autumn morning walk

Because Mike's computer died, and I am unable to post pictures today (anywhere...Etsy shop will have to wait....) I challenge you to use your imagination and come along on the walk I took this morning.

It was crisp and fresh, temperatures starting to climb out of the 40's.  The commuters had gone to work, the school buses had safely delivered their loads of children.  The recycling trucks were rumbling through the neighborhood, brakes squeaking as they stopped, bottles and cans clanking as they were tumbled into the bins on the side of the pale green trucks.

The sun was bright, not a cloud in the azure blue sky.  Firey red and smoldering orange could be seen over rooftops, tipping the sugar maples with color.  Ash trees (the ones still here) are turning golden, and the pine trees are heavy with cones at their tops.

I am passing under an oak tree, squirrels scurry from my path as the half eaten acorns crunch under my feet. I smell fresh laundry escaping from a vent as I pass by a house, it's front step adorned with bright mums.  As I pass another house, this one a Cape Cod style, I spy a smiling pumpkin through the bay window.

A white cat spotted with tan pauses in an adventure to check me out, the long tail slowly brushing the air as it regards me.  It is distracted by a squirrel, and is off in a blur.  The lawns are deep emerald green, a result of our abundant moisture, and the leaves that have fallen look like paper thin rubies nestled amongst the blades of grass.

I pass under an elm, many of it's leaves already gone, in drifts along the sidewalk.  They crinkle under my feet as I pass, just memories now of a summer past.  I smell the distinct aroma of autumn, earth and decay and flowers past their bloom.

Sedums are everywhere, glorying in their time to shine.  Impatiens and petunias continue to provide a show, determined to provide us color until that first fateful night of deep frost. 

The tip of my nose is cold, but I have already taken off the headband and gloves I wore at the start of my walk.  My body is warming, my muscles happy to be working.  I am listening to the perfect album on my Ipod "October Road" by James Taylor.  (I know, I date myself when I call them albums, but that is just the way I like it...) 

I pass one of my favorite houses on my route, a tiny little cabin-like structure nestled in giant pine trees on a small little lot.  I check, but the raspberries are long gone.  The scent of pine keeps me motivated, and I walk on. 

Lawn service trailers rumble by, and I walk by a home receiving a fresh coat of paint.  The painters shout to each other cheerfully, it's a good day to be working outside.

As I near my home, I can hear the marching band at the high school near our house.  They are practicing in the field across the street, and it is just another sound of fall here in our neighborhood.

Like the squirrels, I am gathering the sights and sounds and tucking them away for the long days of winter, where they will nourish and sustain me until the earth warms up again. 

How was your imagination today?  Could you see it, smell it, hear it?  I hope you enjoyed our little autumn walk.  Time for a nice hot shower.