Enjoy the magic of simply living every day. The rest is a bonus. — Paola Merrill, The Cottage Fairy
Because the dark of night came earlier last week, I was walking in the darkness across the lawn to feed Hatcher, the rabbit, and to close the gate to the perennial garden to prevent any critters attempting to feed on my goldfish. It’s probably not likely they would do so but you can’t be too careful when you live in the Prairie. Night creatures abound. As I walked through my nightly chores, I was taken by the blackness of the sky against the brilliance of the half-moon. Just to the left of the moon from where I was standing shone a brighter star shining like a diamond on black velvet.
It’s amazing what you can learn by googling nowadays. Not everything is completely accurate but Google does provide a wealth of information in a matter of seconds. In this case I googled, “What is the bright star to the left of the half-moon tonight?” Much to my surprise others had asked exactly the same question.
So last week as the moon started its trek across the sky it lined up with the planet Venus. That was the bright “star” I had seen. As the moon continued it would line up with Jupiter and Saturn. The moon is waxing as it moves toward a full moon on November 19. Nature continues to amaze. It’s so incredibly marvelous, and yet we spent so little time observing it. Myself included.
Had I not fed the rabbit and checked the garden gate I might not have seen the moon that night. I would have been inside the house reading a book, or working on the computer, or asking Google a question.
If ever there was a season to enjoy observing nature, fall is one of the best. Not too hot; not too cold, but just right. Right now, there is an inordinate number of fallen leaves covering the surface of the little lake. There are even more covering the lawn like a carpet. We have not done much to remove the leaves, except from the porches, because millions more hang dangling from tree branches. Just like the miracle of the moon in the sky, the tree is preparing for winter. If the deciduous tree maintained all its leaves the bitter winds of winter and possible snow and ice would damage the life of the tree. Instead, a process begins to drain the tree of its chlorophyll and its “greenness” while allowing the reds, golds, browns to remain and eventually fall away. The veins in the tree responsible for transporting water and nutrients close off and the tree begins to live a life of dormancy until spring.
All potted plants have been moved into the greenhouse except the geraniums that seem to be flourishing in the cool air. As much as I enjoy seeing my plants on the porches it’s a bit nice to see the porches swept clean and spare much like the coming season itself.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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