Adventures In Autumn
Well, ye kindreds, what do you think has been happening to this little blog?? I'll give you a hint, just to make it easier. Since there are, after all, no shortage of things to guess, and there is just the one right answer... Oh right, the hint! I was going to give you a hint... Alright, here it is.
It is something pleasant.
Any inklings? *shakes her head* No, it has nothing to do with finding kittens with darling little bows on hiding in the laundry basket, or a new bottle of ink and a Jimmy book in the back of the cupboard when we thought we were all out, or anything at all like that. Think pleasanter still.
*Pauses for several moments*
Do you give up??
Alright. Here it is!
The lovely Autumn of Shades Of Art has just been tagging us with this tag of her own creation! (Though the picture at the top of the post may rather have given that fact away :P) Thankyou, Autumn!! It was special to be included in your list of tag-ees on the tag's maiden voyage :)
Now, for the rules of the thing, because I'm excited to dive into this!
The Rules:
Download the cover photo and use it for your post
Acknowledge the person who tagged you
Tag others and comment on their blog to let them know!
Slip into autumn vibes
And as for the questions... Let us commence with them at once!
If autumn isn't your favourite season, what is? And if autumn is your favourite season, why?
Emi: Oh, but it is, so there is no need for the why-nots! (Or at least, it ranks very highly :P Because one can't entirely discount the beauties of the other seasons either...) And as for why... Well, I suppose that comes to be because of something in the air that is made up of fallen leaves and ripening rose hips, the October sunshine, and the general rarity and richness of quality in colours and general delightfulness! At least, the parts of it that can be summed up :P They can't quite all, can they?
Julie: Autumn is absolutely my favorite season. I live all year waiting for it. (Besides Christmas season, that is, cuz Christmas is absolutely a season all its own). I love everything about it... just the vibes, y'know? That crisp, cool feeling in the air, the rush of euphoria at the smell of the seasons changing, the gorgeous rainbow colors of the trees... the reminder that it is possible for change to be beautiful.
What is your favourite thing that you do each autumn?
Emi: Trying to think here... And coming up blank too, worst luck! Why is it that whenever you particularly want to think of something, it vanishes to somewhere far out beyond the horizon?? But anyway, taking this in stride and going on my merry way all the same, I think I'll go with the autumnal clearing-of-the-garden. We always dig our potatoes by hand-and-shovel, (er, spade, I mean,) and since this is a bit of a project, whoever has time pitches in... Sometimes a story gets turned on, (orrrr we take turns inventing characters for one, which is also highly entertaining ;) and other times we simply enjoy each other's company and the sunshine (and brrrr, what miseries if it snows meanwhile!) makes it all a treat and a privilege!
Julie: Making apple butter with family and friends. Actually, we don't do it anymore (as of last year) but it definitely was my favorite thing.
What are a couple of your favourite autumn memories?
Emi: I don't know why this is such a tricky question to come up with answers for. It doesn't SEEM as if it should be, but I really can't seem to manage to pin any one particular special memory to autumn! AUTUMN, of all things. One would think it shouldn't be so difficult. Maybe it's because autumn is always such a Get Things Done time at my house? There isn't much leisure time to simply enjoy the season in, and therefore maybe my mind tends to be so busy it forgets to record things like memories properly?? Something XD
Julie: First of all, the aforementioned apple butter day. It was simply glorious. We'd head over to our friends' house late Friday afternoon to get everything set up, and then camp out in their yard all night, then get up before the crack of dawn Saturday morning to begin the apple butter. We'd boil cider for a few hours in a giant kettle over a fire. Once the sun rose and people started arriving, we'd have breakfast and then cut bushels of apples. Add those to the apple butter and then all that is left to do is take turns stirring it with a long wooden paddle whilst the rest stood around and talked or played games or sat around the fire... we'd roast a hog at the same time. We'd have lunch there, and then the hog for supper. The apple butter would be finished shortly before supper and we'd all gather around to ladle it into jars and seal the lids on. It was always like living in a dream... the most perfect of perfect days. Besides that, favorite memories include going to Tanner's Orchard as a kid, playing at G'ma and G'pa's house...
