When the leaves start to turn and the smell of wood smoke permeates the air I start to gravitate to country antiques that remind me of autumn, - harvesting, warming by the fire, and turning my attention to inside. Harvesting We have a huge old apple tree - so old no one can identify the variety - but they taste fantastic. I love apple boxes filled with apples and I put them all around the house, especially in autumn. Of course you need to check them often or a rotten apple

Some of the most beautiful and finely crafted splint baskets ever made are the Taghkanic baskets. Many people assume that they were made but the Taghkanic Indian Nation, but they weren't - and that Indian Nation doesn't even exist. Taghkanic, often spelled Taconic, like the Parkway in upstate New York, is an area of Columbia County in New York State. It is an Indian name meaning "water enough". A small group of hermit-like families lived in the hills around that area, marri