Autumn Delights

It’s my favorite time of the year - and the shortest one too. One blink of an eye (or one good wind) and it’s gone. Autumn. It’s so distinctive. During autumn, my senses are happily overwhelmed. As I am writing this, I am looking out my window during a raging thunderstorm at my neighbor’s maple tree. Through the rain, the leaves look like they are on fire. The rain creates a mist that looks like smoke, and the leaves are so bright red and orange they rival the color of afternoon sun. The birds are hiding in the branches, seeking shelter from the huge drops. They bounce back and forth, branch to branch, in a feathered game of tag. I see squirrels scrambling up and down the big tree trunks – chattering at the birds. No doubt they are arguing about double-booking their time share on the old oak. Have you noticed the over abundance of squirrels this year? It’s like a squirrel convention in my neighborhood. I see cars playing stop and go, while the squirrels run to the other side of the street, laughing at their recent brush with death. In the backyard, the dogs feel it is their duty to rid their territory of the furry tailed creatures. I watch out the window with laughter as they “tree” yet another quarry, barking out their delight in a job well done. The squirrel of course is long gone, having scored a perfect “10” on the gymnastics chart - vaulting from tree to phone wire to bird feeder to fence to safe territory.

A drive out in the country brought so many delights to my senses: a combine mowing down a once green and yellow cornfield – the stalks now dry and brown (and looking quite nice on my front porch, thank you!); a herd of cattle, lying in the field (yes, all of them lying down – I heard it meant rain is coming…hmmmm); a pile of burning leaves, smelling so crisp and acrid; a field of crows, scrounging up the last of the soybean crop; piles and piles of bright orange pumpkins, shining in the afternoon sun; the whinny of a horse, echoing across the valley; the sound of a distant train, it’s horn sounding haunting and lonely.

It’s a tantalizing delight, autumn. It’s a short but comforting time of year.
It’s a drive down the block, looking at all the fall decorations. It’s sipping hot apple cider as you carve pumpkins and bake the seeds. It’s meatloaf and chicken and dumplings and pot roast. It’s homemade soup and cornbread and cuddling up with a blanket and a great book while you wait for the chili to simmer on the stove. It’s snuggling by the fireplace while looking through the cookbook for new stuffing recipes and actually starting a Christmas card list, vowing to be early for once.

Autumn is a time to reflect. A time to realize that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, giving us thought on the blessings we have in our lives. It’s the time of year that slows down – right before it speeds up.

I plan on enjoying this slow pace for just awhile longer - before I think about getting those Christmas lights untangled. After all, the “Squirrel Olympics” only last for awhile longer.