The Unofficial Start of Another Year

I’ll be joining the many Substackers noting how autumn seems to turn the page to a new year. It’s not an original theme and yet all those years of returning to school in September has set a permanent rhythm and set of expectations in our noggins. I’m loving it. And you?

The markets have gone from summer produce to fall harvest. Last week there was corn and assorted berries. This week I see a riotous selection of squashes, apples, pears, grapes (those Concord grapes cost more than twice the price of the usual red and green), beets, brussels sprouts, eggplants, plums, imported figs, and sweet potatoes. Soon it will be time to do real cooking by which I mean simmering, braising and roasting. And then there are the soups and stews. I’m not much interested in baking apart from an occasional tarte tatin baked in a small cast-iron skillet or if feeling ambitious, a French pear cake to share with others. But that’s enough.

This year I’m not wanting a project, something new to immerse myself in. Some years it’s been in the realm of artsy-craftsy, sometimes falling in love again with fairy tales as a metaphor for psychic development. As you know, I’m a reader so discovering a writer and then reading as much of the available prose or poetry he/she has written is an on-going passion. And as an old psychotherapist, there’s much to keep informed of. Right now what I’m most interested in are relationships, not limited to partners and including friendships and community. And that too is enough.

I do a fly-over on Instagram nearly every day. What interests me falls into the categories of nature (English gardens, forests, deserts, mountains, animals and especially birds) things to ponder such as womenwhorunwiththemoon, quirky stuff such as davidszauder, the inspiring such as womeninart and sophiacycles and finally a bit of fashion because even when it’s all aspirational (as mothers used to ask, “just where do you think you’ll be going in that, missy”), it’s still fun. This is how I discovered Ruti, by the way. With the exception of Ruti, it costs me nothing but a bit of time. And if I’m mindful, there’s enough of that too. What’s all this rushing about?

What I’ve been enjoying for pleasure is

Mark Diacono

’s “Abundance”, a compendium of food and cooking of food with sides of reminiscence. Can you believe he actually wrote it on substack? I followed along, sometimes as a free subscriber, sometimes as paid. And now it’s published so I purchased the e-book. This dear man is one of the most generous, even providing outstanding seasonal playlists on Spotify. He’s a definite favorite and I encourage you to visit if you don’t know him.

Speaking of music, I’m still listening (and dancing ) to bossa nova. When I lived in Brazil, I certainly attended Carnival but don’t have specific memories of hearing bossa nova. I dare you to listen to Stan Getz, Jao Jobim, Marcos Valle or my favorite Astrud Gilberto and not start swaying to the beat. It’s both energizing and relaxing. ..sort of reminding me of green tea, if you know what I mean.

In the natural world, the leaves are starting to “turn”. In fact, some trees are well on their way.

The long summer of drought has caused many leaves to turn yellow, dry up and fall to the ground.

There is still a hummingbird coming to the nectar feeder (I think it’s just one and a female). I’m hoping she starts on her way south soon and will come back again next year. Acorns are plentiful this year and that means squirrels are swinging through the trees, leaping to the ground and scampering off with a mouthful to add more to their growing winter cache. So many hawks are in the sky. As broad-winged hawks and other species head south each September, observers can see hundreds -- and sometimes thousands -- of the birds as they follow thermal updrafts along New England's mountain ranges. One of my neighbors has officially and unofficially counted them since boyhood. This weekend he’ll do it again.

The garden has been wrangled back into order. The only perennials left are rudbeckia, yellow and a rudbekia mix. Hostas in shady areas will completely die back before the winter but for now, the drying flower stalks have been cut away and the yard looks more tended.

I visited the rural flower farm for a porch mum and came away with a purple-pink one as well as a scarlet celosia and a pumpkin. This is an early autumn ritual. Do you mark the change of season with living decorations?

I’ll end this post with a few photos from the Fruit Corso, an annual harvest event in the Nederland province of Gelderland, my old stomping grounds. What I love most about the Netherlands is that people come together often to engage in creativity and enjoy simplicity. This, in a country with more than 18 political parties who must form a coalition to govern says something. They are a pragmatic lot and despite vociferous debate, they aren’t shooting and killing one another.

Now it’s your turn. What has caught your eye this week? What are you doing in this unofficial start of another year? Please share your observations which really make this substack what it is.