Who’s that singing? I peered through the glass of the storm door and discovered a little sparrow belting out an aria on the deck. The sight beyond the sparrow quickly turned my smile into a frown. Thin-stemmed, summer plants drooped over the edges of pots and cried for replacements. The grass, drained of summer’s lush green, imitated a worn, beige carpet. The typical mid-autumn scene looked drab and colorless—much like how the uptick predictions of coronavirus cases and recent political controversy make me feel. As I concentrated on the bleak picture, the little feathered songster hopped onto a…
Tag: fall
Autumn Rain Blessings
When landscape workers tilled the wrong section of our son’s sloped yard, he prepared to create a new lawn. The salesperson at the feed and seed store recommended immediate planting due to rain in the forecast. My husband and son sowed ryegrass seed onto the upturned soil and topped it with wheat straw. Before they finished, a soft rain began to fall. Although sprinklers provided water for the newly planted seeds on several sunny days that followed, no evidence of growth appeared. In less than a week, however, bright green shoots popped up through the wheat straw. Gentle rain and…
Fall Tips for Closets and Hearts
Goosebumps covered my ten-year-old arms and legs as I skipped rocks on the river beside our grandparents’ cabin. How I wished for my soft, gray corduroy pants on that cool, breezy autumn day! Warm apparel is comforting when fall approaches. Curling up on a cool night with a good book and a soft blanket is better than ever when I wear my black-and-white checked flannel pajamas. Do you have a favorite sweater, pair of leggings, or warm coat that’s like an old friend? Each September I remove summer clothes from my closet to make more room for turtlenecks, jackets, and…