I stopped by the Germantown Community Farm for their annual Harvest Festival dinner. A hungry crowd lined up to partake of the bountiful harvest, which was served inside the old apple barn. Too many people for an “enigmatic loner” like myself, so I didn’t stick around for the square dance which followed the meal. I tried to eat and run, but Kaya wouldn’t let me leave until I tried some of the goat stew. The farmers were proud of the stew because it was prepared from a kid they raised themselves. Ben ladled some into a mug for me. Eating it in sips and spoonfuls, it tasted very good and warmed my insides, which I needed on such a chilly autumn evening.
Then, on my way back to the lighthouse, I dropped by a friend’s house in the village, where a pumpkin carving party was in progress. Just a handful of people, so more to my liking. No sooner had I stepped through the front door, I was sent back outside to pick a pumpkin from the yard. I found a forlorn one by itself at the edge of the driveway. Back inside, I joined the busy knives at the kitchen table. When everyone was finished, we lined up the candlelit jack-o-lanterns along the porch and stepped back to admire them all. Afterwards, we topped off the evening with a cup of hot spiced apple cider and a slice of pumpkin pie. The soothing tastes of autumn ease the mourning for the passing of summer.