First Harvest

I began celebrating/preparing for Lammas yesterday. I cleaned my bookcases. I know that sounds like the most uncelebratory thing to do, but it makes sense to me because Lammas is about Fall. Winter is coming. Now is the time to fix the house so it will be snug and warm. Will is making me a hutch using my old altar as the base. I had nowhere to put it. So I made room. When the hutch is in place, I can eliminate two bookcases. I also read a lot in winter. Moving the bookcases made me think of being cozy under a quilt with a cup of hot coffee.

During the fall months I get serious about clearing clutter. I started my yearly purge yesterday by taking a sack of clothes to Goodwill. This year is a bit different because we are supposed to move into our trailer. I hate moving. The less I have to move, the better. I don't know when we'll get our new house. We could be stuck here until tax time. I am also thinking about warmth and how hard this house is to heat. Quilting just moved up to the top of the sewing list.

I am also stocking up my pantry. I intend to go through my spices this weekend. I have some that are quite old. Spices aren't good when they're old and the general rule of thumb is to toss anything over two years past the sell-by-date. If I haven't used a spice by that time then clearly I shouldn't waste my money buying more.

We are having cooler weather this week. Temperatures are in the 80's. It feels like the first hint of autumn, the cool breath, the promise of chilly nights and morning frost. I'm going to take advantage of the weather and work in my yard. My yard needs lots of work. Lots of it. Years of it.

But it is still summer, so we are still getting in the pool in the evenings. We still use the grill on the porch and we still have some outdoor family activities planned. For all my planning and preparing, I try to enjoy each season as it is. It does not do to miss what is before us.