remembering

it is autumn in virginia. the days are getting shorter. the nights are getting cooler. the air often smells of burning wood. apples are in season, in several varieties, just begging to be crunched into or made into pie or fruit butter.

the leaves will be changing colors soon, showing off their photosynthetic magic, as they change from shades of green to yellow, orange, and red before turning brown and letting go of the branches they presently clothe.

this is when the light, summer, cotton covers get stored away for winter, and the thick, fluffy down comforters come out of storage to adorn the bed. our kitties like the down comforter. all four of them were curled up on it yesterday, doing what kitties do - sleeping and dreaming. in the early hours of morning, when daylight was just breaking, the kitties started parading up and down my sleeping self like i was a runway or something. now i know why they call it a "cat walk"! of course, this is their most effective way of letting me know that the food bowl is empty and will i please come fill it, NOW!

earlier this afternoon i was preparing marinade for chicken bulgogi so we could have korean food for dinner. as i was chopping the fresh ginger, i was overcome by a longing for african chai tea. i haven't made it in about two years, and i'm not sure why i don't make it more often. i heated milk and water on the stove, poured in loose tea, and plopped in a few slices of fresh ginger. i heated it through until it was steaming, and strained it through a sieve. i usually think of hot spiced cider as the appropriate warm beverage for autumn, but i think this year it is going to be african chai. i am fondly remembering my time spent over there, the friends i made, and the love that was shown to me. isn't it great how smells and tastes can transport you to another time and another place?

i do not welcome winter, with its bare branches and cold winds like i welcome autumn. i will purpose to enjoy this present season, without acknowledging that it leads to the next. i will enjoy autumn as long as it chooses to stay. and when winter comes, i'll dream of spring...