It's hot. It's humid. I have a load of outdoor work to be done and it's too uncomfortable even at 7:15am to even think of doing much of anything at all outdoors. I'm calling the late summer cleaning of the house my seasonal clean for autumn, so there's nothing much left to do here. Fall, where art thou?
Over on the other hill top, on the main road, golden rod is starting to bloom along the roadside. Here at home, the grass has taken on that end of season look. The growth has slowed considerably as well. John's been averaging mowing twice a week all this summer. This time he went just a bit beyond seven days before the yard looked shaggy. Leaves keep tumbling off the trees and a Blue Jay lit upon the golden bough in the pecan tree outside my living room window and it looked so much like autumn for a moment that I was almost fooled.
It's time at last to think of the things I love most about autumn and to start to plan to cozy up the house a little and cook heartier meals and plan my Fall wardrobe and...Well I could go on and on with the plans but let's see some action!
With this Holy Day upon us and the official end/beginning of the Judaic calendar, it seems appropriate to look for a new season. So over the next couple of weeks I'm introducing a new series, Looking for Fall. I'll share photos that are inspiring me, show you things from my own home and yard that I've accomplished. I might be short on the pumpkin spice recipes, but you will see some of the warming spices appear in recipes and yes, even a bit of pumpkin. I've got one post completed, based on Pinterest photos to inspire me, and hopefully you, in our fall wardrobes. Are you ready for some fresh ideas? I am! As one of you shared, this time of year truly does have a new year feel to it and it's a great time to prepare ourselves for the snuggling in months, gathering all we can for that next season to come. After all, every season is both a savoring time and a preparation time for the months ahead isn't it?
I mentioned Rosh Hashanah before and I felt so ashamed for my lack of knowledge of what this Holy time was meant to be that I did a brief (too brief!) study of it, especially for Lisa in Indiana. Rosh Hashanah celebrates both the end of and the beginning of the Judaic year. It is often referred to as the Jewish New Year, but is literally translated as "Head of the Year". Typically this Holy time, which lasts two days (starting at sundown yesterday), is meant for prayer and reflection upon the year past and a spirit of resolution of how we shall conduct ourselves in the year ahead. It is associated with words and their impact upon our every aspect of our lives. It is a reminder that God hears every word we say. Indeed scripture backs this up. Scan through Proverbs and see just how often the tongue and words are referenced! Jewish tradition says that these two days are the anniversary of God's creation of man and the words 'In the beginning..." are both prophetic and a reminder of our origin. Because today is a Holy day it is treated as a Shabat, a day of rest, 'upon which you will do no work.' I lit candles last night at sundown and will also light them tonight at sundown. I took time this morning to write down my prayers. I look forward to going back at Rosh Hashanah next year and seeing how God has worked in our lives in this fresh year.
This month is filled to the brim with 'High Holy Days". Yom Kippur, the day of atonement is coming up on September 18. This is a day of fasting and rest, followed at sundown by a breaking of the fast. On September the 23 at sundown, we enter into the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot, a week long celebration of harvest. The two days following are Shabat days of rest. During that week, the annual harvest is celebrated and many families put up a sukkah or tent and spend a great deal of time outdoors. Some even live in the sukkah for the full week. This is the season when our Christian scholars believe Christ was most likely born, rather than the December date we generally claim as his birthdate. If you would like to learn more about the Jewish festivals and observances ahead for this month, please follow this link
Apples are featured as part of the feasts of this time, as are pomegranates, both seasonal fruits. Apples are served sliced and eaten dipped in honey and I highly recommend it as a nice treat. John and I ate apple fritters with our breakfast this morning, not homemade but tasty. There's a big bowl of apples and a single pomegranate on the counter. I'll serve the seeds of the pomegranate over sliced apples and walnuts in our salad bowl tonight. It's a lovely autumn salad with red leaf lettuce and this salad accompanies any type of meat entrée nicely.
Are you with me? Shall we go looking for fall?
8 comments:
I am for it! Very excited for this series!
Yes, absolutely!
I thought of you this morning when the breeze blew a shower of leaves down in the backyard. You've written about the leaves at your house, and this is the first of them I'm seeing here.
We have hummingbirds galore here while they migrate and Miss Layla became enchanted by them this morning. She sat statue-still on the kitchen counter and watched and whispered, "They're so tiny!"
Yesterday morning I got my once-a-year PSL at Starbucks, only since I don't drink coffee it was a PSS (pumpkin spice steamer) - or an expensive cup of hot flavored cream. It was delicious, though.
We had cool and rainy last week, but it's sunshine and almost-summertime temps this week.
Cornfields and bean fields are beginning to turn - the beans will go yellow, then brown before harvesting. I love the look of the brown cornfields and that bright blue autumn sky.
Seed corn harvest has begun, so the minute pirate bugs that live in the corn silks are being stirred up and in the warm afternoons it's painful to be outside. They have no venom, but are fierce biters. Tiny little black dots is all the bigger they are, so no warning before they chomp. Once it freezes they'll be gone, but that's several weeks away.
Crickets and locusts sing all day, and by late afternoon it's a symphony.
Layla and I will decorate for fall this afternoon (or over all the days of this week, I suspect). Last year I purged probably half of my fall decor, so I may make a couple of new things, but not buying anything, just using what I have.
Anyway, that's fall we're finding at my house. I look forward to finding it with you as well as the season progresses!
Thank you Terri, for explaining the Holy Days. I am really struggling with this...wondering whether I should start keeping these days. As a Christian...the blood of Christ shed as our final sacrificial lamb and being under the new covenant and not under the Law, does this mean none of the old testament laws are kept? And if we still keep some, which ones? and how are we supposed to know? And is God pleased with our celebration of his Holy Days, or does is he displeased because it nullifies what Jesus came for? I try to research online and seem to find varying answers, with everyone interpreting the Bible differently. I am earnestly seeking God in prayer on this and would love any insight you have. Sorry such a deep topic...but thanks for any wisdom you can impart.
Count me in! We had very pleasant week of rain and cooler temps. I wasted no time in getting my porch all Falled up!! Lowe's had small mums for 5\$5. They're all in pots and baskets, up the stairs to my porch and they look just lovely!
One of my best friends in school was Jewish so I spent all the holidays with her from the age of 13 and vice versa. I remember all her whining on Yom Kippur that she was going to faint from hunger. Teens are so dramatic! I'm really glad I got a close look at so much of their faith. It truly added to mine, especially Passover, which I know is a whole different season!
We are entrenched in watching that monster hurricane and whether we will be impacted here. Once that is past I think we can move on with fall.
Thanks for the idea! I lead a Ladies Bible Study and I think it would make a great lesson to find out more about the Jewish holidays and their meanings. I think I have some research ahead of me. Gramma D
Go to a web site got questions? Put in celebrate Jewish holidays. They have a very good answer. also if you put in Jewish holidays meaning they tell you the neaning and origin of the holidays. We belong to a protestant church but we celebrate Passover as it is an important part of Easter.
Gramma D
Lovely summary of the Holy days Terri. So very interesting. Coincidentally, I'd just been reading an article that speculated Christ's actual birthday to be Sept. 11th! I'm with you regarding looking for autumn. :-)
Love,
Tracey
Xox
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