Currently I’m breathing fresh October air in Southern Illinois. I’m situated on the front porch of the little cabin; the setting spells out r-e-s-t. Nice.
This morning when I headed for the cabin, I paused on the front porch. Leaves were gently falling and yellow maple trees towered overhead. “This is where I will be for the moment,” I told myself, settling into the crackling leaves. It was all so perfect, but what about that battle within? How could life be okay again? How could I make life okay for others? Silently I communed with my Maker. More and still more leaves floated silently down. “It’s a wonder they don’t all come down at the same time,” I mused. I thought back over times past when God had brought total assurance and peace. Surely He would once more bring clarity and allow me to breathe deep again and enjoy life. No amount of persuading myself seems to really work in times like these. Thankfully, though, there is One who knows it all. Blessed be His holy name. Yes, He would provide; why, He’s on duty as He’s always been! I shifted in the crunching leaves. Yes, I could and I would go on with the moments of this day. I made my phone call that was waiting on me, then scribbled in my journal and told God I yield all control to Him. The thought struck me that if I’m willing to surrender all of life to Him, He will in return equip me for life and all He has for me. And yes, to Him I yield all those around me who also face hardship; since I’m not God, I will never be able to carry their burdens.
The following evening was the crown of my fall days so far. You’ve heard us talk about our chestnut grove. Well, you know how it is; if you put lots of time and energy into something, the rewards you reap are simply epic. So it was with our first annual chestnut festival. There are four of us who have started our own groves. Well, I shouldn’t call them ours, as I hold no personal claim on them; it’s all the Lord’s, who created them in the first place. Anyway, we all planned to gather for chestnut talk and food. It was epic. We gathered at my cousin’s house, where I hadn’t been for years. Her husband had a fire going and her daughters were in the kitchen putting the last finishing touches on the food they were preparing.
Darkness was gathering as we finished setting the last fall dishes on the table on the porch. Several girls cranked a freezer full of homemade ice cream by hand. After a prayer of thanks to the Father, we filled our plates. I couldn’t take my eyes off those stuffed pumpkins (it’s a wonderful recipe, lots of steps, but worth it, stay tuned, I’ll share it next week!). Why, it was so splendid, so festive, and oh, the taste was truly amazing!
Then there were also herbed potatoes, caramelized chestnuts with bacon, a most unique salad with chestnut slivers, sauteed pears, etc, and chestnut cookies, along with a birthday cake for my oldest son Austin, who turned 12 years old. When the children had their plates filled I slowly started on mine. I savored every bite as I chatted with a dear friend, Mrs. Miller, and looked at pictures of her grandson in Belize.
When the children had finished their plates they went off to play, while the rest of us talked about chestnuts, equipment, and the likes. The entire process of learning and growing into it has been amazing, the challenges making the good times better. Hopefully by next year we’ll be set up with our own cooling system, a sheller, a boiler to take care of any potential weevils, and such. Yes, it takes quite a bit of work, but then who’s happy who doesn’t dig in and do it even when they’d rather not?
It is still pumpkin season, so we are enjoying pumpkin lattes, it’s an easy, flavorful fall treat, which I will share here. Note that it will make a difference on what coffee you choose, also feel free to tweak according to your taste buds.
Pumpkin Lattes
1 1/2 Tbsp. pumpkin (canned pumpkin can be used)
1 1/2 cup milk
1-2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee (we prefer Taster’s Choice)
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Instructions: Blend together and heat in a small sauce pan- do not over heat. Pour into a large mug and put a dab of whipped topping on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Note: This recipe may be done in larger batches.
Gloria Yoder is an Amish house-wife in rural Illinois. She is the third writer of The Amish Cook column since its inception in 1991. Yoder can be reached by writing: The Amish Cook, P.O. Box 157, Middletown, Ohio 45042.
