When I got up this morning I looked out my bedroom window, as I always do. I am so lucky to live on a nice five-acre wooded lot. I never know what I might see when I look out the window—birds of all sorts of course and squirrels and chipmunks. Occasionally there are deer. It’s a real treat to once in awhile see a doe and fawn. Even more rare is the sight of a moose, an always-exciting event.
This morning I saw something so lovely it made me stop in my tracks. It was an incredibly simple thing—just a yellow butterfly perched on a dandelion. But it was a delightfully unexpected nature portrait. A dandelion still blooming this late in the season? A tiny yellow butterfly in the fall?
It was a very nice surprise, kind of a goodbye-summer parting gift from Mother Nature.
That is why I like fall. There are so many pleasant surprises that come along with the cooler weather. A brilliant red bush amongst a stand of evergreens or the earthy smells of the forest that you only notice on a fall hike. Apples fresh off the tree. The rich colors of the evening sunset and the chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Finding a couple of dollars or a roll of Lifesavers in a winter jacket pocket. The sight of a pumpkin on a porch. Crunchy leaves beneath your feet. A slice of pumpkin pie or a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. A jar of rose hip jam from a friend.
All things that you don’t get to experience in the hot and hectic days of summer or on messy muddy spring days. Fall is a wonderful season of transition before the work and worry of winter.
For the most part, I enjoy winter. I like snowshoeing and making snowmen and snowmobiling and just watching it snow. But I must admit when I’m not able to relax and enjoy the snow, it gets tiresome. I don’t enjoy winter when I have to shovel a path to the car to get to work or when I have to drive on dangerous, slippery roads.
So, I savor every minute of fall and I watch for those magical moments. That’s why this Unorganized Territory is so very short. I’m signing off now to get outside and take a walk to enjoy the crisp fall air—another little blessing of fall.
See you out there!
October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations above them once again.
Hal Borland
Leave a Reply