True Colors Shining Through

Yes, it's been a while.

I've been writing... a lot. Here, and here, and here. And in some places that are not visible yet. Just not here.

Honestly, I've been so busy writing that I haven't done anything worth writing about. But seeing as that hasn't stopped me before, I thought I'd put down a few words today.

We came up to the weekend house last night and will stay through Sunday. That my friends, is a very good thing. While there's always stuff to do, the atmosphere is so relaxing, and beautiful... especially at this time of year. Somehow between catching up on computer tasks and starting to get a few things in order for the approaching cold weather, the day flew by. I did manage to get in a walk around the lake though, and things are changing.

The critters are active. Squirrels and chipmunks are darting everywhere. They are looking very busy and that makes me very nervous. Last winter wasn't half bad and I am hoping for the same this year.

With a few exceptions, like the big red oak in the backyard, the trees are just beginning their color dance. For the most part just the yellows are showing. The ground cover of ferns, wildflowers, and cattails used to blend as a green blanket, but now are each taking on their own hues.

Bad Mushroom

While I was walking, I was also on a hunt. According to Big George the Mushroom Man, this is the time of year for the prized Hen of the Woods to appear. Now in order to find these, you need A) to know what you are looking for because bringing the wrong ones home could mean a trip to the ER and/or morgue. B) the right weather, which we haven't had just yet and C) the right tree that they grow on. It seems they prefer dead oak. I prefer my wine to be fermented in dead oak, but I digress.

There were no mushrooms, no cars and no people. Just a nice and peaceful 45 minutes. It started with Bruce singing "Human Touch" and ended with some blues from Beth Hart. I could not have planned it better.

And tomorrow I get to do it again.

And It's Gone In A Flash

The moisture from last night's rain is quickly turning to fog as the morning sun touches the ground. Soon, the warmth will come.

When the dog and I walked out of the house this morning, the temperature was 47 degrees. As we started our walk, I noticed the wild ferns. Always a vibrant green, they now are turning yellow and withering. It's only the first weekend after Labor Day, but fall has arrived in the mountains.

The morning is damp...feel it in your bones damp. And mine do.  Some of the trees are dropping leaves already. Not the ones that make autumn worthwhile with their show of color, but the ones which quickly turn brown and drop. Another week or two, the large red oak in the backyard will be showing off its fiery crimson color, when it greets me as I look out the bedroom window in the morning. And too not long after, it will be bare.

Summer doesn't last long in the Poconos, Fall is even shorter. When you only have the chance to enjoy this landscape on the weekends, it doesn't seem fair. The farm stands are switching from selling tomatoes and corn to apples, pumpkins and mums.

Summer flowers are beautiful, but I think we take them for granted. There are colors of the rainbow everywhere in the summer. But autumn's colors have a more select palette. Yellow, orange, red and some purple...the final colors we can taste with our eyes, before the world turns gray and brown, and eventually is covered in white.

Hopefully I can squeeze in a walk around the lake this afternoon, before it is time to pack up and go back to the real world. I want to catch as many good days as I can. Last year, with the exception of the Halloween storm, there wasn't any snow to speak of. This year, I doubt we will be as lucky.

So breathe in the last bit of summer, take the time to capture the look and feel of it. Way too soon, the lawn mower will be put away in favor of a rake and blower.

Or, just watch some football...whatever.

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It's Not All Roses, But Stop And Smell Them Anyway

My dog has it figured out.

She stops and smells the flowers.

The first day we brought her home from the shelter, she walked around the wraparound deck and checked out the flowering plants. While she loves to chase the flies and the bees which hang around the fragrant buds, she definitely enjoys their fragrance.

On our afternoon dog walk route, there is some wild honeysuckle growing near the railroad tracks. A few days ago, she started sniffing the flowers that are now beginning to bloom. While as a dog, a great portion of her life is centered around things that smell...and some that don't smell too good I might add, she goes out of her way to inhale a little fragrance from each and every plant.

A lesson we should all remember.

It got me thinking about some of the small joys of life. Here are a few, while most times I don't even notice, are definitely meant to be savored...at least for a minute or two.

Clean Sheets: Slipping into a freshly laundered bed is heaven. Not only are you finally relaxing at the end of the day, but they feel crisp and clean. If they have been air-dried (remember that) in the sun, even better. If I was rich, I would pay someone to have my sheets changed every other day. If they were changed everyday, it wouldn't be as special, so I would sleep one day on used sheets, and fully appreciate the fresh ones the next day.

A New Tube of Toothpaste: Not a big thing, but after the last few days of squeezing the last bit of toothpaste out of the old tube, to be the first one in the household to start a new tube...quite enjoyable.

The First Ice Cream of the Summer: One Sunday as we headed home from the lake, I made a quick right into the driveway of an ice cream stand. Now I'm a chocolate fiend, but when a homemade ice cream place has black raspberry...well it's a tough choice. As my first official cone (sugar cone that is) of the season, I went with the black raspberry. Imagine my delight when I realized it was a black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream. My joy was boundless.

The First Apple Pie of Autumn: The colors on the trees are breathtaking, the air is clean with no humidity and you stop at a farm stand to buy apples. After getting everyone in the household involved in the peeling and coring process, and a few cocktails to further raise the mood, the pie goes in the oven. In about 30 minutes, the first aromas begin finding their way through the house. Wait for it to cool, add vanilla ice cream and delight in one of nature's most delicious combinations.

A Cracking Fire: Imagine the joy of the cavemen. Not only had they found warmth and the ability to cook, but to watch the flames dance and hear the crackle of the wood burn. No matter how often we light a fire, it never gets old.

A Dog to Come Home To: No matter what kind of day you've had, how much stress you are under or if you've walked home from being in an overstuffed subway car in 95 degree heat...one thing you can count in is a wagging tail and someone to kiss your face.

Then she gets to go for a walk and smell the flowers... again.