I enjoy the fall.
The beauty of the colors and the crispness of the days are delightful.
My husband and I were married in October, so this month has always been special to me.

Even though the grass does not need to be cut as it does in the spring and summer, there is still yard work to do.
Leaves…sticks…walnuts…acorns…need to be picked up.
Whether you gather leaves with a rake, mulch them with a mulching blade, or burn them…if your area allows burning…fall clean up is important to do.

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Fall is coming.
You can feel it in the chilly mornings…and the crisp evenings.
You can see it in the hint of color ready to explode from the trees.
You can detect the difference in the behavior of the animals.
The honking of the geese…the reckless activity of the deer as mating season begins.
The squirrels scurrying around, gathering their cache of food for the winter.

Fall is the season of acorns.
I see the acorns scattered on the road as I walk in the morning.
Such a unique shape…with their own little cap on the top.

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I was in elementary school in the mid 1960’s.
A different time…a different era.
A time of separation.

I went to a private school in those days.
Everyone was very much the same.
Except for one sweet girl in my class named Renee.

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My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends–
It gives a lovely light.

So says Edna St. Vincent Millay in her poem First Fig.
I have always liked this little poem.
As a young girl, it was easy to memorize.
As a woman, I appreciated its meaning…captured so succinctly in four lines.

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Conversation.
It is woven into the fabric of who we are.
One another-ing…getting to know each other…sharing hearts.

I always loved when my children were infants and they tried to talk.
They would move their mouth and make small sounds.
Parents get so excited about this new found skill.
Are you talking to Mommy?

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I love color.
When we moved into our house, the walls were still builder’s white.
I couldn’t wait until we could paint the walls nice, warm colors.

Cranberry red in our living room where we have our grand piano.
Wedgewood blue in our dining room above the chair rail.
These colors are inviting…and make it feel like home.

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I watched them as I walked behind them.
Grandparents having a special morning with their granddaughter.
She was animated…talking quickly…as she filled them in on everything important.

The day was absolutely gorgeous.
Blue sky…cotton candy clouds…70 degree weather…and it is the end of June!
A kind of day where all you can do is praise Him!

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Tis the season.
The season for cookouts, picnics, eating dinner outside.
The season for ants!

Even if you have a spotlessly clean home, you still are susceptible to ants.
An exterminator told me something I never knew before.
Ants will come in the house where there is moisture.

Hanging baskets on the deck…water plants each day…the deck is next to the kitchen…ants!

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I wind my mantle clock, the one that has faithfully chimed every quarter hour for years.
It has ceremonially ticked away the minutes that have ushered in family birthdays, holidays, and just the daily routine of our lives.

I wind the clock, amazed that not one clock in my house says exactly the same thing.
They may be off by seconds, minutes in some cases, but none are exactly the same.
Our lives resemble a clock.

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It’s my early morning ritual.
Something I do from early May until late September.
Water my plants.

The back deck, side porch, and front walkway all have potted or hanging plants.
Each area gets different amount of sunlight throughout the day.
So to accommodate the deck, in the back of the house, on the sunny south side, early morning is the best time to water before the heat of the day.

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