Recently I had my first visit to Door County in Wisconsin. I had a woman’s wellness get away weekend with my mom, her sister, my cousin and our good friend. The five of us enjoyed a condo in Egg Harbor. Unbeknownst to us it was the annual Pumpkin Festival.
There were pumpkins everywhere yet no pumpkin pie to be found. (That is my favorite fall pie.) One store in honor of Prince celebrated with Pumpkin Rain…. they played Prince songs all day long. The fall colors were beautiful. We tried several local wines and many cheeses. My favorite dinner was in Sister’s Harbor at a restaurant with live goats on the roof. We had Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. If you are anywhere near Door County you have to find this restaurant. It was a weekend of friendship, food and fresh air.
I have said it before and I will say it again, fall is my favorite time of year. One last hurrah before we all settle down for winter and cold. I offered to play a witch for a haunted trail last Friday and you couldn’t have asked for a better night. The weather was crisp and I had a warm fire and steaming cauldron of spicy witch’s brew to keep me warm. I brought my dog Maggie and dressed her as a spider. As much as we tried we really didn’t scare anyone. (One boy told me he had seen my witchy nose for sale at the dollar store…ha-ha…) The children carried real chicken feet to protect them from all our shenanigans. It put me in the mood for Halloween. I am not big on the gory, scary Halloween but I like dressing up and having fun. It’s even better if I can bring my little spider dog with me.
I can feel it in the air that we only have a few numbered days before we wake to freezing temperatures and probably a layer of snow. I fight the transition from pumpkins, spiders and witches to snowmen, sledding and Santa on his way. It’s only a matter of time before the witch’s cackle turns into a Ho Ho Ho! Peace, Sandy.
“Delicious autumn! My very
soul is wedded to it, and if
I were a bird I would fly
about the earth seeking
the successive autumns.”
George Eliot
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
Leave a Reply