It’s November—our transition into winter. Bare tree limbs shiver in stiff winds. Wayward leaves scurry
across the chilly ground, and clouds gather in gray skies. Inside, people
search closets and drawers for wool and flannel clothing, and warm shoes and
boots.It’s the time when everyone dashes
outside to get their homes battened down and ready for the first snows to fly.
The bushes and trees have been trimmed, and perennial plants are leveled to the
ground for a spring rebirth. Leaves from trees, now drab brown, wet, or maybe
crispy and dry, have been raked or swept up in lawn mowers. In our small development
here in Central Pennsylvania, when one mower roared to life, another followed
shortly, and the race was on to see which house finished first.
November brings back many
memories from childhood in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I remember school days
when we watched out the windows in our classrooms to look for the first snowflakes.
For farm kids, snow meant outside fun as we rode sleds, shovels or saucers down
a slippery slope. There were outside chores, too. Clearing snow from the front
porch, sidewalk, back steps and entrance were unspoken activities after every
storm. Almost daily, we hauled stacks of wood from outside into our cellar to
dry and feed our hungry, wood-fired furnace.
I loved our cellar furnace.
The light sweet smoky smell of wood still reminds me of a toasty warmed-by- air
ducts ending at metal floor registers above. In high school and before bedtime,
I would find a register, grab a blanket and wrap it tent-like around me to trap
the heat while I did my homework.
And I’ll never forget the tasty
winter foods of November. Falling temperatures brought warmer hearty dishes to
our table—roasts, ham, meatloaf, stuffed cabbage, and stews, to name a few. Delicious
scents from homemade soups like chicken noodle, beet, creamy potato, or vegetable
beef wafted through the rooms. Hot chocolate, cider, tea, and coffee made winter
meals even more savory and inviting. Thanksgiving was a feast. If we didn’t
have a turkey, we enjoyed a chicken or roast. Mother froze or canned every
imaginable vegetable, so cranberries were our only purchased item for the
holidays.As the eleventh month of the
year, November can rightfully boast it’s the transition from fall to winter. It
also announces we are approaching the end of the year. For children who love
and wait for winter, it's so much more as they ask the curious and often blissful
question swirling in their heads and hearts—will it snow today?
JUNE ~ The Pianist
(Book 1 of the Musical Christmas Series)
NOW ON SALE $0.99
