Chilling Out
It seems like we go right from butterflies to spider webs, reminding me that Halloween isn’t too far off. This is the time of year that harvested garlic wafts from my pantry, and I’m startled by the sound of nuts dropping from the paws of squirrels onto our shed’s tin roof. Garden plants are wilting and dying, revealing ripened orange pumpkins underneath, still clinging to their winding and shriveling vines. Lawn mowing is slowly being replaced by wood cutting. The cooler days seem penetrating and brighter, as the loom of summer humidity lifts. Putting aside my sandals, I look for shoes. This morning I put on socks.
Post to Note: “Common Ground,” an August 18th “Loose Leaf” entry I wrote on dissent was published in “The Roanoke Times” yesterday under the title “The Very American Art of Protest.” You can view it here.
September 9th, 2005 9:48 am
Congratulations on the article. 🙂 Summer does turn to autumn in a lurching sort of fall doesn’t it? It seems the world went from shirtless to sweaters within a couple days.
September 9th, 2005 9:48 am
Congratulations on the article. 🙂 Summer does turn to autumn in a lurching sort of fall doesn’t it? It seems the world went from shirtless to sweaters within a couple days.
September 9th, 2005 12:07 pm
Excellent commentary, so glad that I stopped in here via Michele’s! I wish that there were more people like this woman who are not afraid to stand up to the almighty President Bush.
YOur photo of the spider web is beautiful! I always stop to wonder at them, nature is so interesting.
September 9th, 2005 12:34 pm
yep…summer is beginning to give up the fight…
September 9th, 2005 1:18 pm
I love the fall, the calm winds, the coolness and the colours. I just can’t believe it is coming so quickly.
Love the photo!
September 9th, 2005 2:52 pm
I love Autumn too, but I think it’s terribly ironic that we admire the colorful foliage when all it really is is the death of the leaves. Even in death, there can be beauty? Your darned tootin.
September 9th, 2005 3:26 pm
Did you take that picture? It’s beautiful!!!
September 9th, 2005 3:42 pm
Good photo, good article, good post. If socks are here, can mufflers and coats be far behind?
September 9th, 2005 5:13 pm
Congratulations on the article! The rain just started outside, first rain in nearly a week for us! But it’s probably the start of daily rain again over here! A sure sign summer (bearing in mind I’m referring to English summer!) is over!
September 9th, 2005 7:28 pm
Hi Col, I agree with everyone’s comments…good post, very good Roanoke Times piece and a breathtaking picture.
To Weary Hag who said: ~Even in death, there can be beauty? Your darned tootin. ~ I’d like to point out a blog entry of my own which speaks to the subject of death and it’s unexpected beauty. I’ll preface these thoughts by first saying that I am Colleen’s sister. If you’ve been reading her posts for any amount of time, you’ll know that we lost two brothers; Jim and Dan. Jim’s death came suddenly via an accident, which was difficult (an understatement) for the obvious reasons. It was as if he were plucked from the tree when his leaves were still green. Dan’s death was also difficult for the obvious reasons; one being that our family was still reeling from Jim’s death, but I must confess that I learned something about the beauty of death through watching Danny go. I can liken this experience to autumn, when we are lucky enough to witness the change of seasons. The ripe green leaves turn into such an exquisite array color; for me the most beautiful time of the year. It is at this time that the leaves are their most beautiful…before letting go. If you care to read it on my blog, the entry I’m refering to is here: http://ben-gal.tripod.com/index.blog?entry_id=1206902
September 9th, 2005 9:04 pm
You go girl. Great article. I am going to print it and post it outside my cubicle. Maybe I’ll secretly distribute copies in everyones ‘in’ box!
September 10th, 2005 5:22 am
Congrats on the article; well done. Love the picture here, too. The sound of nuts dropping made me think of the walks I took around Woburn’s Horn Pond. The acorns falling in autumn sounded like loud applause.
Our temperatures here have dropped into the 80s, heat index no longer in the triple digits. Probably have a couple months to go before we’re into sweater weather….
September 10th, 2005 6:46 am
Way to go, Colleen….great article. And, hooray for Fall!!
September 10th, 2005 8:22 am
I just adore your descriptions of where you live. And the descriptions of fall are especially precious to a stuck-for-now-in-Florida gal.