September 29, 2021
All of a sudden, it seems, Fall is upon us; and winter will be close on its heels! A little more than a week ago, temperatures were in the 80s and our air conditioner was running full tilt! Yesterday we had on jackets, today it’s t-shirt and sandal weather! For the next several months, we will be riding this weather roller coaster of warm sunny days followed by cold, wet, dreary ones, followed by snow and ice. It’s a season for readjusting our expectations and for re-learning how to accept the good with the bad.
We all look forward to the beautiful Fall colors in Michigan and to the reprieve from Summer’s sweltering heat. We marvel at the first magical snowfall and smile at the appearance of the first goofy-looking snowman. But all these seasonal joys come with a price, or at least a trade off.
I am not a Winter person. It’s not that I don’t love a beautiful snowfall or a long walk through a silent, snow-covered woods. I do. But, I miss the vibrant colors! I miss the long, lazy days of sunlight where the fields are awash with flowers. I miss the bright orange monarchs settling into a bed of purple asters, the ruby red Meadowhawks perched delicately against a muted backdrop of goldenrod, and the tiny blue damselflies showing off their colors against a sea of green leaves.
Come winter, there will still be beautiful things to photograph, but the array of colors will be much harder to come by, as will the days of pleasant weather suitable enough for taking pictures.
Rather than dread the coming of winter, though, with its shorter days and color-deprived landscape, I am doing my best to savor the sunny days as they come; the colorful dragonflies and butterflies as they linger, and the waning days of long walks unencumbered by bulky layers of winter clothing!
It seems a bit like life itself, I guess. We need to savor what we have while we have it; to not waste valuable real estate in our brains worrying about what the future might bring; and to remember that even on the most monochromatic days, one small cardinal can brighten the entire landscape!
Yup, we have not had a hummingbird in 3 days. Fall is here and we might see snow on the mountain top this weekend. I have been wearing a flannel shirt over my t-shirts. Fall is my favorite time of year even if it means more arthritis pain in winter. I savor watching the change.