The air is crisp, in the evening and there are no crickets, the owls haven't started their courting calls yet. Each night the sun sets earlier, rises a little later. Now was the time to gather the last of the harvest, make the last few candles get in the last of the wood, just to be sure that it was there as our ancestors had little or no way of replenishing their supplies during the depths of winter. In that time before artificial lighting the moon and especially the full moon helped prolong the daylight hours. think of the smell of apple butter cooking down in the moon light or conversation of family members rendering tallow and making candles, or putting cabbages, squash, potatoes and pumpkins into storage...doing whatever could be done ahead before winter. And then perhaps there was time for some courting, or just visiting if one wasn't too tired.
My garden did very poorly this year, but i think it just might have known that it would get dried out from too much sun and too little rain, then rained out and then frosted, and so it just plain didn't bother.
So, NOW even before I even have it put to bed for the year, I am thinking about next years garden. They had a big sale on seeds and all sorts or garden "stuffs" at Dollar General, and I partook of the bounty, i will spend my winter dreaming of the splendid garden I will have next year...just like I do every year. I'm not sure if that is hopefulness or foolishness on my part.
We are not dependant on the food from our gardens, anymore. Nor are we dependant on our own resource to make the heat and light for our homes. There does seem to be an innate need to prepare for winter, to make sure there is an extra pack of light bulbs and a few extras in the pantry, just in case, yes, just in case.
~signedHarvest can mean many things.
Shine on us all.
Harvest Moon.
posting delayed by dial-up issues
