Home Sweet Home

Hello everyone,

For this first weekend in October, I had a quick but wonderful visit to my hometown, Aaronsburg, PA. It's a very small town in Central Pennsylvania, surrounded by miles and miles of beautiful farmland and forested mountains. Whenever I am in the countryside, I feel at ease and at peace. For me there is something rejuvenating in observing the textures and colors of a field of crispy corn stalks or watching a herd of cows meander over the grassy rolling hills.

On the second and third of this month, my town hosted its annual Fall Festival. This event is something that I look forward to every year although it has hardly changed since the time when I began to frequent it. Local artist sell their wares and give demonstrations, musicians preform live, tours are given of the town's historic one room log cabin (built in 1811) and of course the food vendors feed the crowds with much of their profits donated to local organizations.  Homemade apple dumplings served with locally made ice cream are the Fair's most popular treat. The money made from the sale of these dumplings contributes to the continued growth of the local library.

It is not possible to imagine  a trip home without a few visits to my grandmother. My grandparents were an enormous part of my upbringing and have made such an impact on my life. My grandfather passed away almost 4 years ago but my grandmother still has years of spirit in her. The happy memories that I have of both of them are becoming a huge driving force behind my work. Memories of holidays are inextricably linked with my grandparents. Although it is much too early to really begin celebrating Halloween, I did indulge in pumpkin carving. As a child, pumpkin carving was always led by my grandfather. We have a home video that shows the sweetness with which he helped my cousins, sister and I decorate pumpkins. This is perhaps why I have such clear memories of this October ritual. Now, carving pumpkins and toasting their seeds leaves me with sweet memories of my grandfather, although these remembrances can be quite painful too.

Until next time,
Brigitta