Sadhvi
Ok, it’s fall, and it’s time to start letting go of the past. That includes the memories of my summer garden and flowers. I have aired out my woolen sweaters and will do my final garden planting next week. I bought some “end of the season” deals at a local greenhouse…some Oriental Poppies and some Blue Veronica for $1 a pot! I cleaned out my car and did some detailed deep cleaning; the furnace is serviced; the oil tank is full. My Swiss husband will start roasting chestnuts next week, and that, my dear reader, brings me to the reason I can say, without any hesitation, that I know I will make it through fall and winter: yes, freshly roasted chestnuts! As long as I can remember, I have felt more than a wee bit melancholic about the prospect of cold, damp and cloudy days. Growing up in Cleveland, I felt that winter was something that one simply endured. There was not much sun; clouds were hanging low for weeks on end, and then there was the bitter cold and wind. I felt quite some comfort in the fact that we were all in it together. Why, even today I feel a certain compassion and kinship for anyone from the Northeast. And living in the German-speaking part of Switzerland meant that, for us, the winters were worse than the ones in Cleveland, with a cold dampness that seemed to go right to the bone. I am even starting to feel uncomfortable just writing about it! So, to help those that have the long fall and winter months to look forward to, I will start sharing in next week’s “Sadhvi Sez” what I know about chestnuts: my secret cure against the fall and winter blues. Until then, start humming…and think spring!
Tags: basel switzerland, Chestnuts, oops50, Sadhvi Sez, sadhvisez, switzerland
sadhvi dear, just finally got some good time to spend with you and all of oops50…and I must reply to your Cleveland comments…I agree AND after driving to florida to deliver my family there to a raw wind and 56 degrees I thought this is not my idea of florida—returned only two days later to cleveland to 69 degrees and sunny!! Climate change is doing its “thaing”, eh??!! hugs Priya
p.s. maybe a stopover on my way back from Santa Cruz, but no promises yet. Love you.
oh how i miss the east coast and all it’s beautiful fall glory! however, for some reason, being on the beach when it’s dreary and overcast is amazingly beautiful… also with the rain come the mushrooms!!! still missing you three and hoping to make it back to asheville someday soon
yes helen…you are right where you outta be, and me too! are you gonna put some garlic in? planting time starts tomorrow. i will get some in…last year was my first try and it is so easy that i will always do it. gonna try some shade cloth over and on top of a trellis on one of my beds to see what continues to grow. but i must say that i pretty much have greens and mache throughout the winter…ever since the ground doesn’t freeze anymore.
hi lynn,
oh, i could never live in arizona! i need to have the 4 seasons…i need to have a garden…i need to have freshly roasted chestnuts from the chestnut man. no really, i am pretty content where i am, as content as i can be. no more moving for me!
hi cathy b! you wrote that you have not had chestnuts? unbelievable with your italian blood! well, that is gonna change.
xxx
Anado…so good to hear from you in your shorts! and to complete that “blog thought”, while i do get melancholic when summer is over, the fall’s here are so mellow…today it will hit 80. and the winter days are pretty much sunny and blue skies every day. i guess change itself makes me melancholic…i did try moving to a warmer climate, but the bugs got to me, and so did the hot summers. and there are no freshly roasted chestnuts, and that i could not imagine living without! no, i am ok. but now since my FB account is shut down, probably permanently, i will have to have your site as my home page so i can keep up. yours was the only “friend” that was on my “feeds”. because i like you a lot, and find you fascinating…much love to you anado!
Moving to Asheville from Florida was a huge blessing. No roaches, fewer mosquitos, no fire ants, your thighs don’t roast on the car seat when you sit down in shorts. There are distinct seasons to enjoy. I plant some evergreen plants outside my windows so I can see some green, wear Cuddlesilks long underwear (Sears)..the best and cheap. I heat up my bedsheets with an electric blanket before I climb in and use a beanie bag hot from the microwave to warm my feet. It’s not exactly prairie life, but it gets me through the winter. I make more chili and soup, and use more frozen veggies…succotash! Fresh apple pie is always a plus too. Good time to weed the garden too.
Hey y’all – the smell of roasting chestnuts and eating them outside is a rite of passage. You actually must put that in your bucket list.
Try living in Arizona. It was still in the 90′s last week! This week is somewhat better high 80′s in the day, 50′s at night.
Except for the song “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” I don’t know much about them so I’m looking forward to your future posts and learning all about chestnuts!
Lisa, if you have never had fresh roasted chestnuts, maybe you will have to come to visit to try some before the season is over. They are so good and they even have mystical qualities…more to come!
I have a tree across the street from me that changes colors. That’s about what I get of the changing seasons. Even during our winters we get some days that are warm enough to wear shorts. And definitely during some June gloom months it’s cold enough to wear a sweater. I grew up in SoCal and am extremely spoiled. NoCal was a rude awakening, and the DC metro area was too much for me after the third summer and winter… I’ve a friend In NE Oregon who has the extremes and I like hearing about it… but know I’d really have a problem getting into a shower on freezing cold mornings. I’m curious about the chestnuts… I’ll stay tuned.
Sadhvi…I am in shorts and it is in the low 80′s…there are solutions for winter…move to a warm climate….I garden year round…but…hey? Does that make me cool? Not really….just don’t like the cold…but I like you!