She's baaaack! If you've missed reading On The Porch With Gwendy, thank you. If you haven't noticed I've been "off the grid" for two weeks, no problem there either. For a variety of reasons, I just needed a little time off.
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Today I'm moved to talk about Fall - Autumn - my favorite time of the year. So guys - some of you may want to bail on this one. It's probably going to go a little "girlish" today. We'll see.
The calendar tells us that Autumn actually begins on Thursday of this week. Though the temps right now sort of deny that fact, I'm still claiming the date, claiming the season as UPON US. The season is brief enough; I have to be ready for it and enjoy each and every day of it.
Very soon the leaves on the trees will begin to change to the glorious reds, golds and browns that we all love. Then they'll start spiraling downward to the ground, piling up, and many will no longer be in love with their splendor. Many people feel such a need to rake them into orderly piles, bag them and make them go away. Personally, I love crunching through them as I walk. I even love the musty smell they produce. To me, everything about the transformation is beautiful and magical. Maybe part of that fascination is that it means summer is finally behind us. Boo! Hiss! Summer is with us so long, it seems, and we only get Fall for a little while.
Another aspect of Fall is the glorious clear sunlight. It just changes and is almost mottled as it passes through the trees. And that brings me to a poem that I have loved for years and had to search for in order to quote it correctly. It's titled "October's Bright Blue Weather" by Helen Hunt Jackson......"O suns and skies and clouds of June and flowers of June together, Ye cannot rival for one hour October's bright blue weather. When comrades seek sweet country haunts, by twos and twos together, And count like misers, hour by hour, October's bright blue weather. O suns and skies and flowers of June, count all your boasts together, Love loveth best of all the year...October's bright blue weather." That just says it for me! How about you?
I have a very dear friend who also loves Fall. Each year during this time we can't wait to get out our Fall decorations. One of us will be first to get it done and will text the other to say, "My house is orange!" She won this year and got it done first, which was fine because it inspired me to get mine done also. Thanks, my dear Kasi!
My family and close friends know that when I say decorate, I'm not saying it lightly. Fall is in every corner of the main floor of this old tomb and fortunately Bob and I both love it that way. It's no small order to get all the storage tubs carried in (thanks Bob) and I then begin the process of arranging, playing as though everything is a cherished toy I haven't seen in a year. I try this here, that there. No, not there. I rearrange. Can't have it just the way it was last year. So it's all out and arranged and I'm going to enjoy it every day!
So now it's time to get the outside decorated, right? Bob is making plans to gather the cornstalks that will be placed on the porches. Special thanks to our good friends in the country who have agreed to make those available again this year. And then I go on the hunt for the best possible pumpkins and gourds......lots of them. Too many of them. I can't help it. It's an addiction. And I'm not likely to come home with the normal round orange pumpkins. I love the oranges AND the greens, whites, grays, etc. I also love the ones with warts, lots of warts. Most of my pumpkins and gourds will be sporting big warts all over them. My fave place to shop for pumpkins and gourds is Pumpkin Blossom Hill between Red Bud and Baldwin. A great place to go to get in the mood for Autumn. Great selection, prices and people. Expect to open the trunk of the car. You're going to need plenty of room to transport.
But you know, a person doesn't have to pull out all the stops, like me, to enjoy the glory of this coming season. All it takes is a single pot of colorful mums, a pumpkin or TWO, anything that makes us stop and appreciate the splendor and beauty that God has bestowed. Let's just make sure that it doesn't get past us before we've enjoyed it. When the leaves are changing, take a drive through the country and stop to ooooh and ahhhhhhh. For those who enjoy a glass or two of wine, remember that most wineries are IN THE COUNTRY!!!!! Gather friends on the patio. Slow it down a bit if at all possible. We need the break because you all know what's coming next! The Autumn tubs will be re-packed and out will come the trees, the glitz and greenery! Somebody stop me! I'm getting ahead of myself!
When you see the adornments on the porches, don't hesitate to stop and join me for a drink, a cup of coffee and some laid back conversation, alfresco! It will be good to take it all in with friends. It's all calling my name - loudly!!!!!
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