Twilight..and not the vampire kind

Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night; and thus he would never know the rhythms that are at the heart of life. ~Hal Borland

Happy Mabon! Or Happy fall, y'all!!  The autumn equinox is the tipping point from summer into fall. Light starts to give way to the dark.  The night creeps up slowly to claim more and more of the day. The sun starts losing it's strength and the air turns cooler.  If you imagine that the year is like one long day, Mabon would be twilight.  That time of day when the sun has just dipped down beyond the horizon. That time of day when dinner is cleaned up, school and work projects are completed and put away. That time of day when everyone slips into cozy pajamas after night time baths.

Fall is the world getting ready to tuck itself in for the long winter sleep after working hard to gather the harvest. It's a time to rest, refresh, and recharge. Since most of us don't have to work to gather an actual harvest any longer, the fall can be a great time to clean things out or complete projects. Forget spring cleaning, autumn cleaning is where it's at. You want to be ready to go into this time of year with a clutter free home and mind. If you have clutter in your closets, or drawers, or car trunks, or table tops, now is the time to pull it all out and get it sorted. If you have unfinished projects at home or at work, now is the time to try and wrap them up.

Here are some other things you can do to celebrate the autumn equinox:

1. Go for a walk. The weather will be cooling off. The days might still be warm, but the evenings will start getting that crisp nip quickly now. Grab a cardigan and your loved one and take a stroll around the block.

2. Plant some bulbs. Many flowering plants can be planted now to germinate over the winter. Here in Texas, Irises do very well in our climate.

3. Bake something! Now is the prefect time to make all the apple or pumpkin things you have pinned on your Fall Pinterest board. Share them with your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and/or teachers.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to take just a few minutes to enjoy the changing of the seasons (no matter how slow the change seems to happen). Take a few minutes to make a list, mentally or physically, on all your many blessings. Take a few minutes to just breath and get ready for the coming holiday season.

Bread and Blessings

"It is pleasant: one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with peace, and the house filled with one of the world's sweetest smells. But it takes a lot of time. If you can find that, the rest is easy. And if you cannot rightly find it, make it, for probably there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.”
― M.F.K. Fisher, How to Cook a Wolf

Happy Lammas everyone!! Lammas is considered the first of three harvest Sabbats. If you live in a place that is anything like West Texas, the summer heat can be unrelenting. After a gazillion consecutive days of 100+ temps and drought like conditions, the very idea of autumn can seem like fake news.

This is why I enjoy celebrating the seasonal Sabbats. Lammas reminds us that summer will eventually come to an end. It seemed entirely appropriate that when Jeremy and I stepped out of the house this morning there was the slightest hint of coolness in the air. Although Jeremy was very quick to point out that it wouldn't last (which it didn't, of course), it's natures way of signaling that the seasonal calendar marches on. It's good to periodically remember that in a world full of chaos and uncertainties, the spinning of the earth and changing of the seasons can always be relied upon.

Back in the day, this time of year denoted the first harvest, as farmers prepared to reap their wheat and corn fields. Lammas is essentially the celebration of bread. And I am here for all of that! Who doesn't want to celebrate bread? Now is the time to dig out your Grandma's homemade bread recipe and get your hands in some fresh dough. If you do not have a bread recipe from your Grandma, I have you covered. See below for my Grandma's recipe that I use to make homemade bread.

If baking is really not your thing, you can always check out your local farmers market to pick up a freshly made loaf (along with some locally made jelly or jam...yum). Or if you have sworn off bread (I am so sorry), this is the time of year to acknowledge the results from plans put in motion at the beginning of the year (i.e. New Years resolutions and the like).  Lammas is the gateway into fall and a wonderful time to take stock of the things that might still need some work but to also give thanks for all the many blessings in your life. 

Grandma's White Bread Recipe

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)

1 package yeast

5 1/2 cups flour (about)

Preheat over to 400.

Scald milk; stir in sugar, salt, and butter. Cool to lukewarm. Measure warm water into large bowl, sprinkle in yeast and stir until dissolved. Add in milk mixture and 3 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Add additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Form into smooth ball. Place in greased bowl (I use olive oil), turning to grease top. Cover and let rise, free from draft until doubled in size, about one hour. Punch down and let rest for 15 minutes. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a loaf and place in greased loaf pans (I use regular ol' PAM), cover and let rise for another hour. Bake in hot oven for 30 minutes.