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The Bittersweet Season of Autumn
We are in the full swing of Fall. Autumn is a beautiful season, but it also has a shadow side. It is the harbinger of winter. The trees, especially in the Northeastern US, shine and sparkle with spectacular colors of golds, oranges and reds. This splendor celebrates the peak of harvest and is a feast for all of the senses. Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches.
Symphony of Color
For a brief period of time, the landscape is a symphony of color. Birch leaves turning beautiful golds, maples look like they’ve been splashed with oranges and reds, and the evergreens provide a wonderful contrast with their dark green needles. I like to think of this time of year as a celebration of all the different trees. They each get to dance and delight in their unique color. During the summer, they all are the same shade of green, but in the fall, they get starring roles in the tree cabaret.
The sounds of the wind rustling these gorgeous leaves, loosening the tree’s hold on them as they fall delicately to the ground. That cool, dry air tickles the skin as the breeze blows across any exposed skin. Most of us start to wear long sleeves and snuggly jackets.
Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice
And of course, everything smells and tastes of pumpkin spice, or my favorite, apples and cinnamon! I just made an apple crisp and the entire thing was devoured in less than 24 hours (by more than just me!). I did not even have to find room for it in the refrigerator. While we have this sensation overload happening, few stop to see the shadow side until we are surrounded by it.
Party In The Front, Business In The Back
Ha… the mantra of the mullet. What does that have to do with any of this? Because at the front side of Autumn, we celebrate a spectacular season, the party. But the back side of the season, is all business. The business of getting ready for winter. Where I live, Halloween seems to be the tipping point. The party is over and it is time to get down to business. This season is all about letting go of what we no longer need, and preparing for a stark few months ahead. As I post this, we are halfway through October, and the party is in full swing, so enjoy every moment of it. Bob for apples, (does anyone still do that?) celebrate the harvest and revel in the pumpkin spice… or apples and cinnamon.
Wicked Wicks of The East…
Photo by Tiffany Spaulding
Ha! I freaking LOVE beeswax. I use it in all kinds of ways. Right now, it is finally the time of year where the sun comes up later. As an early bird, I love getting up and starting my day in the quiet of the morning before dawn. I treasure these dark, quiet hours for journaling, brainstorming, snuggling with my kitties and starting my day at a slower pace. To make the time even more special, I have some chunks of fluorite with holes drilled in them for votive or tealight candles. I also have one that is made totally from clear quartz crystals, and a tealight nestles right in the center. Lighting the candles is part of my pre-dawn ritual.
Back to the beeswax… and being a freak about the toxic crap in mass produced candles… I make my own. The beeswax comes from a local friend of mine who is, among other things, a beekeeper. (The honey his bees produce is amazing too!!) So I know where the wax came from and how his hives are cared for naturally. These things are important to me. I do buy tealight wicks made for beeswax. Spoiler alert… not all wicks are the same.
Photo by Tiffany Spaulding
Back again to the beeswax… so my tealights are just pure beeswax. No smelly stuff in them. I get the draw of wonderful smelling candles, but those are mostly chemical scents that are a no-go for me (and are terrible to breathe in, by the way). Essential oils can be used, but for anyone who has fabulous felines around, cats are super sensitive to them, so mine are unscented.
C’mon baby, light my fire! (The Doors were awesome!) These beeswax tealights are just the thing to get my morning juju going.
They are also great for evening juju if that is your groove.
Hand Carved Fork and Scoop/Spoon
I love carving and both of these are “old school”. That means I have only used hand tools, specifically only hand carving tools. No assistance from any power tools! I have some milk paint that will bring some color to these beautiful pieces when I finish the carving work.
Ambrosia Maple Bowl
This gorgeous bowl that I am turning on a lathe is from a block of Ambrosia Maple I purchased a few years ago. This project is currently on hold because the lathe is not mine and our work had to be paused for the summer. I’m hoping to resume work on this beauty in the next few weeks!!