golden richness

 

          Fall is my favorite time of year. (I say that for every season, but it is especially true for fall.) ---I guess that is why I have already written so many posts on the splendor of autumn. 

There's inspiration to be drawn from the palette of browns and greys, and my heart soars when the north winds come sweeping through.

SEPTEMBER: The persimmons are ripening and if I'm lucky I'm able to harvest a decent amount to make cookies or bread. Otherwise they make an excellent meal for some woodland creature. The dogs eat them off the ground like candy and I have to shoo them away. Then, the acorns start to fall; smooth brown ones that scatter the ground. All through my childhood I would help Dad pick them up out of the driveway and throw them into the woods, giving them a better chance of growing into a fine strong tree. I still throw acorns out of the road -- it's a habit I'll never want to break.

OCTOBER: If October were a color I would say that it is either marsala or gold. Or both. The leaves have finally reached their peak of vibrancy and the temperatures have dropped low enough to wear sweaters and jackets. In the downtown you'll see women wearing fancy leather boots with plaid skirts and scarves. Autumn is the best time for fashion -- it's all an attractive blend of subdued tones and textures. If I'm not careful, I will start to drool with greed at the wonderful clothes a person can buy; someday when I am rich and famous I shall have as many wonderful trench coats and golden tassels I desire.

NOVEMBER: The month of birthdays --- (in our family anyways.) Large family get togethers, birthday dinners and Thanksgiving feasts are abundant in number. The brightness and cheer of our celebrations contrasts with the bleakness and grey of November: my favorite combination. It is the month of transition between Autumn gold into Winter silver. It is reminiscent of late nights sprawled out on the white leather couch -- of steaming apple cider -- of scratchy woolen scarves -- and the poem by Alice Cary. "The leaves are fading and falling; The winds are rough and wild...."

Autumn is wonderful...

"I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and its content." -- Lin Yutang