I spent some
time this week getting the yard in shape for winter. Last weekend I mowed the
grass for the last time this season and raked leaves for the first time this
season. Flower gardens were weeded, raked clean and mulched for the winter. Hummingbird feeders were brought in and
cleaned for storage; thistle seed and sunflower seed feeders were brought out
and made ready for goldfinches, sparrows, cardinals, titmice and towhees’
winter provisions. Flowering vines, now withered, were
pulled off the lattice fence. There are
still some trees in pots that need to be mulched and winterized before the
temperatures drop below freezing. The
land, even on a suburban lot, calls out the changing of the seasons. We who
work the land must make things ready as we attempt to shape the horticultural life
around us.
Sometimes
when fall and winter arrive, we see things in the stillness that we missed
during the lively summer. The oak tree in the backyard, for example, has
dropped its leaves, revealing a squirrel’s nest and a bird’s nest that had
eluded my notice when everything was green. I think I want to write a poem
about “what was hidden in life.” I’ll have to sit with that idea for a
while. In the past, I’ve written poems
inspired by spring, summer, fall and winter – some of which I’ve put on my
blog. Perhaps in the stillness of this dormant season, I’ll write about what was hidden in the life of spring
and made known in the dead of winter.
At any rate,
I like change of the seasons. The autumnal change is my favorite herald of
things to come. I like the call to slow down and look inward. Firing up the
furnace and bringing down coats and sweaters signals the turn in our efforts to
find warmth within. The ever darkening nights that shorten our days cause us to
treasure the light. When spring eventually arrives, I always resist at first.
Perhaps it is my introverted nature that loves the inwardness of winter.
Eventually, however, the season holds sway and I move outward to enjoy the days
of spring. For now, I will enjoy the autumn air and look forward to the cool of
winter.
I’ll spend
the season doing a bit more reflecting. We are entering the Advent season so it
is naturally a time to watch, prepare and wait.
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Wonderful poetic language about the change of seasons, even if it wasn't a poem. I couldn't agree more with the sentiment, even if I am a bit more extroverted and prefer summer to any season.
ReplyDeleteEspecially on a day like today (rainy and turning cold finally), I felt the "call to slow down and look inward"--a time to sit quietly and alone and think. And read. Two activities that are hard to do most of the time.