Hints of Autumn in the Hills
I was scurrying about yesterday morning on my self-imposed hamster wheel of a schedule when this post from Linda Leinen reminded me it was the Autumnal Equinox. I jumped off the wheel and paid attention to the day.
We’re still a few weeks away from that first strong cold front of the year, but the Equinox sky looked like autumn. The air had cooled enough to open windows in the early morning. The lone Texas Redbud on our bluff started sporting fall colors last week, and it was looking a little ragged after several days of wind.
Several Whitetail does raced across our clearing. I first looked for a dog on their heels. Then I remembered I’d seen a buck scraping the velvet off his antlers a few days ago. Sure enough, a buck emerged from the cedars in hot pursuit and disappeared into the woods on the other side. It’s time to be extra careful on the road.
Equinoxes and Solstices take my attention off the spin of my own little hamster wheel and put it back where it belongs, on the beauty of the big spin of the world. Monuments like Stonehenge can do that for some, but I do fine with the view over the Medina River valley. I don’t need to move nearly as much rock that way. If I need a Stonehenge, there’s one not too far away.
On an entirely different topic, it’s easy to see why the English language can be confusing. There’s no easy way around “does” for plural female deer, but it sure looks funny. I can imagine someone saying “Did he mean ‘Several Whitetail did race across’ and then change his mind?”
What a nice mention! I hope the day was filled with delights. I was pleased as could be to hear our forecasters say yes, maybe: the first ‘real front’ may come next week. We’re almost to October, so any front that hasn’t packed its bags yet ought to be thinking of it.
That redbud’s lovely. I’ve not seen much real color yet, but I did notice that our cypress trees are beginning to show their autumnal rust. We have several on the property here, but I’d rather admire them on the Rio Frio.
I usually keep a close eye on equinoxes and solstices as a reminder of where the sun sets off our bluff, if for no other reason, but I was extra busy that morning. I saw your post during a quick computer check and it did me the great favor of recentering me and reminding me of the date, so I thank you and Mary Oliver for that.
They’re forecasting a stronger front here next week, and I hope they’re right. That redbud is the only hint of color we have on our property, although the cypress trees by the river are showing their rust. Fall is the time of year I miss living in Asheville. We lived there for about 10 years and the turning leaves in the mountains were stunning.