Peering Through Life's Window

  A Taste of Fall Fall brings yellow, orange and red leaves, football, arts and crafts festivals and apple cider with mulling spice, which originated around 500 BC when the Greek Physician Hippocrates mixed wine with spices to treat various physical ailments. The Romans adopted the practice to mask spoiled wine and add flavor. By the Medieval Period the idea had spread to Northern Europe as a way to improve the taste of wine and promote health. Those in Victorian England used the spices for their drinks at holiday gatherings. There are many recipes for mulling spice. Here’s one given to me by a friend years ago. Mulling Spice Recipe Ingredients: 1 cup of sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp. cloves, ¼ tsp. allspice. Enough equal portions of tea, apple and orange juice to make a gallon or half gallon of liquid. If making a gallon add four tablespoons of mulling spice. If making a half gallon, add two tablespoons. Mix the spice and liquid and heat in a pan on the stove, the microwave or a...

 A Warm Welcome to Tracy Wainwright Hi Tracy, thanks for sharing your thoughts on fall, parenting and letting go as well as introducing us to your new book, Shifting Goals.  Fall Fall is a wonderful time of year. Not because I’m a pumpkin spice junkie, I’m not. While I love summer and the family time it gives us on the water, there’s just something extra special about the smell of autumn – bonfires, cinnamon, and, yes, even pumpkin – the array of leaf colors, football games (although I can’t remember the last full game I watched, and the temperature fluctuating from 40⁰ to 80⁰. Not to mention sweaters, boots, and leggings.  The other season changes seem to occur more gradually, while fall bursts on the scene like a random firework on a random Saturday (this is a thing in our neighborhood. Fall is the season when most of nature begins to die or hibernate. This may feel pessimistic or disheartening, but God made it beautiful. And we have extra bonuses like hayrides, corn ma...

Football is on television tonight. Once right after we married my husband, Rick, turned on the T V at 2:00 a.m., to watch two high school teams I’d never heard of. I’m not sure everyone is that huge of a fan, but college games bring out fierce loyalties among their alumnae, and followers of professional football will often travel hundreds of miles to support their favorite teams. During the first five years of our marriage we had season tickets to a college team on Saturday and a professional team on Sunday. I grew to appreciate the skilled players and the execution of well designed plays. I still abhor those who must commit a flagrant foul with the intent of injuring a talented player to gain an advantage. But, desperate behavior shows up in all walks of life. In many ways a football game with its set-backs, momentary glories and determined players resembles a snip-it of life. Possibly, that’s what fuels the sadness over a loss and the ecstasy of a win. When our team wins, we feel tha...