Autumn

Quote for the Week

"All those golden autumn days the sky was full of wings. Wings beating low over the blue water of Silver Lake, wings beating high in the blue air far above it . . . bearing them all away to the green fields in the South. "

That description of autumn by Laura Ingalls Wilder is what I thought of today when my husband and I went out for our daily walk.

Ducks in a not very precise V formation flew overhead. We could hear their calls that sound like a peculiar whistling quacking kind of sound. They were what are commonly called, at least in this area, Mexican Whistlers. I guess they were on their way to their winter vacation grounds south of the Rio Grande.

By the time we'd logged a mile, another flight of ducks appeared in the sky. I don't know what it means that the ducks are already headed south, but I read in the paper that our first cold front of the year should appear Tuesday.

I'm excited. I like cold fronts because they mean we can turn off the air conditioning for a few days. Maybe a week if we're lucky!

Actually, autumn is almost on a par with spring in my hierarchy of favorite seasons. Autumn is the respite from summer's fierce heat. It's the time when we can again enjoy gardening, when we can catch our breath and spend more time outdoors.

I can't imagine a world in which the seasons are unchanging. Though many think that we have perpetual summer here in the Houston area, that's simply not true. Our seasons are just more subtle sometimes.

Takeaway Truth

Each season has its own special beauty, and autumn is the richest hued of all.