Today, I’m grateful for this first day of October.
The year 2020 is moving right along. Maybe I’ll celebrate this new month by putting up a few fall decorations. All the antisocial-ness that’s come from Covid-19 social distancing has put a damper on my desire to decorate. But today, I think I’ll make the extra effort.
What are you grateful for today?
Today, I’m grateful for the leaves beginning to change color.
Here comes autumn in New England! The tops and tips of the neighborhood’s trees are showing red. Every morning, when I go for my walk, I can see the yellows and reds growing more abundant. Before we know it, those leaves will be falling and blowing, and summer will be a memory.
What are you grateful for today?
Come, my spirit,
we’ve been to dark places that seem to be the end.
Come, see the red-gold flutter of trees
against a blue enamel sky.
Come, hear the solid thunk-thunk of a woodpecker
searching; the crispy crunch of leaves shed
like so much dead skin.
Come, smell the spice of just cut grass.
Come, feel the cool breeze that sends
a quiver of living across your cheek.
Autumn is a season of change. The daylight hours shorten, the nights become cooler, and school is back in session. Actually, for the first time since 1989, no one in my own household headed back to school this September. That in itself signifies change. But here in New England, beautiful foliage displays are the most celebrated change of all.
Several years ago, on an October drive to visit one of my daughters attending a Vermont college, I was blown away by the brilliance of color. Wave after wave of reds, oranges, and yellows bloomed before me as I drove the hills and curves of Interstate Routes 93 and 89. Ever since that drive, I’ve wanted to take a leaf-peeping adventure every year. And living just 30 minutes south of the New Hampshire border, you’d think I’d have done it every year. But no. Fall is a busy time of year and weekends are precious. Last year, my husband and I planned ahead to combine a foliage trip with an Alchemist Brewery truck sale. Guess what! It rained. Hard. Of course, we got the beer, but the sightseeing was a bust!
This year, every weekend seems to be booked. Life, as usual, has gotten busy. But I’ve been thinking. The old saying that “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” could be tweaked to say: “the foliage is always redder, oranger (I know, not really a word), and yellower on the other side of the border.” It’s all about perspective. We really don’t need to climb the fence or cross the border to find the vibrancy. We just need to change our thinking and open our eyes. So, I did.
And here’s some of what I found less than a mile from home…
And also less than a mile from home is a soccer field at which I spent many an autumn as a busy, distracted soccer mom. I hardly ever stopped to appreciate the view. This year, I decided to track the changing colors. The first photo was taken on September 21st. The last one was taken this morning. Enjoy!
Chapter 3 