Apples

No, iPads, iPhones, and iPods are not the subject of this piece.  Nor am I going to address all of the things that apples, the fruit, have signified over the years, from forbidden fruit, knowledge, temptation and sin, to immortality and eternal youthfulness.  This piece is just about those apples that we especially enjoy this time of year, sometimes even handpicked by us.

When I was a child, Jonathan apples were the only variety that was ever available in our house.  My mother preferred the firm texture and medium size over the very sweet, large yellow-skinned Golden Delicious.  Besides being good just by themselves, Jonathans are also great cooking apples, and my mother used them to made pies and roly-polies, her specialty.  Is there anything better than smelling apples baking in the oven?

In England, most days Debbie and I walked from the British Infant School where we were “student teaching” to the neighborhood center to purchase our lunch - two Granny Smith apples.  Green as grass, we enjoyed their firm texture and their ability to satisfy our hunger.  Perhaps they were so abundant in England because they originated in Australia.

Our farmers’ markets and grocery stores stock so many more varieties of apples now, and I enjoy trying new ones.  Fuji and Gala had become my favorites until Honey Crisps appeared.  We bought some from a Michigan farmer last week.  They weren’t pretty and had various skin flaws, but the taste was exquisite.  Sadly there won’t be many available.   Michigan had summer-like temperatures in March which caused the cherry, peach, and apple trees to sprout, and then April brought some below-freezing nights that killed off the buds.  This year’s production is expected to be 3 million bushels instead of 23 million.

Red, yellow or green, now is the time for us to enjoy this limited harvest.  What variety will you choose and in what form?

An Autumn Weekend

Calling all former Boy Scouts!  You won’t want to miss Wes Anderson’s latest movie, Moonrise Kingdom.  Set in 1965, we’re drawn into a story of young love between an orphaned Boy Scout and a bookish girl.  The star-studded cast includes Bill Murray and Frances McDormand as the attorney parents of the girl, Edward Norton as the Boy Scout camp leader, and Bruce Willis as the sheriff who becomes involved when the young pair meet and begin their adventure.  It’s delightfully entertaining - Roger Ebert awarded it 3 and one-half stars.  It was a perfect Friday night date movie and lead in to the weekend.

These fall weekends are my favorite, filled with moderate temperatures, cool winds, and the passes, runs, blocks, tackles, kicks, and scores of football.  Saturday’s college games are my favorite, but I enjoy Sunday’s pro games, too.  Any good game will do.  Sadly, my love of football isn’t shared by the other half of the management, so I tend to watch alone most times and am even sometimes pressured to participate in some other activity, rarely willingly.

This love of the game comes from my dad, who began taking me to the University of Illinois football games when I was ten.  We always walked from home to the stadium, quickly.  I tried to take my longest strides to keep up with him.  We’d weave through the crowds and arrive in time to watch both teams warm up.  I don’t remember ever being bored, and I’m sure that was because he taught me about the game so that I could focus my watching.  I became a rabid fan, more than enthusiastic and bordering on the fanatical.  I yelled and cheered too loudly long after it was age-appropriate.  As was his nature, my dad was quiet most of the time except when caught up in some excitement.  All of these memories well up inside me as I watch the first kick-off of the day.

Ah, these autumn days.  Precious indeed.  

This is the day the LORD has made

For a week I have been witness to the first colors of fall, the red and gold especially catching my eyes.  Hurricane Isaac has only brought a little wind and some light evening rain to Holland.  Since all of Michigan has been declared a natural disaster area due to this year’s heat and drought, we were hoping for a bigger impact.

The first of the 15 boats that dock at our pier has been taken out for cleaning and winter storage.  With temperatures that are sometimes still peaking in the high 80s, it seems too soon to plan for the cold.  (I guess I wouldn’t make a good squirrel!)

The other day instead of having my first cup of coffee in bed, I sat on the balcony in the quiet and watched the stillness of the water.  As flocks of birds flew close to the lake, their numbers doubled with the mirror-like reflection.  “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,” (Psalm 118:24) I recited as I was felt filled by nature’s beauty.  No sooner were the words out of my mouth than a hummingbird appeared not more than 6 feet in front of me and paused facing me.  I must have passed inspection as then he turned and fed from the blossoms of the pink fuchsia.  I could even see his beak parted, drinking the nectar.

the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. - Psalm 118:23