Today’s post is a photo gallery of all the fall flowers I enjoyed this October. Soon the brilliant yellows and pinks will give way to shades of silver and grey during the long Midwestern winter but I continue to savor the colors while they last.
Have you carved your jack-o-lanterns this year? There’s less than a week left before All Hallows Eve and the spookiest night of the year. Make sure to perfect your pumpkins. You wouldn’t want to disappoint Jack Skellington after all.
Happy October everyone! Colder weather is settling in during the month of ghosts, ghouls, and graveyards. Despite the excitement creeping through town like the crunch of dried leaves during the first frost, I think my life this Fall is best summed up by a poem in Jack Prelutsky’s book, Monday’s Troll.
I’m only an apprentice witch, There’s much I’ve left to learn, Someday I’ll be a witch-in-full, But I must wait my turn. My nasty brews, though noxious, Lack a certain wretched smell, Sometimes my spells don’t work at all, Sometimes they work too well. I’m only an apprentice witch, Just seven centuries old, The elder witches lecture me To do as I am told. I strive to grow more hideous, I’m working on my shriek, And I’ve not fully mastered How to cackle when I speak. I’m only an apprentice witch Who’s barely learned to fly, I’ve been afraid to go too fast, Or venture far or high. Just yesterday I stalled my broom, And crashed into a ditch, I’m clearly yet unqualified To be a full-fledged witch.
The cold drizzle that patters the windows and turns the sky to a churning steely sea makes my living room feel warm and cozy. Maybe I’ll try a new cookie recipe today or eat up a good book while lounging on my sofa in a pair of thick woolen socks. Maybe I’ll knit a sweater while bundled into my favorite handknits. I might strike up a tune on the piano for the silver sky to dance to. The possibilities are endless but one thing’s for sure, summer is packing up and heading south.
Once again, this is not a single photo of the day but a gallery of nature’s Fall canvases. Welcome to the Midwest in October, where emerald fades to a spectacular sunset in every leaf that has yet to fall.
This will hardly be the last of the Fall photos. I intend to devote the next two months to scouring the great outdoors for beloved Autumn colors that come but once a year. The emerald fading to fiery rust is a happy omen of many cozy days soon to come, being ushered into town by a brisk chill in the air carrying the scents of cinnamon and hot cider and pumpkin pie fresh from the oven. What will you do with the Fall colors?
Girl of Steel 