MAGICAL SEPTEMBER

 by Judy Ann Davis

“By all these lovely tokens, September days are here.

With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.”

– Helen Hunt Jackson

 Magical September waltzed in with her cooler temperatures and autumn splendor.

 Let’s remember to:

      Admire September’s magical sunsets and the harvest moon

      Enjoy the beauty of goldenrod along our roadways.

      Appreciate the last green leaves before Jack Frost hauls out his paint box

      Take a few minutes to watch the rolling fog lift itself from the land.

      Drink a glass of refreshing apple cider.

      Call a friend and grab lunch to share in the fall merriment.

If I were to ponder the summer of 2022, I’d have to admit Central Pennsylvania had a hot humid season with temperatures rolling upward near ninety degrees many days. We received enough rain to encourage every weed in our flowerbeds to flourish. I grew a horse weed plant taller than I am. I filled buckets with purslane, plantain, dandelion, dollar weed, quack grass and clover. Humid conditions during the day and hot muggy nights encouraged white mold on many plants’ leaves, but our ferns went crazy, loving the humidity. Ironically, my tomato plants were stubbornly lazy and didn’t produce as well as they had in other years.

But now, it’s time to watch September spin the last of its magic as it blows a farewell kiss to us in less than a week. The hummingbirds have disappeared. Crows gather in noisy flocks. Geese honk farewell as they wing their way south.

Hans - Pixabay

  Acorns plummet to the earth with a plop. Mushroom 

  silently pop up from the ground. Milkweed pods 

  burst open sending seeds sailing into the air on 

  fluffy floss. Pleasing scents fill the air: smoky wood 

  fires, hot chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg spices, 

  roasts in the oven, and apple   and pumpkin pies. 

  Oh, and let’s not forget pumpkin spice coffee

  sold in every establishment in town

                                   

JIMaro Morales - Pixabay

In many northern states,  September delivers the first frost of the season and signals autumn is approaching. I love autumn because of the exquisite colors it brings. Maple trees cover our landscape in gold, scarlet, and orange. It’s a painter’s paradise.                                

 

September is also jacket weather on cool nights. It’s the season when we dig into the back of our closets and pull out those jeans, flannel shirts, and fleece coats. Dry leaves rustle beneath our feet when we take a walk in the brisk outdoors.

Do you have a favorite sign of the autumn season? Share it with others in the comments below. And watch out for those falling acorns!

JUNE - The Pianist

Book 1 in the Musical Christmas Series 

Now on Sale for $0.99

START YOUR SUMMER DAY WITH BURNING PASSION

 Judy Ann Davis

"Now that your eyes are open, make the sun jealous with your burning passion to start the day. Make the sun jealous or stay in bed.” – Malak El Halabi ~ Poet and  Consumer Behavior Expert 

What a way to start the day--with a burning passion! 

But what about the end of it?  Have you ever felt you’ve accomplished anything? Even when we do things according to a well thought-out schedule, do we take any time to do the things we want or like??                                                                   

I’m learning that variation in our daily or evening schedules is a healthy and a rewarding way to change the pace of the day. Chores don’t have to be done on the same day every week. Laundry can wait a day. Dinner doesn’t have to be a strict time every day. We’re allowed to unwind, be more alert, center ourselves, and enjoy life instead of frantically keeping pace with it. 

I’m now taking some respite with my writing as well. I’m taking time to ponder the last 20,000 words I need to finish my novel, and I’ve decided not to let my Type A personality poke, push, or guilt me.

Instead, I’ve been reading an old book called “The Plot Thickens,” a series of short stories by best-selling mystery and crime writers Mary Higgins Clark, Janet Evanovich, and Ann Rule, to name a few of the authors. It’s refreshing and enjoyable to read the
short, compact, mystery stories in one sitting.

I’m playing music. I’ve made a batch of cookies. I met with card club friends. I’m taking time for myself. I’m breaking my routine, and I’m feeling cheerful as I embrace that much-needed passion to start my summer days.

So tell me—how are your days evolving? Are you making the sun jealous with your burning passion?   

Visit My Amazon Author Page for all my books.  

HUCKLEBERRY HAPPINESS now only $1.99

                                                                                              
                                                                            

HUCKLEBERRIES AND ICE CAVES - by Judy Ann Davis

I have just finished writing a short novella for a summer release where ice cream must be used somewhere in the story line. Although Huckleberry Happiness will stand alone, it will be part of the One Scoop or Two collection published by the Wild Rose Press. 

