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Images Of Autumn... Savoring Our Finest Season

BY DOROTHY EVANS

Like the last sips of a fine Burgundy wine, the last days of October invite us

to slow down and taste the glory.

We should decree a general pause in the daily routine to savor the best of

what the autumn season brings to the landscape.

Driving to work, running errands or walking the dog, we may be newly surprised

by what is happening outside. Even longtime New Englanders do not take these

sights, scents and sounds for granted. They count themselves fortunate.

These are the cold, bright mornings that call up from our ponds and lakes

those strange will-o-wisps of rising fog. Like spirits seeking the warmth of

the sun, they curl upward and evaporate by mid-morning.

A walk in the woods, no matter how brief, is a tonic for the soul. The

familiar path is becoming nearly unrecognizable, spilling over its boundaries

with mounting drifts of dry leaves.

Overhead the branches of maples and oaks are heavy with brilliant color, alive

in patterns of light and shadow.

The birds are strangely silent except for the occasional blue jay or crow

calling loudly to announce that now the migrants have left, he is king of the

forest.

Our golden afternoons are ending a bit earlier each day as the long, slanting

shadows fade into fiery sunsets. Smelling wood smoke at sundown, we are drawn

inside to our own warm kitchens and fireplaces.

By late October, twilight does not linger. When darkness falls at 6 pm, the

sky is already filled with stars.

The insect chorus that deafened us in late August is winding down and any

grasshopper or katydid that has not found a mate or laid its eggs might be out

of luck.

But count on the bachelor cricket in the corner of the garage to keep on

chirping. Hope, and the warmth of your house, will keep him going until

darkest December.

A hard frost is predicted and it promises to finish off those beautiful garden

annuals, including the impatiens plants that had just come into their own. A

skim of ice will cover the birdbath. Any geraniums that were mistakenly left

outside will be summarily zapped.

Actually the killing frost comes every year around this same time, so we

should not complain about not being prepared.

By October 24, we should be bringing in the wood and lowering the storm

windows. But first, take just one more hour to walk in the woods and savor the

passing glory.