There Is A Season

It's easy, come September, for me to jump headlong into the next season, and think that Autumn is arriving.  September arrives this week and with it, thoughts of sweaters, crunchy leaves, and all things pumpkin spice!

 It happens in March as well, when Spring beckons from around the corner and I start dreaming of seedlings, and soil, and blossoms.  I've learned that this corner between the seasons is less of a right angle and more of a curve.  The old season hangs on, seemingly forever, slowly morphing into the new at its own pace - unaffected by my anticipation or longing.

And yet, there is definitely the beginnings of a change in the land, now.  Some of summer's blossoms are beginning to wither, while others remain vibrant. 

 Pollinators work at a frenzied pace, consuming as much nectar as they can during the ever waning daylight hours.  They move from blossom to blossom with heavy bags of pollen on their legs - assuring that plant-life completes its reproductive cycle.

Yesterday was one of my favorite types of days - grey, cloudy, and cool.  

There's a tranquility in being blanketed beneath grey skies - as if time slows down just a little.  These types of days foster a nesting instinct in me - a need to put my house in order and a push towards creating a cozy atmosphere.

Still, I keep reminding myself that we have only just begun to turn this gentle, curving corner towards autumn.  

"To every thing there is a season" and we are tasked with living each season to the fullest, with the knowledge that each brings with it a different gift.

To me, it's the same with life.  Life has its seasons.  When I think of my own life, I am reminded that I am turning that gentle corner of autumn into winter.  I have learned to not wish for the gifts of a season long gone - but to appreciate that which comes with the present season, no matter how different it may be from the last.  Hanging on to that which is lost to us robs us of the joy of the present.

There is no way to prevent the seasons from changing... just as there is no way to hurry them along.  Each day is a gift, no matter the season.

For now, I will gather the remaining blossoms of summer -

 filling jars and pitchers -

 and photograph them to look back on when cold, grey winter months surround us... a memory of what has passed and a reminder of what is to come.

Last year we decided to let some of our acreage grow wild - an attempt to not only decrease our mowing area, but also to turn some of the land back to the pollinators.  

These patches of long grass are dotted with wildflowers now.

And, surprisingly, a pumpkin plant is growing.  (You can see it right behind the sign, two photos up.)

 Last fall, we threw all of our pumpkins into this patch, hoping that we might grow our own pumpkins.  Because we did not plow the area to expose bare soil, germination was difficult... but, obviously, not impossible.   We just might have some baby pumpkins by Halloween or Thanksgiving.

🐝🎃🐝🐝🐝🎃🐝

NEWSFLASH!!  Forrest's DNA test results arrived yesterday. 

 He is indeed half English Springer spaniel and half Aussie Shepherd, but the Aussie Shepherd half is divided between the typical and the miniature types.  Even though he seems to be growing at an unbelievable pace, he should end up a mid-size dog when mature.

"What dis?" (dead katydid)

"Good to eat?"

"Blech!!"