Autumn's Party

Fireside ~ Conversations by the Fire about Nurturing Home and Family

Guest Blogger: Martha Carter

“FINALLY!” I say this time each year. The frost is on the pumpkin and the leaves are on the ground. Fall is upon us! It is my favorite time of the year. The colors change, the smells change, and the crispness of the air is a welcome change - especially this year. It’s as if a sharp snap can be heard and I’m suddenly awake after having drifted into lethargy in the damp summer heat. There is a comfort of nestling into fall that energizes as much as it is restful.



Another change around our home is the decor. Nature is the greatest provider. We utilize a lot of pumpkins - collecting as many as 40 in sizes ranging from a couple of pounds to a 70-pounder that squatted proudly at our front door one year. Pumpkins can be left unadorned or “blinged” out to the max. Kids love to decorate them. Turn them loose with markers, cans of paints, Mr. Potato Head parts, etc. This is one activity that has no limits. Leaves, berries, twigs, branches, pinecones and acorns can be found everywhere and in abundance. After all, it’s harvest time.

A Fall tree trimmed with all the goodies that accompany this celebratory time of year can bring the rufflings of season's change indoors. Centerpieces can be placed on coffee tables, dining tables and the hall entry sideboard.

Twinkling amber lights bring a soft brilliance everywhere you put them, inside and out. It’s the beginning of a long holiday season that brings family and friends together.

We culminate the autumn season with a pumpkin throwing contest. The person who throws/rolls the pumpkin down the hill the furthest is the winner.

Last year my daughter decided it would be a good idea for the adults to “shoot skeet” using the pumpkins. We certainly ended the season with a bang!

Here's one of my favorite poems by George Cooper.


OCTOBER GAVE A PARTY
by George Cooper


October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came-
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.


The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.


Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide and seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder’
They flew along the ground’
And then the party ended
In jolly “hands around.”

~Martha

The daughter of a pastor, Martha has found “home” in many places around the world including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Bolivia and Saudi Arabia. She’s a committed wife of 37 years, devoted mother/grandmother, cook extraordinaire, and hospitality queen. You will find many guests regularly going through her front door, and she has a way of making all of them feel very much at “home”.