Friday, September 21, 2007

Thoughts on a late-summer day in the Valley....

There's something cathargic about driving a riding lawn mower on a sunny mid-70s day with the wind blowing and the smell of freshly-cut grass and the mountains clear in the distance.

While mowing, my brain whirred as I planned dinner, mentally sorted out correspondence that needed to be answered, noted tree branches to be trimmed, watched the deer grazing on the edge of the woods, and just enjoyed being outdoors with my thoughts....

Autumn officially starts Sunday....

The grass is growing fast with the warm days and cool nights....

The coldest night so far has been 37 degrees. Our flowers made it through that and I'm hoping to get a few more weeks of enjoyment before the cold freezes them....

We've enjoyed eating dinner on the deck in the warm temps knowing full well it is a matter of time before it's too cold to do so....

The woodstove is cleaned and ready to go. Firewood has been chopped and stacked and seasoned; kindling is stored under cover....

The squirrels are coming out of the woods into the yard carrying walnuts to bury for retrieval throughout the winter....

Deer are wandering up to the house to graze ... had to run them off yesterday and today ... counted 11 at woods' edge which is too many. Hunting season is around the corner....

The skunks are busy ... have smelled their fragrance several nights the past couple of weeks....

Washed comforters and blankets and hung out to dry ... am using these waning warm days to use the clothes line before being forced to turn to the clothes dryer again....

The garden has just about played out with only a few remaining vegetables to be harvested. For tonight's dinner we enjoyed potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, and the last picking of green beans. I'm going to miss those homegrown tomatoes when the last ones are picked....

Some of the leaves on the sassafras trees have already turned scarlet as well as leaves on the Virginia creeper growing up the wild cherry tree....

There's an urgency about preparing for cold weather even as we look forward to the leaves turning colors and the crisp days of October....

Fall is on its way....

1 comment:

James Atticus Bowden said...

Thank You Lord Jesus for this day. Thank You.