Huckleberry Happiness was fun to write because I wandered back to 1885 when refrigeration consisted of ice boxes, sometimes called ice closets. I also used huckleberries as the flavor, because in Pennsylvania, these little dark berries were picked and used in recipes like cultivated blueberries. The heroine, Emelia Stone, makes huckleberry pie for her bakery, but also plans to make a special ice cream dessert for a contest the Pennsylvania Railroad is having.

I’ve always been interested in ice caves since one exists in Coudersport, Sweden Township, Pennsylvania. Originally the ice caves were used to store meat and for ice harvesting. So naturally, Joe Sawicki, my hero, has to own an ice company with his brother. He stores some of his ice in an ice cave and regularly delivers ice to Emelia Stone’s bakery to keep her perishable goods fresh.

How do ice caves work? Heavy cold air from outside cascades into the cave and warmer air inside the cave rise up and escapes, lowering the temperatures. The ice that forms inside makes it harder to warm the space and acts as a buffer that stabilizes the temperatures to freezing.

Although Huckleberry Happiness is still in the production stage, here is the blurb:

In 1885, Emelia Stone and her sister must learn to operate their deceased parents’ bakery in the small town of Pennsylvania. A large mortgage looms on their family home. When her sister leaves town, Emelia is forced to handle the bakery and burden alone.

The Pennsylvania Railroad is searching for the perfect dessert for its passengers. Joe Sawicki, owner of Sawicki Brothers Ice Company, is certain Emelia can win the contest and the hundred- dollar bonus if she creates a special ice cream to accompany her popular huckleberry pies. He has loved her since they played hooky in grade school to explore the company’s ice cave.

Can Emelia find courage to stand up to the town’s bully to win the competition? And will Joe have the mettle to express his undying love and win first place in Emelia’s heart?

 Link to WILLIE, MY LOVE - $2.99

Snow in Pennsylvania

by Judy Ann Davis

This year, winter snowflakes arrived in Central Pennsylvania on November 15^th without giving advanced notice. If you didn’t get all your outdoor chores finished, like trimming the shrubs, storing or covering the patio furniture, or shoving the barbecue grill undercover, you’ll now have to wait for a sunny day and first melt. Luckily, at the Davis house, we were able to get most winterizing finished. 

I’m a fan of November. It’s the month when we celebrate the first Thanksgiving of the Pilgrims as well as offering our gratitude for all we have. We gather with our family and friends together, without the hassle of presents, and enjoy good food and friendship.

It’s the month when we can snuggle down and enjoy the many smells of the season from the cinnamon and sugar in an apple pie baking in the oven to luscious, rich scent of a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Squash of all varieties become a staple fall accompaniment to a pork or beef roast. Cooked, baked, and roasted root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, beets, and potatoes, stored for winter use, appear on our holiday tables. These are our comfort foods. And they remind us as the temperatures fall that winter is around the corner.

My favorite dessert during November and December is pie. Pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies show up on our table during the holidays. Here is my favorite recipe for pecan pie:

Pecan Pie

4 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

l cup light corn syrup

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons melted butter (or margarine)

2 ½ tablespoons dark rum

1 cup (about 7 ounces) shelled pecans

1.    Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, salt and butter, mixing just to blend. (Do not over beat.)  Stir in rum and pecans. Pour into a prepared, unbaked, 9-inch pastry shell.

2.    Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) for 40 minutes or until filling is golden brown and firm to the light touch. Serve at room temperature with a bowl of lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Do you have a favorite winter pie or dessert?

 If so, please share your seasonal choice in the comment box below. 

This month, I'm featuring my anthology of short stories:

UP ON THE ROOF AND OTHER STORIES

https://www.amazon.com/Roof-Other-Stories-Judy-Davis/dp/0999089609/ 

This is a collection of nineteen humorous and serious

short stories exploring the lives and relationships

of the young and old. 

These are clean, contemporary stories 

for an audience of all ages.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Ann-Davis/e/B006GXN502/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyAnnDavis4 
Twitter ID:  JudyAnnDavis4 
Blog Link: “A Writer’s Revelations” ~  http://judyanndavis.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.judyanndavis.com/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4353662.Judy_Ann_Davis
Yahoo Groups:  wrppromo@yahoogroups.com and ahachat@yahoogroups.com and pennwriters@yahoogroups.com