To everything there is a season

Last night the full moon kept me awake. It was so bright through my bedroom windows that I couldn’t sleep. So instead I got up and made pictures of it. Because that is what I do these days when I can’t sleep.

This big fat Harvest moon made me think about a lot of things.

A lot of sad things, and a lot of melancholy things, and a lot of happy things, and all of the things I love about Fall.

My Grandpa Cain passed away last week. He was 91 years old. He was my last grandparent to pass away. He married my Grandma in the Fall. October 16th, 1936. Granny and Pop, my maternal grandparents, were married on October 14th, 1936. It must run in the family.

On the way home from my grandpa’s funeral last week I spotted a side of the road farm stand that had gigantic pumpkins for sale. As my dad would say, they were “gourdeous”. Nyuk nyuk nyuk.

My aunt and I stopped and bought enough pumpkins, gourds, decorative corn and corn stalks to fill up the back of my Yukon. Garrett rode home with the cornstalks rustling in his ear.

I love pumpkins, especially unusual ones.

Bumpy and warty and imperfect.

The more imperfect the better.

I also love perfect pumpkins. Although after having a child I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to look at a pumpkin stump without wanting to clean around it carefully with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol until it falls off.

I love colorful corn.

And it’s even better when an unexpected chipmunk pops his head out. That trip to Vermont in the fall was unexplainably wonderful. You have to see it for yourself to understand.

I love Fall because my Mexican bush sage turns into a giant attention whore and the blooms just go crazy with the color purple.

Amazing. They don’t look this good any other time of year.

I love Fall so much that I bring it right into my kitchen counters and sofa tables.

Year round my Alewine pottery reminds me of this season. This little window to another world is on the vase that holds my cooking utensils. It’s very Little House on the Prairieish.

My acorn candle smells like Fall. I cannot resist a Fall scented candle.

My Grandpa and Grandma Cain celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in October of 1986. God painted Kentucky gold to celebrate golden anniversary. It was the most beautiful Fall day that I can ever remember seeing. I love Fall so much that I wanted to be married in October. So J and I share that same wedding day. October 16th, 2004. In less than two weeks we will celebrate our five year wedding anniversary.

I hope in 45 years God paints Alabama gold for our golden anniversary.