, write a poem, letter, epitaph about the person, and then the part that was most difficult for many, give a short presentation about their project.

My daughter and son-in-law celebrate Día de los Muertos and put an ofrenda in their home to honor those who have passed. It's a very special way to begin this season of gratitude.

Photo: Lauren Garcia

Until We Meet Again

We think about you always,

We talk about you still,

You have never been forgotten

And you never will.

We hold you close within our hearts

And there you will remain,

To walk and guide us through our lives

Until we meet again.

november {november 1, 2022}

November comes

And November goes,

With the last red berries 

And the first white snows.

With the night coming early,

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket

And frost coming late.

The fires burn

And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest

Until next spring.

- Clyde Watson