I cannot endure wasting anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. – Nathaniel Hawthorne, New England author (1804-1864)
Autumn mist makes everything look like a cozy storybook, full of adventure and magic. – Unknown
As a child I wished summer would never end; as an adult I love the coming of fall in all its splendor. The sun shines through the leaves, still clinging on to a limb and twirling in the wind like gold and amber before they fall to the ground. The Eastern bluebirds, Carolina chickadees, bluejays, mourning doves, tufted titmouse, Northern cardinals, American goldfinch, Downy woodpecker, Northern mockingbirds and on and on will continue to dine at the birdfeeders as well, they will visit the water features and birdbaths. It will be some time before serious icing will take place.
Our hummingbirds are definitely gone. I’ve waited a few weeks keeping the hummingbird feeders out just in case we had a straggler needing a little fuel for the flight. Not one hummingbird has appeared. I thought maybe I’d leave the feeders up simply because they look so beautiful with the sun shining through the scarlet glass. Maybe the hummingbird feeders could be something lovely hanging on our Christmas tree when the time comes. It’s a thought. I’ve already started canvassing Cedar trees along the tree line for a possible Christmas tree.
All the potted flowers are still on the porch. We recently purchased two gigantic pots of mums. One is a maroon color and the other a bright rusty orange color. The colors look like Mississippi State Bulldog and Texas Longhorn colors. I’ve never seen mums so large. Last week when the temperature was thought to drop overnight into the 30s, Sam asked if we should move the flowers to the greenhouse. I crossed my fingers hoping one dip overnight should not harm the flowerpots as they were on the porch next to the south side of the house. I was so glad they were okay; It’s just barely fall so I didn’t want to move them away so soon. The next few days were a mite cool in the early morning and warmed up nicely by late morning. All was well.
On that cold morning our resident fisherman planned to go fishing. It was time to check out the closet for warm fishing gear. In one weeks’ time the fisherman went from swim trunks to winter-wear with heavy duty jumpsuits, camouflage puffy jackets, warm hat, sturdy gloves. Weather in the South can be like that.
Not to be outdone I too have been curating my own closet, the only difference in my curating and the fisherman’s “checking out the closet” is probably the warm clothing is essential and my fall wardrobe is more like a hobby or an editing that brings enjoyment. Amanda Wells had an article in “Social South” on closets. She mentioned Nancy Price describes her own closet as “a place of calm to begin and end my day.” Closets in the South can be like that.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