What book most reminds you of the autumn? Movie?
Emi: One of the Anne books?? I'm actually blanking kind of miserably over here, the past few days have NOT been conducive to the productive kind of thinking XD I think my brain may be pleading overuse from too many late nights... And my answer is the same as Julie's on the movies, I guess I've never really connected any one particular movie with the autumn! Which isn't a very satisfactory answer, I know XD My most autumnal apologies...
Julie: Book, Sherlock Holmes. No kidding... every fall I go Sherlock-Holmes-Insanity-Mode. I practically live inside those books the whole season. Sometimes I add in Agatha Christie's, but Sherlock Holmes is ultimately better. Movie, agh, that's a hard one... never really associated any particular movies with autumn. Perhaps Anne of Green Gables. The 1985 version, of course.
What is your favourite drink for this season?
Emi: Apparently hot chocolate, because I've had it at least once a day for practically the past month XD (Yes, my autumn gets like a solid month's head start on everyone else's :P) Other than that, hot black tea with milk and honey is sooo good when you come in from the cold... But I don't have a specifically autumn-y one!
Julie: Cider. Just cider. Gallons of it. Sometimes ice cold, sometimes hot and spiced. I'll even take it room temperature! I drink it every morning during autumn (in other seasons, it's just apple juice). That's my personal version of coffee.
What is one new thing that you want to do this autumn?
Emi: I should like to get really proficient with my recently acquired stamp and sealing wax! It doesn't seem as if it would be much of a learning curve, I know, but apparently one is a little inclined to put either too much or too little wax in the melting spoon just at first...
Julie: Um... very specifically... finish both my Les Mis fanfic novels and my original novel, A Time of Peace. 
Do you decorate for the season? If so, how? If not, how come?
Emi: I do not. For the simple reason that there is noooooot time XD Because autumn is one of the busiest seasons where I'm from, (yes, you will probably hear about this at least four times in this post XD) and it's kind of flat out til it either snows, or the crops are all off. (They are off by this time, and it is snowing away even as I write this.) Also the garden must be empty, the canning done, the hunting and butchering done, and, well, you get the picture :P Also we have a short autumn, and are now getting ever closer to winter, so everything is that much more of a madcap scramble!
Julie: I have to be careful here... once October hits, if I take one step in the wrong direction, I fall headfirst into raging Christmas insanity. Frost on the windshield on too cold of a morning, a nativity scene at Hobby Lobby, a few bars of a familiar Christmas carol, and BOOM, it's JOY TO THE WOOOOORLD until February XD I'm kinda the opposite of Scrooge. Or rather, I'm Scrooge AFTER visited by the ghosts. Alistair Sim's version. So yeah, fall decorations usually end up being Christmas decorations... yeah, I got a nativity scene up in my bedroom already. But my classroom (I'm a third grade teacher) is rather autumn-decorated. And my family decorates Thanksgiving week, but it's just that week.
Thanksgiving is a couple of months away; what is your favourite way to celebrate? (I think most of my blogger friends are American. 😂) If not, skip this one.
Emi: As Julie is going to say just as soon as I shall be done writing out an answer myself, (I know, because she wrote hers first XD) I'm a Canuck, and yet I keep it! But, as some of you may already know, Thanksgiving in Canada comes much, much earlier, (imagine if Christmas did that too, and how many delighted little people there would be😂 It does not, however.) and has already come and gone for us now. (It was in mid-October.) But as for my favourite way to spend it, that would be quietly with my favourite people, everyone cooking away at the feast together and enjoying each other's company! We tend to have a much quieter, lower key version of Thanksgiving than the traditional American sort, from what I've seen...
Julie: Heheh, Emi's a Canuck and she celebrates Thanksgiving! Different kind of Thanksgiving, that is. Um... I celebrate by really digging into the history. I read old Thanksgiving proclamations, excerpts of Plimouth Plantation, I watch the Nest entertainment history cartoon about William Bradford... and then we EAT. Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, pumpkin bread, sweet potato pie, chocolate pecan pie, corn pudding, stuffing, and so on and so forth... We always read Bible chapters about Thanksgiving, sing this song (just without an orchestra, and with fewer people), and usually help serve a Thanksgiving meal at the local Salvation Army.
