summer-autumn
the weather today lent itself to some lazy, more subdued activities. summer is so rushed and event-driven; even the light at the end of the day tends to mask the fact that yes, it is time for bed. lately, i sit in my living room thinking it’s time to go to bed pretty soon, only to look at the clock and see it’s only 8:30.
but today the light slanted, coming from the south sky, across the grass that’s a little bit browner than it was 4 weeks ago, highlighting the plants in my neighbor’s garden that are showing signs of giving up chlorophyll. late-summer crickets buzzed – frogs long gone. the temperature was lucky to crack 70º; great for comfortable sweatshirts, wool socks, and closed-toed shoes.
i went out to the garden and tore out my spent tomato plants, stacking them in a pile. the corn stalks landed on top. charlie perused the green beans one last time; all others on the vine i will let sit for seed saving. a few last cucumbers hung on to the vines, and the pie pumpkins, butternut squash, and heirloom cinderella pumpkins litter the garden, waiting to come fully ripe.
then off to whitewater, where i saw under the trees and watched the sun shine on the bluffs against a dark fall blue sky. while technically still green, the leaves on the trees are starting to tinge to yellow, orange, red, brown. from the neon, bright greens of sprummer to the dark, rich greens of high summer; now it’s time to let go into autumn.
it’s three months to the shortest day of the year. we wait so long for the longest day to show up, then the shortest is here before we know it.
