Saturday, September 03, 2011

Tracking the Transition




Late summer days - 
Poetry flies on the wings 
Of small yellow birds.


The song birds are bunching, gathering in tree tops, their chatter filling the air like hundreds of small chimes clanging in the wind. All along the roadsides the tall grasses are turning brown. Goldenrod is blooming, and the last of the Queen Anne's lace. Bright yellow and orange jewelweed pods are plump with seeds that scatter with a pop when you brush against them, earning them the nickname "touch-me-not." It's fun to pop them with your fingers, something I delighted in doing as a small child and taught my grandchildren to do. Small J wanted to take the "popper path" rather than the Secret one to the farm whenever we went to feed the pigs or talk to the chickens and cows.

The mornings are cooler now and at dawn the grass is cold and wet with dew. Mild days full of sunshine follow only to fade into chilly darkness, thick with stars and stinging mosquitoes. Buzzy biting bugs will disappear with the first frost but until then they prosper, making both Parker the cat and me swat and slap and scratch. The cherry tomato plant on the patio is still bearing fruit though the large garden at the farm has been picked almost clean. Only the winter squash remain, their vines spreading out unchecked, the greening acorn globes and ripening butternut clubs peeking shyly from beneath the trailing leaves.

The great earth wheel turns, the seasons wax and wane, and despite the havoc raised by humans, things are as they should be.


12 comments:

Reya Mellicker said...

Almost everything in the natural world wreaks havoc if given half a chance. Did you see the pics of the floods in Vermont? That was not man made, nope!

As you know I'm an ardent fan of homo sapiens.

I was thinking today that it's no longer summer here in DC, but not yet fall either. It's a non season, or as we called it at Lake Tahoe, a "shoulder" season.

Brian Miller said...

despite the havoc of humans...yes it does...it is steamy here today...i want my cool mronings back from earlier in the week...enjoy the birds songs...

Judith said...

I will never look at acorn squash and butternut squash quite the same way again!

Pauline said...

Reya - I'm not totally misanthropic; I was thinking of more of the political climate. As for all of nature wreaking havoc sometime - perhaps, but humans seem to have a propensity for doing it on purpose.

Brian M - hot and humid here, too. I love it when summer lingers into autumn :)

Rubye Jack said...

All I can say is that I am so very happy summer is darn near over with regardless of who is wreaking havoc.

Pauline said...

J - I love the peek-a-boo squash ;)

Towanda, there isn't a season I don't like but autumn is always a poignant time. Why are you so happy to see summer depart?

Anne said...

I love to watch the seasons change. My finches are all gone. The juncos are more numerous every day. In fall and winter the little brown birds come.

I used to enjoy touch-me-nots but they don't seem to grow out here.

Marion said...

"The great earth wheel turns, the seasons wax and wane, and despite the havoc raised by humans, things are as they should be."...I love this!

Frost has already arrived here, taking care of the mosquitoes. The days are lovely and warm; the nights are quite cold, already. There are only a few survivors who tough out the light frosts, but the colours of the flowers touched by the frost are luminous and deep.

Beautiful post, Pauline! xx

Jo said...

You have a lovely way with words.

This has always been my favourite time of the year. To me, it is the real beginning of the year. Summer is winding down, and everything is sort of mellow, and then we get back to *real life* again.

Kerry said...

You have described the season perfectly. The great world turns.

Barbara said...

The in-between seasons are my favorite. It's then that most surprises occur. We and the animal world scurry about in preparation for what is to come as we try to cling to what is departing.

Anonymous said...

Cool mornings here, too, hallelujah! The heat wave has finally broken, although the dryness continues and now we have wildfires popping up. Ready for the rainy season!