Fall

Watching the leaves come tumbling down,

I'm tempted to give in to sadness, and frown.

Summer's eternal (in recent recall)

But there's no denying the arrival of Fall.

Missing the sweet scents and blooms of July,

Fruits in my garden, a bright blue clear sky.

The shifting of Seasons, wild rain clouds and wind,

Herald replacement of days that have been.

The fragrance of apples and dry, leaves of brown

Surround trips to farm stands just outside of town. 

Cinnamon, pumpkins, sweet cider and mums

Are replacing the Summertime treats one by one.

Well, ready or not this Autumn is here!

I'd rather just smile than to shed bitter tears.

After all, It is only a number of days

Before Winter's cold breath will blow Fall away!

The Character of Leaves

Bradford Pear Tree

Brilliant leaf gems will glow when the setting sun shows through them,
gleaming their red green and gold.
As the daylight grows short, orange dancers cavort at the tips of the twigs that they hold.

They float on the breeze, parachuting from trees which can no longer hold them aloft.
Leaves rattle and quake, crisply they shake in cold Autumn gust or winds, soft.

They whirl and they glide and spin as they ride on even the gentlest puff.
Streaming down through the air they warn us "Beware, for the winter winds soon will be rough".

They gather and meet, crunching under you feet.  Nature's gift is their spicy Fall scent,
Kid's squeal happy sounds, when leaping in mounds of them, wrecking hours of raking time spent.

Needles of pine are a leaf of a kind, though they don't all turn sepia tones.
As the Solstice occurs, scents of cedar and fir, remind us of holidays home.

So you see, there is glee in the heart of a tree, in the traits of the leaves at great heights.
Such beauty unfolds til the nights get too cold, and the North wind beckons "Take flight!"                    







                               

The Promise of Spring

     There's a whisper in the air...  If you are still you may hear it.  If you squint your eyes especially at dawn or dusk, you may catch the tint of pink or red or purple buds on naked trees.  It's just a hint, if you blink it may be gone.
     Crocuses are focusing their energy to bloom, Daffodils are awakening, Hyacinths are yawning with sweet fragrant morning breath and Azaleas are dreaming of pastel splendor to come.
     Every year, without fail, Spring will come.  Mother Nature touches the Earth with her warming influence and Life begins to flow.  She fulfills her promise each cycle and comes through for us.  Some would say she didn't sleep this Winter and was awake and planning through the cold months.  There were hints of her work all over the country.  There should be a fabulous display when Spring comes into full bloom this year!
     A promise is an assurance, an agreement, a covenant.  Something you can count on.  Nature has promised to bloom no matter what else is going on with us busy humans.  Whether you notice or not, the birds are begining to scurry about with scraps of straw and twigs.  And if you watch them for awhile, you will see the males doing their best mating dances and chasing interlopers out of their presumed territory. 
     My little Carolina Wren has begun sitting high atop a tree singing his little lungs out for a mate.   (Actually they don't have lungs!)  You're pretty, pretty, pretty pretty he repeats over and over.  His voice is pure and loud.  She can hear him from a long distance.  And then he invites her to tea...  Second verse, tea par-tee', par-tee', par-tee', par-tee'! 
     Spring is such a wonderful time of year!  It's the time when you know what is to come.  When life is uncertain and daunting, Spring will come!  When the doldrums of Winter are getting you down, Spring is committed to explode into color and fragrance.  When things are not going your way, go outside!  Hold on, take a breath and let your mind wander to Nature.  All things are interrelated and conjoined and that includes us. 
     A breath of fresh early Spring air can soothe the Soul!  Shake off the worries and take a cue from the flora and fauna.  After all... a promise is a promise! 

Torn Between Two Seasons

    There's a whisper of Fall in the air.       ~Just a whisper.~       The air is still infused with Summer humidity.  The breeze is still filled with myriad various butterflies and dragonflies dancing on the wing from Petunia to Buddleia to Lantana.  They look as though they are unaware that Autumn is about to pounce.
     Kids are back to school.  Leaves are crisp and falling.  Many new and some old familiar varieties of apples are beginning to appear at the market.  An early crop of pumpkins and colorful, twisty, warted gourds are making their debut as well.  Thoughts of weeding garden beds and planting perennials have turned to choosing Autumn bulbs and raking leaves.
     The rainy season has arrived, yet sometimes its hard to tell if those storm clouds are ahead of a Summer tropical system or a Fall cold front.  Just stick your head out the door or your nose out the nearest window to become your own meteorologist.  You'll probably do as well as they do!  Raincoat?, thongs?, sweater?, boots?  Open the windows - close the windows... air conditioning, ...not!  Its warm then cool, its humid then dry, its windy then still.  Give it a minute... it'll change!  On second thought, better listen to the professionals!
     Cuckoos have not yet arrived to dine on Tent Caterpillars and immature Cardinals are patchwork quilts of brown, red and olive.  Camellia buds are receiving their innate messages to get ready for the big show.  Some summer shrubs are still sleepily shooting small but persistent blooms.  Few vegetable garden plants remain, giving their gifts of love.  No one told them to stop!  So, the Basil continues on, and on and shares a bed with a now shriveled vine of plump beige-y Butternut squash.
     Yes, there's a whisper of Fall and a thunder bolt of Summer.  Then a whiff of crushed Autumn leaves and a beautiful flutter of Eastern Black Swallowtail wings.  The Catbirds and possibly the Hummingbirds have left and its time for the Northern Robins to start travelling through on their way back up North.
     Confused?  I think not.  Perhaps oblivious.  Most people do not even notice the changing of seasons.  It is definitely more of a blending than a change.  My advise... enjoy the dichotomy.  Savor the gifts of both.  In fact, savor every minute, every delicious second of the time you spend out in Nature.