Mountain Musings
By Mary Hasselwander, Editor
October has to be the most beautiful month of the year in the mountain valley area. The fall foliage is gorgeous. The mornings and evenings are crisp with the aroma of cozy wood fires in the air.
My little pastel garland around the light post has been replaced by a string of leaves and pine-cones. Summer flower wreaths give way to ones with bright red, orange and yellow leaves. I wonder why I complain about having to rake leaves and pine-cones in the fall and yet I go out and buy these very same things to decorate the inside of my house!
The other day I pulled out my crock pot. Fall brings out the cook in me and I like to make robust stews and soups with fresh bread for the cooler nights. Of course, the “days get shorter,” and I usually get some new fragrance candles to enjoy in the early evenings.
Pumpkins are also on the list for October. When the kids were younger, we always had a big family pumpkin for Halloween and each of the kids had smaller ones. Getting them all carved and ready for the big night was quite a job, and everyone waited eagerly for the pumpkin seeds I would bake after the pumpkins were ready. Of course, the next day it was time to cook the pumpkins and bake pies and pumpkin bread. For days, the house would smell of pumpkin spices.
One year, I decided to do a theme dinner for the big night. I had taken a gourmet cooking class at the local high school, and one of the recipes we made was a soup served in small hollowed-out pumpkin gourds.
I found out it is a lot harder to clean a little pumpkin than a big one. Of course, the kids were not impressed with the soup or the other black and orange dishes that night. The next year, we had pizza.
Costumes required some ingenuity. With five children to dress up, we didn’t do many ready-made costumes. For some reason, my girls always thought my dresses and costume jewelry were great for outlandish outfits. The boys were into super heroes at different times, although I think my homemade capes left a lot to be desired!
Just as dusk fell, the little ones, decked out in their colorful finery, usually bundled in a warm jacket, would start arriving to trick or treat. Of course, most years I had street duty with the kids while my husband stayed home to man the candy bowl.
Once it’s all over, and the pumpkins were cooked down and pies baked, (pumpkin bread and cookies too), the house would smell of spices for days.
The beautiful area we live in and the month of October are made for each other. Enjoy this time and may it be filled with lots of “treats” for all of you. Remember, it doesn’t take a lot of money to make a lot of fun.
