by
Jean Hughes
November 27, 1995
Frost crystals are piled up on everything. Whenever I touch a leaf or blade of grass, frost-dust scatters through the air. Along the woods' edges, fuzzy goldenrods look like bronzed pagodas. Icicles drip from a tree that has fallen across a little riverlet on a hillside. A cool zephyr wind roams through the tree tops.

Down in the valley, I find a log that I can roll to creekside to use for a chair. What a surprise! The underside of the log is covered with orange and red fungi.

After rolling my seat into place, I sit to rest and listen to the water. Then I pick up my usual pocketful of rocks. What choices! I never see a rock that I don't like.

I walk home through copper-colored hillsides. This a lovely time of year. It would be difficult to find a moment when there was nothing to be thankful for.


This year, along with the traditional oyster dressing, I baked a pan of this old favorite. With leftover turkey added, this would make a good after-Thanksgiving casserole.

Alice Mae's Dressing
Saute, but do not brown: 1 cup diced celery and 1 cup diced 
onion in 1/4 cup butter.
In a large bowl, mix: 4 cups cubed bread, 3/4 t. salt, 
1/8 t. pepper, 1/2 to 1 t. Italian seasoning, 2 eggs and 
 the sauteed vegetables.
Add enough seasoned turkey broth to moisten well.
Bake in a greased casserole for about 30 minutes at 350o.

This is a day of clouds and misty rain. I walk to the creek that borders my land on the east. I have not walked this trail since spring. It was obliterated by summer growth, and every time I started down the path I got sidetracked.

Along the gnarled path, mushrooms grow. I am in the deep woods. The deeper I go, the calmer and more open it becomes.

Standing at the top of a gorge, I see the meandering creek below me. Although it is the rockiest creek on my land, and aptly named Stonebreaker, it is the most peaceful.

I climb down to creekside and find an old log that is covered with fungi. It looks as if it has been splashed with red and yellow paint. Nearby big stumps have fern-like moss pressed all over their tops and sides. One big fallen log has tiny yellow evening primrose-shaped mushrooms growing in long lines. They cover the surface. The log is in bloom!

This is a placid creek, except where there are wild spillways that careen down over rocks. The water here sings a thousand melodies.

The mist is so heavy today, it is almost like rain, but I love to be in a wild place on a day like this. Why be waterproof if I never use the gift?

My dogs lie all around me. Tiny crystals of mist cling to the tips of the black hairs on their coats. My old dog, Bal, licks a gentle kiss onto my face. This is a happy day for me, and a happy place to be.

From bleakness, suddenly the earth awakens. The woods and fields glow from within and seem to open into a golden blooming flower of light. The tree-tips look like puffs of candle-lighted clouds. White sycamores emerge out of the radiant haze. The shine lasts only one minute, but what a minute!

* * *
At this thanksgiving season, if I were required to tell the thing that I am most thankful for, after friends and family, it would be loving life as it is. I love the rain when it rains, the wind when it blows, the snow when it snows, the sun when it shines, people when they are near and solitude when I am alone with the birds, the dogs and the hills. My life requires more than thanksgiving; it requires a joyful noise!

* * *
This has been a week of every kind of fall weather. At dusk, I stand out in the field. The evening star winks into view. The dark clouds make a Jacob's ladder that fades into the blue. I smile, because I am thinking, "Come on down, angels, and see what my heaven is like. Come share the beauty in my hills tonight."
Copyright 1995, Jean Hughes.

Jean's book of ramblings and recipes "A Country Mile of Winter" and her book of poetry "The Earth's My Home" are available for $4.95 each plus $1.30 for postage and handling. Ten of Jean's favorite recipes will be included free with each book ordered. Order from...

Country Mile Publications
616 E. Monroe St.
Delphi, Indiana 46923

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