I'm savoring these last golden days of Autumn. Light is ever more precious now because it is so limited. We wake in the magical gray of dawn to start our day and watch the orange glow of sunset with oursupper. For now there is color and bright light all day magnified by yellow, orange and red leaves, bright fruit and berries. I must go walking now, for this won't last much longer.
As I walk past the old barn, the road stretches before me. I hear the staccato beat of fat acorns on the metal roof of a neighbor. The dirt road is light dappled. The scent of apples from the wild trees along the roadside brings back memories of the orchard I roamed as a small child. Children had freedom in the early 1950's to explore the environment without fear. I feel sorry for the children of today who don't have access to wild natural places. I could still draw you a map today of the pasture, fields and orchard which were my play yard.
These unsprayed imperfect wild apples will feed the deer now, but long ago, a little girl ate her fill as she sat in the arms of nurturing trees. I learned that Nature is always there to comfort and protect and I never lost that lesson. We moved from that lovely orchard when I was seven, but in every place I've ever lived I have always gone out into the woods or fields and found my special place. In Nature I feel calm, loved, and ultimately renewed.
The darkness of the forest edge along Canaan Back Road shows a glimpse of open wet meadows beyond. Light and dark, sun and shade, constantly reminding me of the shift of the seasons- the darkness to come. It's time to walk home to stack wood for Winter and plant bulbs for Spring because She is a circle and the Wheel is turning.
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