In the Air

While autumn officially arrived somewhere around September 28th, I can just now feel it in the air. I for one am relieved. Autumn is my favorite time of year. Autumnal evidence is everywhere ~ we need only open our eyes and see.

There is a steady breeze. It is not blowing from the warmer south and east. Rather, it wafts from the west and north. With it comes the much-needed and refreshing cooler and drier air .



The holly bush on the northeast corner of the house has berries. They are small and green, but they are there with the promise of turning a bright cheery red.



Pansies are on the market. I love their lion faces that staunchly deny winter and bloom in spite of the cold. In the dull bleakness that is January, pansies show the promise of spring.

Yesterday I witnessed several large and beautiful monarch butterflies. They were stopping by our impatiens to sup while on their way south. I believe monarchs are the only butterflies that migrate. They brought a sense of wonder to me that I had not felt in quite some time.

I know some people dislike Autumn. To them, it is the onset of a type of death. Leaves fall off the trees. Grass turns brown. Eventually, there is little in the way of greenery and most of the birds leave. While mowing the lawn on Cooper Street I finally realized why Autumn is my favorite season of the year.

To me, Autumn represents the satisfying exhale that comes after exertion. Summer is long, hot, and difficult. With the start of autumn comes the rest of cooler weather. Autumn is a contented sigh...and so I sigh contentedly.

To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to pluck what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to gain and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away; A time to tear and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and an time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time of war and a time of peace. ~Ecclesiastes 3