What colour most makes you think of autumn?
Emi: Earthy Orange. It is the Picture Of Autumn that pops
Julie: Rust color, for sure. But also navy blue, which really does look good with burgundy, and those two together are... *chef's kiss*.
Type up a list of ten words or names (i.e. White Chicken Chili) that encapsulate the season of autumn for you.
Emi:
1. Earthy orange
2. Golden poplars
3. Rose hips
4. Geese (Thanks to Cecilia for reminding me of this one :P)
Any inklings? *shakes her head* No, it has nothing to do with finding kittens with darling little bows on hiding in the laundry basket, or a new bottle of ink and a Jimmy book in the back of the cupboard when we thought we were all out, or anything at all like that. Think pleasanter still.
*Pauses for several moments*
Do you give up??
Alright. Here it is!
The lovely Autumn of Shades Of Art has just been tagging us with this tag of her own creation! (Though the picture at the top of the post may rather have given that fact away :P) Thankyou, Autumn!! It was special to be included in your list of tag-ees on the tag's maiden voyage :)
Now, for the rules of the thing, because I'm excited to dive into this!
The Rules:
Download the cover photo and use it for your post
Acknowledge the person who tagged you
Tag others and comment on their blog to let them know!
Slip into autumn vibes
And as for the questions... Let us commence with them at once!
If autumn isn't your favourite season, what is? And if autumn is your favourite season, why?
Emi: Oh, but it is, so there is no need for the why-nots! (Or at least, it ranks very highly :P Because one can't entirely discount the beauties of the other seasons either...) And as for why... Well, I suppose that comes to be because of something in the air that is made up of fallen leaves and ripening rose hips, the October sunshine, and the general rarity and richness of quality in colours and general delightfulness! At least, the parts of it that can be summed up :P They can't quite all, can they?
Julie: Autumn is absolutely my favorite season. I live all year waiting for it. (Besides Christmas season, that is, cuz Christmas is absolutely a season all its own). I love everything about it... just the vibes, y'know? That crisp, cool feeling in the air, the rush of euphoria at the smell of the seasons changing, the gorgeous rainbow colors of the trees... the reminder that it is possible for change to be beautiful.
What is your favourite thing that you do each autumn?
Emi: Trying to think here... And coming up blank too, worst luck! Why is it that whenever you particularly want to think of something, it vanishes to somewhere far out beyond the horizon?? But anyway, taking this in stride and going on my merry way all the same, I think I'll go with the autumnal clearing-of-the-garden. We always dig our potatoes by hand-and-shovel, (er, spade, I mean,) and since this is a bit of a project, whoever has time pitches in... Sometimes a story gets turned on, (orrrr we take turns inventing characters for one, which is also highly entertaining ;) and other times we simply enjoy each other's company and the sunshine (and brrrr, what miseries if it snows meanwhile!) makes it all a treat and a privilege!
Julie: Making apple butter with family and friends. Actually, we don't do it anymore (as of last year) but it definitely was my favorite thing.
What are a couple of your favourite autumn memories?
Emi: I don't know why this is such a tricky question to come up with answers for. It doesn't SEEM as if it should be, but I really can't seem to manage to pin any one particular special memory to autumn! AUTUMN, of all things. One would think it shouldn't be so difficult. Maybe it's because autumn is always such a Get Things Done time at my house? There isn't much leisure time to simply enjoy the season in, and therefore maybe my mind tends to be so busy it forgets to record things like memories properly?? Something XD
Julie: First of all, the aforementioned apple butter day. It was simply glorious. We'd head over to our friends' house late Friday afternoon to get everything set up, and then camp out in their yard all night, then get up before the crack of dawn Saturday morning to begin the apple butter. We'd boil cider for a few hours in a giant kettle over a fire. Once the sun rose and people started arriving, we'd have breakfast and then cut bushels of apples. Add those to the apple butter and then all that is left to do is take turns stirring it with a long wooden paddle whilst the rest stood around and talked or played games or sat around the fire... we'd roast a hog at the same time. We'd have lunch there, and then the hog for supper. The apple butter would be finished shortly before supper and we'd all gather around to ladle it into jars and seal the lids on. It was always like living in a dream... the most perfect of perfect days. Besides that, favorite memories include going to Tanner's Orchard as a kid, playing at G'ma and G'pa's house...
