Autumn Dreams

"Autumn arrives in the early morning,
but spring at the close of a winter day."
  --Elizabeth Bowen--

They say it will be heading up into the 90's throughout the following week, but I can deal with it because Autumn is now on its way; the signs are there...The days are growing shorter as the light gradually gives way to the darkness;....and those cold, crisp nights when the air has a special chill to it.  Autumn, beautiful, beautiful autumn....some of us call it fall, a name which is believed to have originated  because it is the time of the year that the leaves fall to the ground, but actually it is called 'fall' because this is the season when the sun falls below the equator....only to 'spring' back six months later.  

This is such a wonderful time of the year.  I've always loved this season with its days of delightful color and myriad of changes. Remember when we were children?

...the first day of school, new outfit, new shoes...new crayons, pencils, book bags, new books...an apple freshly picked from the tree for the teacher...new friends and old friends back in our lives again....

...the land abounds with a glorious spectrum of shades of crimson, orange, golds, and yellows...mottled leaves with several colors in transition....

 ...raking and gleefully jumping into mountains of leaves...gathering together to watch the blazing piles...the scent of the burning leaves...the smoke....laughter...

...the bounty of the earth is harvested...pickling, canning, drying...nibbling while you work...pumpkins, Indian corn...and apples picked from the tree...lots and lots of red juicy apples...cornucopia...

...the hazy, cloudless skies of Indian Summer...the last warmth of the summer....but don't go near the water....

We may be older now, but we can still enjoy the trees and the crisp, crunchy leaves around us...we can savor the brisk morning air and relish the healthy redness on our cheeks.  It'll soon be time for the cozy sweaters, the hats...the gloves...winding down for the season of rest. Tis a beautiful season...indeed.  Autumn, beautiful autumn.

"I know the year is dying,

Soon the summer will be dead.

I can trace it in the flying

Of the black crows overhead;

I can hear it in the rustle

Of the dead leaves as I pass,

And the south wind's plaintive sighing

Through the dry and withered grass.

Ah, 'tis then I love to wander,

Wander idly and alone,

Listening to the solemn music

Of sweet nature's undertone;

Wrapt in thoughts I cannot utter,

Dreams my tongue cannot express,

Dreams that match the autumn's sadness

In their longing tenderness."

-  Mortimer Crane Brown, Autumn Dreams -