thanks, mr. frost

I'm in a poetic sort of mood today, which reminded me of my most recent trip to New England and a beautiful cemetary in Bennington, Vermont. I knew Robert Frost was buried there, so I begged The Husband to pull over and all three of us piled out of our rented SUV. The October air was perfect -- crisp, not too cold, quiet, sunny. Harper was bundled in her hoodie. There was a gorgeous white church built in 1700-something-or-other, and it was surrounded by gravestones of Revolutionary War soldiers. But perhaps the most breathtaking part of the scene was the bright yellow falling leaves that seemed to be everywhere -- coating the pathways and landing softly on tombstones. Mesmerized by the beauty of the place, I couldn't stop snapping pictures. We slowly made our way through the graves, following arrows that said "Frost grave." And suddenly there it was, and I was practically alone with a poet that filled many of my days as a pupil and, later, as an English teacher. By the time we arrived at Frost's grave, I wanted to thank him for leading me to that place, a beautiful, historic cemetary on a hillside in rural Vermont. I never thanked him properly, so instead, I'll leave it with one of my favorite Frost poems and a hope that one day I'll return.

A Late Walk
by Robert Frost

When I got up through the mowing field,
The headless aftermath,
Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,
Half closes the garden path.

And when I come to the garden ground,
The whir of sober birds
Up from the tangle of withered weeds
Is sadder than any words.

A tree beside the wall stands bare,
But a leaf that lingered brown,
Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,
Comes softly rattling down.

I end not far from my going forth,
By picking the faded blue
Of the last remaining aster flower
To carry again to you.

autumn in the northeast

Fall is officially here, and I am giddy and happy per usual this time of year. This fall is more exciting than normal because 1) Harper turns 1 next week, 2) I spent last weekend in New York (more on that soon), 3) Harper will get to experience her first State Fair EVER, 4) my brother is getting married next weekend, and 5) we are going back to New England next month. This time it will be the Berkshires in Massachusetts, upstate New York, southwestern Vermont, and perhaps a little northern Connecticut thrown in if we have time. It was a last-minute decision to take this trip, and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to see the leaves, taste the cider and squash, and curl up by the fire in our condo.

I'm thinking of going to Whole Foods to purchase some Cinderella pumpkins just because. I tend to feel much better with a gourd on my porch.

*Photo above is Amherst, Mass.

autumn continues...

On Halloween, we took the wee one to the Dallas Arboretum to gaze at mums, frolic among fallen leaves, and have fun with pumpkins. I discovered that there is a tree on the arboretum grounds that has been there since before the constitution was signed. (I love learning interesting facts about my city.) It was an absolutely perfect day (I wore a sweater!), and Harper slept the entire time. Despite the fact that she didn't see much of the gorgeous colors, we did snap some pretty darn cute pictures.

I've decided that holidays, outings, seasons, and special occasions are so much more fun with a child. I can't even imagine what Christmas is going to be like. There's something incredible about the idea of sharing these moments with my daughter, teaching her about traditions and the world around her. I can hardly wait for the next adventure...

autumn, here we come

While I wait (impatiently) for the arrival of my baby, I keep reminding myself to stop and smell the roses. (We don't have any roses, but I digress.) I'm sensing the arrival of fall, my favorite time of year, which officially begins tomorrow. Nevermind that the temperature is still in the 80s. Somewhere, somehow there is a green leaf slowly changing to crimson, and it makes me giddy. I took the above photograph a couple of years ago, and decided to post it because, well, I love gourds. I just love them. Pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors are on sale at Whole Foods already. Call me silly, but I live for autumn.

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My Autumn Top 10:

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10) Cooler temps. We don't get much of a break between summer and winter in Texas, and I cherish all three weeks of it. I adore breezy temps in the 60s.

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9) Halloween. This was my favorite holiday as a child. My elementary school would have a Halloween carnival, and it made the night so much more festive. I don't dress up now, but I never miss a chance to give out candy to the neighborhood little ones.

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8) Thanksgiving. As a young adult, my favorite holiday morphed into Thanksgiving, and my mouth still waters thinking about my Nana's turkey and dressing with the sounds of a football game in the background.

