Autumnal Equinox

"Mama, when will fall be here?" We drive through the beautiful countryside, alight with sumac, goldenrod, the hint of maple here and there...and finally today I could say, "well, around here we call this the first day of fall"...happy equinox! We celebrated by taking a drive this morning to see friends in the country...spending the afternoon making more corn husk maidens while listening to The Firework-Maker's Daughter on tape...

eating apples and more apples and some simple grilled cheese for supper while Papa works late...some serious cleaning in anticipation of Morfar and Gramma Liz' visit - even the stick house got a work-over...

I had gathered all the bits of last year's fall that didn't make it back outside during the spring cleaning (ahem!) and sent it outside in a basket for the fairies to enjoy - making room, of course, for this year's inevitable collection...

Busy we were, with a bath to end the day and some reading by candlelight - beginning with What Makes Day and Night, which left us marveling about our spinning earth, and ending with our favorite fall book, Wild Child, by Lynne Plourde and Greg Couch - beautiful poetic language and the drawings are gorgeous, whimsical, swirly whirly with the lusciousness of fall...

Autumn Day - by Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. by Stephen Mitchell

Lord: it is time. The huge summer has gone by.
Now overlap the sundials with your shadows,
and on the meadows let the wind go free.

Command the fruits to swell on tree and vine;
grant them a few more warm transparent days,
urge them on to fulfillment then, and press
the final sweetness into the heavy wine.