I busted out the breadmaker this morning. Flipping through the manual, I came across a recipe for Russian black bread and figured I'd give it a go.
It's baking now and looks like, as Professor Farnsworth might say, every one pound loaf weighs 5 pounds. We shall see...
I am welcoming the new month with some Bach and you should too because this piece is simply beautiful.
It was a lovely morning and I was up earlyish considering that I'd gotten to bed rather late. With September swiftly approaching, I find that I generally awaken at an antelucan hour instead of just after dawn. Thinking that I didn't want to do much in the way of chores on Labor Day, I grabbed my cup of coffee and went outside to A) clear a gutter downspout and B) trim some hedges.
Before I got to work I spent some time just looking up at the trees and getting some sun so I could photosynthesize some vitamin D. I thought about how this was one of the last times that I'd be taking in this scene of lovely tree canopies. The mellow ortgeist of Eastmorland would soon be a thing of the past for me.
My earbuds were in and music was playing. Hopefully no one noticed and Heaven forbid that someone taped me as I danced in the driveway.
I am happier than I've been in years and feeling vivacious too. Music once again penetrates my ear holes and burrows into my soul; it pulses through my veins like a vital humor. A few days ago I was in the kitchen putzing around with my headphones on and I spontaneously started jumping up & down. Had I been cursed by St. Vitus? That song just felt so good that I could not merely enjoy it with my brain, but I had to move as well in order for the music to travel through me.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in "The Crack-Up":
A man does not recover from such jolts—he becomes a different person, and, eventually, the new person finds new things to care about.
That is what is happening to me. What does Earthseed say? "All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you."
Some of the things I am finding to care about are new new while some are the old becoming new once again. I have blown the dust off an old, stagnant friendship or two, made some new ones, and deepened the friendships that animate my daily life.
Speaking of friends, I accompanied one out to Lapacek's Orchard this past weekend. It was a gorgeous day.
I purchased a quarter peck of Paula Red pomaceous goodness. In addition, I got to see the chickens.
Plus, unlike my last visit, I spent some time with the goats. They got plenty of pets and a trio posed for me so I could take this Abbey Road-like photograph.
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Having finished my outdoor chores, I decided to take a stroll through Acewood Park. On both sides of the path Brown-Eyed Susans had their refulgent beauty on display for all to see making for a lovely late summer burst of color.
The path that wends close to the shore of the pond is all-too short but it is glorious. Walking through the woods here I experience a sense of Waldeinsamkeit as the mature trees and their canopies give this space a cathedral-like atmosphere. The sun casts its light and the whole area is aglow with a warm viredescence.
And just as churches have their incense, I was treated to the fresh, green aroma of the woods.
Many of the trees have vines creeping skywards.
Between the trees you can get glimpses of the pond. It felt as if I was looking at the windows of a nave.
My beloved Acewood arch is obscured by summer's verdancy but soon enough it will be revealed once again.
Near the arch a familiar fence was to be seen. Yes, the Crack Garlic Mustard Removal Squad was on duty! They were nowhere in sight so I made my way back to the asphalt path and wandered along the fence. All at once that smell, that goat smell, wafted into my nose and I knew I was close. And then there they were, eating breakfast.
There were several kids in the herd and they were cuter than all get out. I am not sure how old this fine caprine specimen is.
While the lush aestival beauty of the park was on full display, there were also small reminders of what is to come with leaves changing their colors scattered about.
