Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Holding On To The Light

I love autumn, I really do.  I love the cool evenings, the morning mist over the fields, the honking geese and the open views now that the corn has been harvested.  I love leggings and hot drinks, soups, stews and warm biscuits.  But I am mourning the passing of the after dinner light. I will miss my after dinner bike rides and walks along our country road.  I was hyper aware of that as I set out down the road tonight.
The mama, papa and baby water buffaloes came out to tell me they feel the same.  And they were joined by all the critters in the hood.
It didn't take me long to figure out that my 5 km walk wasn't going to happen tonight.  The light faded quickly as I rounded the curve and headed over the hill.  Those fuzzy black/orange caterpillars were everywhere running to and fro.  The fro's were going to and the to's were going fro.  I often wonder what they think is on the other side of the road.
The crows have been busy! There are crushed walnut shells and horse chestnut carcasses all along the roadside mixed in with the dropping leaves, skittering across the road, stirred up by even the smallest of breezes. Snakes are on the move as well as can be evidenced by the flattened leftovers of the ones that didn't quite make it.  Slugs are just venturing out from the roadside, thinking they can make the big crossing when the evening dew shows up. There is still the scent of fallen, rotting apples when the wind comes from the right direction.
The colours are beautiful. The air is cool.  The sky is full of pinks and purples. We can see all across the valley.  In the background, even as the light fades, the farmers are at work and I get passed by tractors pulling flatbeds full of giant marshmallows.  Fall is here, I just hope it stays for a while!