In every Gladys Taber book, there are so many passages which hold a meaning - principled, significant, beautiful, memorable...I find so many that I want to remember, I jot them down.
Harvest At Stillmeadow (1940) ends with a chapter titled, 'October.' Gladys Taber writes,
"Signs that winter is on the way are all over Stillmeadow...Things that will freeze begin to creep into the inside kitchen and range themselves in ranks.
"The house itself looks different to me, and yet I can't see why. The mood has changed. The tide is turning, warmth ebbs away, the house draws close in itself, waiting for the cold. And Jill and Bob rush out in the yard all day, doing the last things every gardener does before snowfall...
"Perhaps the surest sign of autumn is Jill beginning to talk about spring planting! A gardener never seems to look back; next year's seeds begin to sprout in Jill's mind almost before this year's vegetables and flowers are gone."
Oh, how true!
Just days ago, I was noticing the sun low in the sky, the extra long shadows cast throughout the day, a different kind of daylight - signs. Windows and doors now shut tight against the cold, outside temperatures. Glenn finally fired up the furnace, heat radiated through the house. The noisy valve replaced...silence - credit Glenn.
Just yesterday we were scampering about trying to get the last of the veggies, and a few flowering plants, into the house. As we worked, Glenn and I reflected as to how this season's veggies succeeded and what changes we would make next year, next spring, to better fit our needs. A conversation that we have had countless times since we planted the first seeds into our garden in April - always looking ahead.
As much as life changes, it also seems to stay the same.
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