The Remembrencer
Ben Ashby
The Fodder of Memory
WHAT IS IT about milder nights and yellowing leaves that makes everyone slow down and take a deep breath? Fall is that time of year that I take time to honestly appreciate the little things in life. It seems that, more than any other season, Fall is responsible for many of the great memories I have of days past. I know that many people remember holidays and Summer vacations, but Fall memories are different. Fall reminds us of the togetherness we share with our families, the beauty of nature, and to slow down our busy lives to take note of all of the beautiful things that surround us.
Memories always seem to resurface during Fall, good and bad, but always more vivid than the changing leaves. Fall is a constant reminder of days long past, blue Power Ranger costumes, Fall festivals, and family togetherness. Fall is the time when family really makes the biggest impact for me, it is not about football games (though I have gone to my fair share of those). How many people can attribute their passion in life to a season? I think that I can.
Most of the things I enjoy doing, and things you will hear me write about for quite a while, have been done in the Fall. I have fond memories of cooking in the kitchen with my Nana, and watching her can apple butter and preserves that certainly do not belong in any other season. Cooking has always been a favorite hobby of mine. I love learning family recipes and introducing new ones into our collection and, since most of our dinners happen in the Fall, it always seems to happen in slow autumnal days. I have learned to make apple butter, stack cake, corn bread, biscuits, gravy, ham, yams, and most of the staples of our family dinners during the months of September and October. I have cooked dinners for my mother on her birthday, and have had dinner with all of my extended family for my cousin’s.
More than cooking with the women of my family, I am reminded of the ridiculous projects I have always given my dad during seasons past. I do not remember a time when I have not asked him to build something for me. Though he has taught me much of what I know about using power tools and making things for myself instead of buying them, I still like to have him do it instead. Sometimes the projects were elaborate, and sometimes not so much, but always there were projects.
I think that my love of decorating comes from all of these projects and not just memories I have of visiting him on contracting jobs. More of my inspiration comes from the fodder shot that he built me to read in when I was ten, or more so, the cabin. The cabin was a one- room, stilted home I asked for during the summer of my seventh birthday. My dad built it for me and after he finished during the early Fall, we both spent the night there on one Friday night. I think it may have been the only time anyone ever stayed in it, but I think it was enough to make it worth the effort. Though, dad may disagree. Other projects have come up since then, but I think that the cabin has been my biggest influence in my interest in architecture and design, and it probably always will be.
Fall has always been a friend, whether we went hiking together in the woods behind my house, watched my sister Heather sing in a hodgepodge of festivals, or watching the Halloween torch pass to a younger generation. It’s a comforting time to remember all of the times that have brought me to this place in life, and to make new memories. Whether the milder nights of Fall are spent recanting tales around a campfire, or the weekends are spent traveling, the one thing that always remains are the people who share all of the seasons with me, my family.
