One thing you can say for sure about weather…it changes.
After a couple of cloudy days, this first morning of October arrived cold and clear, as if the month wanted to prove it could look and feel like autumn. And I do mean cold…39F degrees when I checked at 7:00 a.m. Cold enough to see your breath and warrant a jacket with a bit of insulation rather than an unlined windbreaker.
What I wanted to do was get out, take a walk, make a few photos. Greet October on its own turf. Experience this monthly beginning immersed in the woods and fields—take the time to see and smell and feel the day and changing season. What I had to do was go to the hospital to have blood drawn for my annual checkup. After that came stops at a couple of stores. Then a few errands. Several necessary chores at the house. Which will be followed this evening by a Board meeting for the local community health center, on which I'm a member. With luck…I'll make it home before 8:00 p.m.
Well, this time I showed 'em! Whomever 'em is. Between the stores and the errands, I went AWOL, played hooky—made my escape! Okay, so it was only for 45 minutes; when my entire blessed day is planned out ahead of time, committed to a scribbled-onto-paper itinerary, I'll settle for whatever I can wring out. After all, in the scheme of things, savoring a small dish of ice cream is still better than no ice cream…right?
My walk was therefore short. Just a brief ramble along a loop trail that covers perhaps a half-mile of woodland. I knew that if I allowed time for gawking and dreaming and making a few photos, this would be about maximum.
I didn't expect to find much change visually from my outing earlier in the week—and that indeed proved the case. The landscape still looks as much late-summer as early-fall…though maybe this is just one of those perspective issues, like is the glass half-full or half-empty. At any rate green remains the dominant color. There are a few yellows and oranges, and tiny bits of red—usually provided by Virginia creeper. But quintessential autumn is still a couple of weeks away.
Seasons will always take their time, without regard to anyone's schedule save their own. Which is true freedom…though, alas, not my particular freedom for today. Maybe that's something I need to add to my schedule…
17 comments:
HI GRIZZ-
Beautiful photos. And I am amazed at how much you enjoyed of nature in under an hour. Your photos could have been taken right here around and in the woods and brook. There may be a bit more color here but green is still dominant. It was 38 degrees F this morning and will be colder tomorrow morning so I hear. When I walked down our drive past the ponds today the world, well, my world, was golden and gray and it was so quiet and peaceful that I could hear every rustle of a leaf and movement about the ponds. Frogs and turtles and such, I love gray days more than any other kind - I feel comforted and calm - I can "see" more clearly, no squinting from the sun. (~ ~ )
I really enjoyed your show of Autumn - I was honored to tag a long. :-)
Love to you
Gail
peace......
This is exactly why I wanted to start a blog. Who woulda thought the beginning of October would be so GREEN! It's all orange in my head. I've been through dozens and dozens of Octobers but I still don't have it down.
May your October bear more hooky days for you!
Yes, Grizzly, a small dish is just better than no dish! Beautiful attitude, colors, trees, trail...ahhhhh, I feel peaceful just taking in a little slice of your heaven.
Thank you for that!
Have a Wonderful Day!
Kelly aka The Chic Geek :D
Gail…
We're supposed to have thunderstorms tonight, showers tomorrow, cloudy Saturday, sunny Sunday, and back to rain the first of the week—a little bit of everything, though not so cold. Sooner or later we'll get around to "real" fall.
I like gray days, too—for the same reasons. But stormy weather energizes me, cranks me up like a new battery.
All the photos in today's post were taken this morning—but I had to look for the color. There wasn't much, at least not where I was walking.
I'm glad you liked tagging along; you were good company. :-)
Jain…
I know exactly what you mean—who woudda thunk!
I've seen more color than this in August. It's exceptionally green here along the river—not even the Virginia creeper (most of it, anyway, and all that's in my yard) is turned even a hint or red or orange or wussy pink. There's a lot of sumac up the road…all green. Hummingbirds still coming to the feeders, too.
I just hope it doesn't turn out to be one of those years where leaves stay green, green, green…until suddenly overnight temperatures plummet, everything freezes, turns ugly brown when at thaws—and falls onto the ground. An ugly brown autumn.
Don't worry, I'll sneak out and play often this autumn…and you do the same!
ChickGeek…
Don't get me wrong re. the ice cream…I'd rather have the bigger dish of ice cream (mint chocolate chip), but some is still better than none.
I am bummed you'll be on hiatus for awhile—but have fun and check in whenever you decide your life just isn't complete without a riverbank fix…
Your photo's are beautiful, and I was amazed at how green everything still is....you did well my fiend with the time you had.
It is very cold here now....I could of worn a winter jacket and gloves today easily.
Will be away with friends for a few days Grizz, will catch up with everyone hopefully by Tuesday. Enjoy your weekend.....:-) Hugs
It's almost as if we flip the calender and POOF! the weather suddenly FEELS like fall! I love this time of year so much, and am so enjoying opening the doors to the screen doors as soon as I get home in the afternoons. Ahhhhh.... blessed cool breezes. ;c)
Bernie…
It really is still very green here—although the weather has cooled considerably over the past couple of weeks. It is raining here this morning and 52F, which is 14 degrees warmer than yesterday—but damp and dark. Probably no walks today.
Have fun with your friends. It's good to get away occasionally. :-)
Jayne…
Open screen doors for you, a hearth fire for me. Autumn's arrival means different little celebrations to a Buckeye and a Georgia Peach! :D
Gald you shared AWOL with us!!
I mean "Glad" (Must learn to take time to proofread!)
GigglesX2…
Yup, proofreading can definitely give at least the illusion of a higher I.Q.
However, in my case, I often simply read "through" the mistake again and again, or if a word is missing, I just "read" that nonexistent into the proper place.
The only way proofreading works well for me is if I allow a piece of writing to sit for awhile—a few hours, a few days, a few weeks. The farther I can get from it mentally and emotionally, the better I can be as an editor.
My blog comments and replies are littered with overlooked errors—so believe me, I'm not going to think anything of your tiny bobble.
Hey, that sounds like that old Dean Martin song…
Tiny bobbles,
In our lines,
Makes us feel silly,
Like illiterate swine…
oh. that's funny!!!!!! :-D
Giggles…
I am a man of sundry skills…all of them useless.
My goodness the leaves are turning there already? I am lost in Texas with out my seasons!
Sydney…
They are indeed turning! And turning more and more each day. Still a couple of weeks from peak color, however.
I would be lost, too, in a place without definite seasons. I'll kiss a bright-orange maple for you!
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