Savoring the Days and Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

October in Virginia feels like September in Michigan, so I had a small moment of shock yesterday at the realization that it’s suddenly so late in the year. It’s nearing the end of October already, yet fall is just now arriving. The trees are changing color, the nights are truly chilly, and the air has that autumn smell – clean and earthy and damp.

Fall always gets me thinking about slowing down, partly because I would like winter to delay its arrival as long as possible, but also because the clear, bright days that are the best of this glorious season are few and fleeting. You have to snatch them up when they come, make the most of each one.

I think we did that this weekend. I certainly didn’t do much that was practical (like cleaning). We made memories instead. There were some precious firsts: L’s first visit to a pumpkin patch, and her first jack-o-lantern. I made our first apple betty of the season. We took a walk in the woods on Sunday afternoon. I bought a big bag of pears at the market in preparation for making spiced pear butter. It felt good to pause for a couple of days and drink in fall. What else is life for if it’s not for savoring?

After we carved L’s pumpkin, I roasted the pumpkin seeds with sugar and spices for a little treat. When I was growing up, my mom always roasted pumpkin seeds with a little salt for a nutty-tasting snack. I’ve taken to adding pumpkin pie spice, a little sugar, and a little butter. Roasted this way, they’re reminiscent of the paper cones of spiced roasted almonds vendors sell at fairs. E had never eaten roasted pumpkin seeds before. They were a hit with both him and L. By the end of the night, they were gone.

I don’t have a fall bucket list hanging on the fridge, because it all just lives in the back of my mind. Apple picking. Drinking hot spiced cider. Snuggling up on the couch to watch favorite old movies. Burning candles to make the house feel cozy. Eating caramel apples. Baking leaf-shaped cookies. Taking Sunday drives to look at the fall colors.

We’re going to savor every moment we can grab of this season, because it goes by so quickly. My gratitude journal is already full of fall, the little things that make for joy, like cable knit sweaters and L’s tiny fair isle socks, like flickering candlelight in the evenings and the events of our weekend.

We started out on Saturday at the pumpkin patch, with L riding in the wagon. Looks picture perfect, doesn’t it?

It didn’t last. Ms. Independent had to get out and walk on her own.

There was a great deal of excitement over how many there were to choose from, many repeated exclamations of “punkin!” We finally managed to choose just one.

L helped pull out the guts, which seemed to thrill her. I did the carving. E took video.

Clearly, she was pleased. Her pumpkin is her new buddy. Hopefully he lasts through Halloween. For now, she’s objecting to putting him outside where it’s cool. She wants to be able to hug him whenever she feels like it.

Sunday afternoon, we headed over to the Manassas Battlefield Park’s Stone Bridge trail for a walk. Could there be a more perfect-looking path through the woods? It wasn’t a snowy evening, but I kept thinking of Robert Frost anyway. And The Hobbit. I felt like I was in The Shire.

After we got home, I made the spiced pumpkin seeds. Here’s the recipe.

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Seeds from one pumpkin (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat the oven to 325° and spray a baking sheet with oil. Wash and dry the pumpkin seeds.