What book most reminds you of the autumn? Movie?
Emi: One of the Anne books?? I'm actually blanking kind of miserably over here, the past few days have NOT been conducive to the productive kind of thinking XD I think my brain may be pleading overuse from too many late nights... And my answer is the same as Julie's on the movies, I guess I've never really connected any one particular movie with the autumn! Which isn't a very satisfactory answer, I know XD My most autumnal apologies...
Julie: Book, Sherlock Holmes. No kidding... every fall I go Sherlock-Holmes-Insanity-Mode. I practically live inside those books the whole season. Sometimes I add in Agatha Christie's, but Sherlock Holmes is ultimately better. Movie, agh, that's a hard one... never really associated any particular movies with autumn. Perhaps Anne of Green Gables. The 1985 version, of course.
What is your favourite drink for this season?
Emi: Apparently hot chocolate, because I've had it at least once a day for practically the past month XD (Yes, my autumn gets like a solid month's head start on everyone else's :P) Other than that, hot black tea with milk and honey is sooo good when you come in from the cold... But I don't have a specifically autumn-y one!
Julie: Cider. Just cider. Gallons of it. Sometimes ice cold, sometimes hot and spiced. I'll even take it room temperature! I drink it every morning during autumn (in other seasons, it's just apple juice). That's my personal version of coffee.
What is one new thing that you want to do this autumn?
Emi: I should like to get really proficient with my recently acquired stamp and sealing wax! It doesn't seem as if it would be much of a learning curve, I know, but apparently one is a little inclined to put either too much or too little wax in the melting spoon just at first...
Julie: Um... very specifically... finish both my Les Mis fanfic novels and my original novel, A Time of Peace.
Do you decorate for the season? If so, how? If not, how come?
Emi: I do not. For the simple reason that there is noooooot time XD Because autumn is one of the busiest seasons where I'm from, (yes, you will probably hear about this at least four times in this post XD) and it's kind of flat out til it either snows, or the crops are all off. (They are off by this time, and it is snowing away even as I write this.) Also the garden must be empty, the canning done, the hunting and butchering done, and, well, you get the picture :P Also we have a short autumn, and are now getting ever closer to winter, so everything is that much more of a madcap scramble!
Julie: I have to be careful here... once October hits, if I take one step in the wrong direction, I fall headfirst into raging Christmas insanity. Frost on the windshield on too cold of a morning, a nativity scene at Hobby Lobby, a few bars of a familiar Christmas carol, and BOOM, it's JOY TO THE WOOOOORLD until February XD I'm kinda the opposite of Scrooge. Or rather, I'm Scrooge AFTER visited by the ghosts. Alistair Sim's version. So yeah, fall decorations usually end up being Christmas decorations... yeah, I got a nativity scene up in my bedroom already. But my classroom (I'm a third grade teacher) is rather autumn-decorated. And my family decorates Thanksgiving week, but it's just that week.
Thanksgiving is a couple of months away; what is your favourite way to celebrate? (I think most of my blogger friends are American. 😂) If not, skip this one.
Emi: As Julie is going to say just as soon as I shall be done writing out an answer myself, (I know, because she wrote hers first XD) I'm a Canuck, and yet I keep it! But, as some of you may already know, Thanksgiving in Canada comes much, much earlier, (imagine if Christmas did that too, and how many delighted little people there would be😂 It does not, however.) and has already come and gone for us now. (It was in mid-October.) But as for my favourite way to spend it, that would be quietly with my favourite people, everyone cooking away at the feast together and enjoying each other's company! We tend to have a much quieter, lower key version of Thanksgiving than the traditional American sort, from what I've seen...
