The trees on the hillsides have a yellowish cast to them now, as their summer green is beginning fade.
Almost imperceptibly, the golden hue is creeping upward as autumn begins to overspread our hills. The flourishing plant life and burgeoning undergrowth have come to a standstill and are closing down for the season. The cool notes of fall are threaded through summer’s farewell song, heard in the melancholy night insects and echoed in the lonely, quivering call of a screech owl.
Most of our minds are probably on the approaching hurricane that may trouble our hills with excessive rain and wind. Hurricane Florence is being called “the hurricane of a life time” and we are probably thinking of the “thousand year flood” that occurred two years ago in June. That was a never to be forgotten rainfall that will probably never be repeated in our lifetime.
I was never really afraid of water until that happened, as we live up a country road with a small creek running along our property. We had experienced a cloudburst or two, with water coming right to our steps and we had to move our vehicles. The creek sometimes covered the road in a place or two, but that soon ran down. The 2016 flood showed us what an excessive rainfall can do. It is unbelievable.
Our daughter Crystal lives in North Carolina, but says they don’t expect any trouble in their area. Granddaughter Alyssa had to leave Wilmington and head for home, where she is safe in the family circle. We are just trusting God to take care of all of us. In the meantime, let us admire the showy autumn flowers that grow along the road banks and in the meadows.
As we haven’t had any frost, the trees have yet to put on their showy fall dresses, and the only bright color I have seen was probably a “Tree of Heaven.” This tree is an “Ailanthus” and does not have a very good reputation. It is a native of China, but has been widely planted as an ornamental and shade tree. It is no longer recommended for good sites where other trees will grow.
Male flowers have an objectionable odor, and some people are allergic to their pollen, which may produce symptoms of hay fever. The roots, which are classed as poisonous, get into drains, springs and wells. I don’t know why it is called a tree of heaven with this sort of a recommendation. I think I’ll stick with sassafras bushes, which have yellow, red and orange leaves in autumn. It puts forth greenish twigs and leafstalks in the spring, which is good to chew. They have a pleasant, spicy and slightly gummy taste—, which I like.
The fall mushrooms are appearing now, since there has been abundant rain for them to appear. Patty brought in a fresh cluster of oyster mushrooms, which I plan to put to good use for supper. It is time for the meadow mushrooms to appear, which are delicious also. At one time, I thought the spring morel mushroom was the only edible one, and the most delicious. I have found others, which are just a good. The chanterelle mushroom does not have to take a back seat to any fungi. We had so many this year that I sautéed many of them with butter and garlic and put them in the freezer. When we butcher beef in the fall, it will be put to good use.
Autumn is such a fruitful time of year. The Golden Delicious apples are ripening and falling from the trees, waiting to be frozen or canned for winter’s fried apples or spicy apple pies. Butternuts, or white walnuts, drop from the trees and lie in sticky, green piles on the ground. Concord grapes, with their dark, juicy globes of sweetness, have reached their peak and have been transformed into jars of jam and jelly. The glossy black elderberries are hanging heavy on their branches and are ours for the picking. Mom used to mix apple juice with it, and always used lemon juice.
Speaking of the Golden Delicious apple, the Golden Delicious Apple Festival is scheduled to be in Clay this weekend. Of course, the impending weather may have a lot to do with this activity, but this festival is the biggest event that Clay County has to offer. The famous Golden Delicious apple was discovered here in Clay County, and Stark’s Brothers has made it known worldwide.
The Clay County Fair used to be our biggest attraction when I was a kid growing up, and there was nothing like the thrill of walking on Bradley Field when it was going strong. Of course, we grew up without seeing extravagant shows on television, or the things that today’s youth experience. I can smell the popcorn now in memory, and hear the loud, thumping music that rolled overhead. I can hear the loud call of the stage manager as he enticed us to “come see the world’s largest snake!” or “try your hand at throwing pennies into a plate!” It was the most exciting event of our young lives, and I can taste the cotton candy even yet. If you want a taste of the past, and many new activities, come to the Festival. There will be beauty queens galore, and many of the high school reunions are scheduled for this time. It is a good time to see old friends, many who live out of state. I will see you there!
Some of you may remember the account of the wedding of Friday the 13th, which was in an earlier column. We received a letter from Mr. James D. Stanard of Hurricane who recounted his life regarding the 13th. He writes, “I was born on Friday the 13th, 1918. This July 13th I was 100 years old and able to celebrate my birthday with many friends and relatives at the John Henderson Senior Center in Hurricane. I have always considered July 13th a lucky day for me.” He hand wrote the letter himself!
We still have two more Farmer’s Almanac dates to make pickles or put down pickled corn or sauerkraut, and that is October the 2nd and 3rd. Our garden didn’t do so good this year, but we can always look forward to the next! We have a promise in the Bible, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Psalms 37-3)
