Well it's Autumn here in New Hampshire, the trees have finally turned into the riot of color that brings people from all over the planet to see the leaves change. It's the best time of the year to be here, but I find my mind is wandering back to the first maple trees I remember seeing. It was when living on Boscabal Street in Nashville. There were two huge maple trees in the front yard that provider amazing color in the fall. They were part of my life and I remember them well. Last time I was in Nashville I went by to check on them and they were still there.
In the spring and summer there would be giant garden spider webs stretching from the lower branches to the ground. In the early morning hours the dew would create a kaleidoscope feel to the sun shining though them.
Out back of the house next door was a commercial smokehouse that did hams and sausages; you could smell the hickory smoke all over the neighborhood.
Most falls Granny would have my Uncles and us kids take all the leaves and pile them on this flower bed in the back yard. We would take and bury a bunch of potatoes a couple of inches in the dirt then place all of the cast iron cookware in the leaves just before we set them on fire. The cast iron would be cleaned out, ready to re-season and all of us would have baked potatoes smothered in butter standing around the ashes of the fire. It was a wonderful way to spend a brisk fall day.
The smells of autumn were wonderful as well! The hickory wood from the smokehouse mixing with the smell of the oak wood and coal burning in the fireplaces of the houses and the leaves burning in the yards all on a crisp clear fall day. It makes me want to go back.