Julie: Heheh, Emi's a Canuck and she celebrates Thanksgiving! Different kind of Thanksgiving, that is. Um... I celebrate by really digging into the history. I read old Thanksgiving proclamations, excerpts of Plimouth Plantation, I watch the Nest entertainment history cartoon about William Bradford... and then we EAT. Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, pumpkin bread, sweet potato pie, chocolate pecan pie, corn pudding, stuffing, and so on and so forth... We always read Bible chapters about Thanksgiving, sing this song (just without an orchestra, and with fewer people), and usually help serve a Thanksgiving meal at the local Salvation Army.
What colour most makes you think of autumn?
Emi: Earthy Orange. It is the Picture Of Autumn that pops
up into my mind, and it always come in a chunky knit sweater... And yes, I know I'm destined to say it twice in one post, but... XD
Julie: Rust color, for sure. But also navy blue, which really does look good with burgundy, and those two together are... *chef's kiss*.
Type up a list of ten words or names (i.e. White Chicken Chili) that encapsulate the season of autumn for you.
Emi:
1. Earthy orange
2. Golden poplars
3. Rose hips
4. Geese (Thanks to Cecilia for reminding me of this one :P)
5. Stars
6. Wood Stove
7. Harvested Fields
8. Frost
6. Wood Stove
7. Harvested Fields
8. Frost
9. Full moon
10. Dark nights (we have a very dramatic shift from "white" nights to Needing A Flashlight To Go Outside nights when summer turns into autumn in my corner of the world, in case that one needs a little explanation :P)
Julie: Here goes...
1. woodsmoke
2. apples
3. cinnamon
4. chilly
5. fireside
6. history
7. mystery
8. cold, rainy days
9. peace
10. blue eyes
10. Dark nights (we have a very dramatic shift from "white" nights to Needing A Flashlight To Go Outside nights when summer turns into autumn in my corner of the world, in case that one needs a little explanation :P)
Julie: Here goes...
1. woodsmoke
2. apples
3. cinnamon
4. chilly
5. fireside
6. history
7. mystery
8. cold, rainy days
9. peace
10. blue eyes
There now, I do believe that is the it of questions! This was such a fun tag, Autumn, thanks again for including us!! Annnnnd sorry so many of my answers turned into "I don't have an answer for this on account of much busyness"😆 Unintentional copouts, I promise!!
Now, as for the tagging of other bloggers... This is always the hard part for me, (aaaaas the Observant People in the crowd may have noticed :P) and I usually end up mostly tagging people who have never heard of me before! This because everyone I know tends to get tagged right out of the gate XD Sorry, all you People Who Have Never Heard Of Me... That must be a little trying some days! (and yes, I am re-affirming my Canadian-ness with all the Sorrys in here at the same time as filling out the questions, apparently 😆 What'cha don't know til you do a thing...)
But, for this tag... *At this point, Emi is randomly reminded of playing tag as a youngish kidling, and it seeps into the general rhythm of things*
You know, I think I'm going to make things simple, and tag anyone and everyone who comes along and feels like a cozy scribble! (because, y'know, this is the perfect place for those.) This means you, reader dear ;) And furthermore, if you should happen to pick it up, please do share your merry scribblings in the comments, I would love dearly to see your answers!
Tag, you're it!
Yours-very-truly-if-a-bit-belatedly,
~The Idlewood Girls
This was so fun to read!
ReplyDeleteYes the Sherlock Holmes books are so autumnal! I haven't read nay of them for ages, actually - thank you for reminding me of them, Julie.
You have snow already?! I'm soo jealous😆 We haven't had a good amount of snow for years... We used to live near the sea, so there was never very much chance, but now we've moved, we're not, which should make it more likely.
Ah, how autumnal and cosy!!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I haven't read any Sherlock Holmes for ages! I've been indulging in a rewatch of the Granada TV series from the 80's and 90's, though - have either of you seen it?
You. Have. Snow. That is so incredibly exciting. I am moving to Canada.
Ahem. Apple butter is so tasty - my grandmother makes it every year and it's just the best.