Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Soft and Gentle

I padded my way through the woods this morning in search of an image that would convey this soft and gentle time of year, the in-betweens of summer and fall, with cool nights, gentle breezes and gentle days...
My steps were practically soundless on the dampened path, especially compared to the sharp crackling of crisp leaves day before yesterday.  The rain has come, though not as much as we would like, of course.  The only disturbance as I walked came from a pair of woodpeckers talking to one another and arguing about which one owned a particularly scruffy, bug-riven pine tree.  Tulip Poplar leaves cascaded down around me, carpeting the ground at my feet with gold.  When the woodpeckers decided to shop elsewhere, the forest became quiet again until a squirrel overhead began to lecture me.  Everyone's got a viewpoint to be shared.   As I said, we've gotten a modest amount of rain--almost two inches. The forecast is for dropping temperatures as the week moves forward--down into the forties.  Guess I will be forced to put on those flannel sheets after all!  I think I am feeling almost weightless with the end of the garden season this year.  The whirlwind has subsided.  It's time to rest a bit before we head into winter. 

5 comments:

  1. I love your description of this time of year Elora. It's even cool here in south Louisiana in the mornings now - not as cool as you but 60° feels really good when I'm walking at 5:30. We're headed home on Friday and I've been told it's even cooler there so I can hardly wait to sit out on my deck in the early mornings. We're about 10" under our normal rainfall there so there won't be any color this year. The leaves are already turning brown and dropping. blessings, marlene

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  2. I also love this time of year. No big holidays, summer tourists have gone and leaf tourists haven't arrived. Beautiful picture of the woods which look much like ours. We were lucky and got four inches of steady rain over the past few days. The trees really needed a drink and this was perfect.

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  3. Love both your comments! Lucky you, NCMW to get four inches. Weather Bureau says more tomorrow. We can hope! And the trees so desperately needed it...like you said, Marlene, with no moisture, no color. Leaves just drop off in despair! I know, though, how happy you'll be just to be home! Thankfully, we aren't at that brown stage. Looks like we'll have a reasonable colorplay. Thanks much for stopping by!

    Elora

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  4. What a beautiful picture -- like a woodland tapestry.

    We had two inches and a bit -- gratefully received!

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  5. What a beautiful post Elora! I just love how you described your morning walk! And seeing your pictures of autumn foliage makes me a bit homesick! Keep the pictures coming! xo

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