The Season of Fall

The colors of September and October in the northern half of the United States blaze in the sun. The leaves turn magenta, burnt orange, burgundy, golden yellow, delicious apple reds and other colors so extraordinary they defy description. When it rains, it deepens and enhances the russets, the umbers, the golds, and the natural drying browns of the grasses and the crops maturing in the fields. How wonderful to behold.

Living in the rural area of a Northern Plains state gives me an advantage of watching the skies. Each season brings it’s own versions of wildly varied cloud formations, sunsets and sunrises, and Fall is no exemption. The October sky is clear most nights and the stars glitter and twinkle as they announce their place in the universe. A big orange full moon smiles mischievously and peeks over

the horizon, changing several weeks later to a thin, lovely, white new moon that enhances its neighborhood of beaming stars. How wonderful to behold.

My garden is on the downhill and the harvest wraps up this time of year. I have been able to eat salads and vegetables from my “organic market” 20 feet from my kitchen door, throughout the spring, summer and fall. Now, the sparse dill heads tell me they have reseeded for next year, the onions, winter squash, potatoes, and carrots are awaiting their trip to the basement for future meals. The late season flowers are brilliant next to their fading earlier counterparts.

Fall is busy preparing the earth for the cold and snow that will soon appear. How wise. How beautiful. How wonderful to behold. Thank you, God.

LA Andersen