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7) Pumpkin bread. There is a tradition in my family of clove-and-nutmeg-enriched, pumpkin-bread-making in the fall. We are not allowed to begin until October 1, and all baking must cease by January 1. It keeps it special.

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6) Colorful leaves. Lest you begin to think that my entire list is food related, worry no more. I once made a pilgrimage to New England in October just to leaf-peek. I'm a weirdo. In Dallas, we only have a brief show, but it makes me happy.

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5) Football. I'm from Texas. It's a prerequisite.

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4) Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin". Don't laugh. You know you love it, too.

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3) Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum. I begin to lose consciousness (not really) when I think about how, this year, I will have a little one to take to the Arboretum, snuggle her up against some pumpkins, and take a picture. Sigh.

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2) Gourds. Green ones, white ones, striped ones... I'm addicted. It's no coincidence that Cinderella's pumpkin turned into a magic coach to take her to the ball. Gourds are magical. And they don't taste bad, either. Bake a butternut squash with some cinnamon, and you'll be addicted, too.

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1) The State Fair of Texas. This is, hands down, the best thing about fall in Dallas. The fair begins this Friday and ends October 18. I've only missed it once my entire life, and I look forward to it every year. I'm beginning to salivate right now. But it's about more than the fried food; it's the ferris wheel, the livestock, the giant talking cowboy in Wrangler jeans, the tradition of attending a fair that's more than a century old. It's beyond explanation.

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Well, did I leave something out?

pumpkin bread batch #1

My first batch of pumpkin bread this season was a success, and I can thank my Kichen Aide Mixer. I love it straight out of the oven with it's warm and fluffy inside and crunchy, sugary outside. However, I do have a fondness for the day-old-pumpkin-bread snack. After it's been wrapped in foil overnight, it morphs into a cool, moist dessert--especially with a dollop of whipped cream. (I've even been known to grab a slice for breakfast as I'm running out the door each morning.) Pumpkin bread is, I've decided, in my top 10 list of favorite things about the holidays.

homage to the pumpkin

When I was a child, autumn had not officially begun until my Mom would bake pumpkin bread from scratch. I'd watch her pour all the ingredients into the mixture, from ground cloves and cinnamon to flour and eggs, and then my brother and sister and I would wait impatiently for an hour for the bread to bake. We luckily had a new loaf to devour almost every weekend. She still makes the pumpkin bread, though probably not quite as often, as the kids have moved out now and are attempting to make pumpkin bread loaves of our own.

Last Christmas, The Husband bought me a Kitchen Aide mixer, and I couldn't wait to use it to make a batch of pumpkin bread. However, the fall season was over, and I wasn't about to break the seasonal tradition by making pumpkin bread past Christmas. So I've waited, and not finding anything else worthy of my semi-culinary genius, the mixer has sat unused in the cupboard. I have since been reminded of my neglect, so we went to the grocery store, where I procured all the necessary ingredients to make pumpkin bread. I'll post the results here.

The photo above is an image of the white pumpkin (also called a "Casper") that I got from Central Market. I love these pale pumpkins. It's been the centerpiece on my dining room table all season.

leafy residential

Autumn in Texas goes quickly. One day it's summer, and then suddenly the leaves are golden and on the ground. Sometimes, the trees skip the golden part completely and morph from green to brown. If you want to see fall in Texas, you must look quick, for after a good thunderstorm, the trees are left bare and it's suddenly winter. This unfortunate fact is a sad one for someone like me, who looks forward to fall so much. This week the trees on our property have dumped tons of happy little leaves all over our St. Augustine grass. I couldn't help but stand in the middle of them and take a few photographs.

pumpkin carving

Random autumn fact: the jack-o-lantern was named after the phenomenon of strange lights flickering over peat bogs called ignis fatuus, or jack-o'-lantern.

In the spirit of autumn, my sister came up with the genius idea to have a pumpkin-carving-slash-wine-tasting with the family. The Husband and I made a rat pumpkin:

Here are some other photos of an afternoon well spent:

gourd bliss

I love this time of year. Yellow leaves, crisp weather, and glowing pumpkins make me giddy and goofy inside. I yearn to make pumpkin bread, snuggle in warm blankets, and drink toasty beverages. No other season lives up to fall's loveliness. This afternoon, the first gusts of the autumn cold front moved into Texas, and when this happens, I feel suddenly light and free.