September:
Wow. Labor Day has
come and gone. September is going fast, like all the past several
months. Around the yard, September can be a busy month.
September is a good
time to get the beds ready for garlic which should be planted in the
fall; it will be ready for harvest in mid-July next growing season.
Chose a good sunny location which drains well, and add plenty of
organic material. For more information on garlic, click
Garlic .
There is also assorted
other work to do in the garden for a better start next spring and a
better harvest next year, without a lot of hassle. For some thoughts
and information, click
Fall Garden .
September and October
are also great months to enjoy Nature. There will soon be colorful
leaves to experience and already many
native wildflowers are in full
bloom. It's quite the free show.
The cooler weather,
along with the more frequent rains, are bringing some smiles. The
Steelhead Trout in Lake Erie will begin moving into the tributaries
to spawn.
Steelhead are actually a species of Rainbow Trout. Along
the southern lake shore in Erie County, the fish are so numerous, the
area is often called
“Steelhead Alley” .
Maybe that is why
September seems to always zip by. There's just a lot of things to do
and see.
If you are in the area
this fall, and have a few extra moments, be sure to check out the
Hurry Hill Maple Syrup Museum which is now open every Sunday until
the end of November from 2 pm. to 5 pm. Admission is free and there
are plenty of artifacts to observe and activities for children. It's
also an opportunity to purchase a real Maple Sundae and other maple
products which are on sale throughout the year.
The museum is located
at 11424 Fry Road in Edinboro. More information can be found at
hurryhillfarm.org
Thanks to Paulette Dininny for sharing the photo of the museum.
Upcoming Nature News:
It won't be long
before the leaves will burst into all sorts of colors and shades;
there are already a few early “birds” beginning to turn. The oaks
and the maples in particular put on a great show.
The oak is an
impressive tree, embedded in
Americana ; from Tie a Yellow Ribbon to
gatherings under it's refreshing shade during a hot summer day, to
quality woodworking. It is also a highly important food source for
our native wildlife.
The oak tree is so
much about America, power strength, majestic, that it has also been
proclaimed Congress as the national tree of the USA.
Now, this month and
into October, acorns are readily found on the ground. Get a couple
and start your own oak tree. It's easy and the young tree will sprout
in a pot this spring. I use pots, instead of placing them in the
ground, because there are certain critters who will dig them up in
the ground. Learn more,
OAK .
September 11
One of the things I
remember about that morning was the clear blue sky; it was a perfect
autumn day weather-wise. I was up early, watched the local and
national news and turned the television off.
My newspaper editor,
Peg, was set to arrive within the hour. We were covering the burials
at the Erie County Almshouse cemetery that morning. The service, as I
recall was set for 10 or 11 that morning. I needed to eat breakfast
and grab a quick shower.
When she knocked on
the door, she quickly asked me to turn the television on, a plane had
crashed into the Twin Towers. It was awful news which turned worse as
the morning turned into afternoon.
On the car radio, to
the burial service, we heard about the plane crash at the Pentagon
and then in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We both had the same thought:
Pearl Harbor, again.
The situation was even
more grim at the cemetery, which is actually a beautiful wildflower
area with towering pine trees; within a short distance, where acres
of corn, further off on the horizon was Lake Erie. Small groups of
people huddled together passing the latest news between groups.
A small band started
to play, a violin and harmonica and a guitar, the service began and
the ashes of those who had died were scattered among the pines and
the wild flowers. It was solemn and dignified. A preacher spoke a few
words and the band played Amazing Grace.
A week later, I was on
an Amtrak train heading west to visit friends and family in Las
Vegas. It was an amazing 2 ½ day journey. The passengers were
somber; there were two families from New York City going to weddings
on the west coast. The planes were still grounded and the train was
one of the only options.
I guess I could write
a book, but then again, everyone has their story about that morning.
Someone recently asked, how did that morning change your life?
After several days of
thought, I realize how proud I was to be an American and a Christian.
Over these last ten years I have been to many other funerals; the Our
Father is always recited and the words “Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.” always seem to
conjure memories of that blue September morning.
We lost a lot of good
fellow citizens in those tragic events of that morning; citizens,
brothers, sisters, who should all be respectfully remembered. And we
lost some of our finest men and women in the Armed Services and
emergency first responders.
In the last ten years,
I have made some very good friends, whose traditions are Muslim, and
I appreciate their friendship. They are not part of the radical
elements; likewise, they do not judge all Christians because of a few
radical extremists.
I guess what I am
learning from that blue, fall morning is a re-affirmation of my
Christian faith, a re-newed respect for my fellow Americans, and a
deeper appreciation of the peoples of, what we call, Earth.
Some Recent Thoughts
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