Is it already September?

September is here, with a rush of cool wind to remind us of its place in the seasons. . . lest any should forget that September is an autumnal month. Today especially has been delicious weather: our windows are wide open to the fifty-three degree elements. Fresh, chilly air pours through all the rooms and the main noise outdoors is the wind caught in our trees and making a thunderous roar. Curtains are billowing into the rooms; we are drinking hot tea and wearing flannel shirts. . . I'm even wearing socks for a change. One of my very favorite things is feeling that very cool, but not biting, almost misty fresh air full in my face and hair. It reminds me of Camp Van Vac of course. . . I always miss the north woods when these times come around.

. . . I have been listening to Tolkien's beloved Fellowship of the Ring on audio and rearranging my room a little. I love Gandalf. . . but of course I do. I love so many from those books. Elves. . . .

'They seem a bit above my likes and dislikes, so to speak,' answered Sam slowly. 'It don't seem to matter what I think about them. They are quite different from what I expected - so old and young, and so gay and sad, as it were.'

I am rather like Sam Gamgee I suppose, in the beginning: partially ignorant of these and other great things, but loving them and appreciating them just the same. I often wonder what brain capacity Tolkien must have had to subtly display so many truths in his books. I keep forgetting that I first read them this Spring, for I have the distinct immpression that I have known them all my life. They have always been my friends and heroes haven't they? Like Lucy in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, what I mean by a Good book is one that reminds me of The Story. The true story of life that only God knows well. And like Frodo, when autumn comes around, my thoughts turn again to adventuring outside the Shire, and I must experience it again.

As I listen now, I am mending the quilt on my bed. . . a very satifying task, and a quilting needle is my favorite kind - so easy to manipulate. Having my window as wide open as it will go makes me feel connected with the trees and leaves outside, sharing the same fresh air.






























Time for goose stew again. . .