Autumn in the air

I was taking the kids to school this morning and it really is the first day I've had to use the window heater to dispel the fog from the windshield. The sky was a uniform shade of grey and the rain was more like mist. As I was coming back, I saw a "V" formation of geese flying near the freeway. I came home and my wife had used an Apple Cinnamon air freshener. Add all those factors together, and instantly I am transported to visions of bobbing for apples, pumpkin pie, scarecrows, fall festivals, trick-or-treating and warm apple cider. I think Fall, or Autumn as we English folks call it, is tied with Winter for my favorite season. I like all the seasons, but those two make me feel human after the insufferable heat of summer.

I used to help my first wife run a preschool. It was in the lower floor of our house in Lake Stevens, WA. When fall came around we would organise a field trip to our favourite pumpkin patch, Swan's Trail Farm in Snohomish. Every spring we went there too, when the owner, 'Gentle' Ben would show the kids how to plant pumpkin seeds, and thus he would get his pumpkins planted for free. Then in the fall we would go there and pick pumpkins. It was a wonderful experience for all the kids. They would get to pet farm animals, there was a giant hay maze set up inside one of the barns, and they would have a hayride. After we got back, we would carve pumpkins with the kids and parents and generally have a blast.


I remember the first Halloween I spent in the United States.
My first wife Kristin's parents, Drs. Gordon and Joanne Odegaard, live in La Conner, WA in a house on the Swinomish Channel, a man-made 11-mile-long waterway that connects the deep waters of Saratoga Passage and Padilla Bay and separates Fidalgo Island from the mainland. It is a gorgeous area. But I digress.

Joanne had decided to make for dinner a Mexicali Beef Stew in a Pumpkin Tureen, a recipe that had been published in the Skagit Valley Herald. This sounded great to me, but Gordon had reservations.
Gordon's parents were Norwegians who had immigrated to Alaska, to a small town called Petersburg, known as Alaska's Little Norway, where Gordon was born and raised. He has mentioned to me on many occasions that his favorite things are what he calls 'basic boring'. He likes his food fairly plain, not too spicy, and he's not a big fan of garlic (despite loving pesto).
So there we were, sitting at the dinner table, anticipating the spectacular stew in a pumpkin shell, and when it came out, it looked fantastic and tasted great. However, after a few minutes, we look up to see Gordon adjusting his collar, and sweating bullets. OK, it was spicy, but I had never seen someone have to wipe their brow because of a stew! It was one of those unintentionally funny moments that you just have to witness to fully appreciate.

One of my other favorite things that would occur in fall was the annual extended-family Thanksgiving dinner which was usually held at Cousin Paula's house in Bellevue. All the cousins, uncles and aunts were there and everyone brought something to eat, so there was a TON of food. It was my first experience of sweet potato pie, too. I was hooked after that. After everyone had eaten we would all sit around rubbing our fat tums and groaning with pleasure, and Paula would sit at the grand piano in the living room and start cranking out Christmas tunes, which we would all join in with. They also had an old Victrola in the room and we would dig through the old 78's and play a few. The one I remember most was an old comic song called "Mrs. Murphy's Chowder."

Mrs. Murphy's Chowder

Written By: Unknown
Copyright Unknown

Won't you bring back,
Won't you bring back
Mrs. Murphy's chowder?
It was tuneful,
Every spoonful
Made you yodel louder

After dinner Uncle Ben
Used to fill his fountain pen
From a bowl of
Mrs. Murphy's chowder

There was ice cream, cold cream,
Benzine, gasoline
Soup beans, string beans,
Floating all around
Sponge cake, beef steak,
Mistake, stomach ache
Cream puffs, ear muffs,
Many to be found
Silk hats, door mats,
Bed slats, Democrats
Cow bells, door bells,
Beckon you to dine
Meat balls, fish balls,
Moth balls, cannon balls
Come on in, the chowder's fine!

Won't you bring back,
Won't you bring back
Mrs. Murphy's chowder
It was tuneful,
Every spoonful
Made you yodel louder

If they had it where you are,
You might find a motor car
In a bowl of
Mrs. Murphy's chowder

There was ice cream, cold cream,
Benzine, gasoline
Soup beans, string beans,
Floating all around
Sponge cake, beef steak,
Mistake, stomach ache
Cream puffs, ear muffs,
Many to be found
Silk hats, door mats,
Bed slats, Democrats
Cow bells, door bells,
Beckon you to dine
Meat balls, fish balls,
Moth balls, cannon balls
Come on in, the chowder's fine!

I am not sure who was singing the song, but it was a comedy duo who would banter between verses. I remember this part...

"Say, Cy, can you lend me five dollars?"

"I can't hear real good in that ear, come around to this side. Now, what did you say?"

"I said, can you lend me ten dollars?"

"Aw, why don't you come back to the five dollar ear?"

Another favorite place to go was Remlinger Farm in Carnation, WA. Hayrides, haunted house, pumpkins, u-pick etc., but also espresso and a restaurant, so you really could stay there all day and soak up some serious fall atmosphere. The town of Carnation itself is really pretty. It was originally called Tolt, but was renamed Carnation in honor of the Carnation dairy farm (yes, that Carnation of evaporated milk fame) where the famous 'contented cows' lived. I visited the farm and its beautiful gardens when my grandmother Elsie came for a visit in 1995 after my grandad had passed away. It was closed to the public in 1999 when it became a regional training center for Nestle Co. In 2005 it was purchased from Nestle using seed money from none other than Paul Newman, to become Camp Korey, one of Newman's Hole In The Wall Gang camps for sick children.

Well folks, I realize that this is a rambling post, but I'm in a fall-like mood, and I don't really care. I look out the window at the cool, breezy, overcast day and think, "Perfect. All it needs is some candles, something cinnamony in the oven, a mug of flavored coffee and good old movie on the box, and I'd be set." So, with that, I bid you good day until next time.