The First Day of Fall

Honeysuckle's last hurrah......this is the tame honeysuckle that we planted at the arbor that leads to our front door.  My friend, Joyce who owns the nursery where I got it, said that next spring this honeysuckle and the jasmine we had already planted would cover the arbor.......aren't the blooms beautiful?

For years, I have dreamed of an arbor leading to the front door covered with jasmine and honeysuckle.....a place where hummingbirds would hover and sip nectar all day and you could smell the sweetness of the blossoms as you entered the front door.  The jasmine is no longer blooming but the honeysuckle seems to be defying the changing of the season... she doesn't seem to care that today is the first day of fall.  Her blooms are lush and prolific.

The first day of fall.......it doesn't seem real, how can it be......fall already?  But I am ready for it.  Spring was not a pretty one, but one of violence and destruction with the April 27th tornadoes, and after the storms, came relentless heat.  I hope our fall is one of color and beauty with brisk  mornings and cool days.  The colors do seem to be more vivid already, maybe Mother Nature is making up for her extremes the past few months.

The first day of fall.......I love the changing of the seasons, and fall is my favorite.  It brings a break from the heat and humidity of summer and teases the senses with the vividness of reds, oranges, the smell of burning leaves, and the iciness of the first frost.  True, the  days are shorter , but the night sky is rich with the sparkle of the stars and the moon is bigger and brighter, the sun sets are more ablaze, and the blue of the day sky is  more intense and clear.

The first day of fall.....soon we'll feel the  warmth of sweaters, the coziness of boots, and the texture of a soft scarf wrapped around our neck.  Crisp red apples, just waiting for the first bite, nuts to be cracked, home made bread to be baked, and rich soups and stews to savored.

The first day of fall.....a promise of change, a time for the earth to began her rest, and the opportunity for all of us to take advantage of the shorter days and maybe just slow down for a little while.......
Good night, Sweet dreams