Jack o' Lantern

It's All Hallows' eve, the sun has just fallen behind the trees. The breeze is chilled. Leaves are gently rustling down the avenue. You've got your pillow case, plastic pumpkin, or bag in hand, and so your quest for delectable confections begins. As you're walking from house to house your eye is drawn to the eerie flicker of candle light coming from ghastly orbs sitting on front porches, stairs, and walkways. Ah, the Jack O' Lantern, that spectral glowing emblem of Halloween. From the time you cut the first circle in the top, to placing your creation in front of your house for others to view, we love our Jack O' Lanterns.


The Jack O' Lantern's orgins lie in old Ireland and Brittan, where they have a long tradition of carving vegetables such as beets, turnips, and potatoes for lanterns. The Jack O' Lantern is named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs, called ignis fatuus or jack-o'-lantern. The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia about the legend of the Jack o' Lantern :

[One] version of the myth says that Jack was getting chased by some villagers from whom he had stolen, when he met the Devil, who claimed it was time for him to die. However, the thief stalled his death by tempting the Devil with a chance to bedevil the church-going villagers chasing him. Jack told the Devil to turn into a coin with which he would pay for the stolen goods (the Devil could take on any shape he wanted); later, when the coin/Devil disappeared, the Christian villagers would fight over who had stolen it. The Devil agreed to this plan. He turned himself into a silver coin and jumped into Jack's wallet, only to find himself next to a cross Jack had also picked up in the village. Jack had closed the wallet tight, and the cross stripped the Devil of his powers; and so he was trapped. In both myths, Jack only lets the Devil go when he agrees never to take his soul. After a while the thief died, as all living things do. Of course, his life had been too sinful for Jack to go to heaven; however, the Devil had promised not to take his soul, and so he was barred from hell as well. Jack now had nowhere to go. He asked how he would see where to go, as he had no light, and the Devil mockingly tossed him an ember that would never burn out from the flames of hell. Jack carved out one of his turnips (which was his favourite food), put the ember inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern", or Jack-o'-Lantern.

When immigrants from Ireland and Brittan came to this country they found that pumpkins, which are native to North America, make perfect lanterns. Happy carving.

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Autumnal Equinox

This year the Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 22 at 9:19 pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This celestial event marks the beginning of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere. At the equinox, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. In the northern hemisphere, before the autumnal equinox, the sun rises and sets more and more to the north, and afterwords, it rises and sets more and more to the south. The word "equinox" was derived from Latin term "æquinoctium" which, in turn, came from "æquus" (equal), and "nox" (night). It refers to the time that occurs twice a year when the nighttime is equal to the daytime -- each being 12 hours in duration.

Okay, so that's what the Autumnal Equinox is, but how dose it feel? What are the sensations that you associate with Fall? For me it's the sweet and tangy sip of the first apple cider of the season.  It is the demure roadside aster, and the festive goldenrod. It smells like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger floating from the kitchen. It is the crinkly dancing of leaves gliding down the road. The sun's light becomes softer, more agreeable. This is an enchanting time, the metamorphoses from Summer to Winter. I will celebrate this time by preparing a seasonal feast of pork chops with caramelized apples and onions, sweet potatoes, broccoli, fresh baked bread, and baked ginger pears with cream. I'll spend time walking outside, giving thanks for this glorious season. I'll take my camera with me so come back and look to see what's happening here in these Ozark Mountains.

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Fall is here!

Greetings everyone, Autumn is my favorite season, and although it dose not officially start for another week, It certainly feels as if it has arrived. It has been very cool here in the Ozarks, and as you can see from some of today's pictures we are already seeing some color. There are also many flowers blooming, such as Golden Rod and Aster. Today I watched as a big red squirrel stored acorns from our Oak trees in the front yard. He worked very diligently, running up the tree getting an acorn, then running down the tree and selecting and digging a spot for his one little acorn. Then back up the tree, over and over again. Today was overcast and rainy as the last few days have been, so I did what a rainy day calls for. I made stock. Chicken stock, I dug carrots and onions from the garden, gathered herbs and took out two chicken carcasses I had stored in the freezer. As a nod to the season I also included some mushrooms and a cob of corn, it is still simmering as I write this. There is a cool breeze whispering through the windows, the candles are glowing and the house smells wonderful.

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