Fallin'

"Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness
and color and a time of maturity; but it is also
breadth, and depth, and distance. What man can
stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the
span of his world and the meaning of the rolling
hills that reach to the far horizon?" -Hal Borland

Of all the seasons of the year, fall is my very favorite. The bright yellows and reds of summer fade into the muted shades of gold and garnet, the fertile green fields change to a golden splendor, and life itself seems to calm down and slow down to prepare us for the cold, dark winter to come.

As I went walkabout the past two mornings, I could see the changes taking place before my eyes and tried to capture their essence...


"The leaves fall, the wind blows,and

the farm countryslowly changes from

the summer cottons into its winter

wools" Henry Beston, Northern Farm

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

Albert Camus

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace

As I have seen in one autumnal face."

John Donne

Don't Bug Me!!

I'm proud to say, I have walked six out of the last seven days for a total of about eleven miles. Even though I've been a walker before, I always seem to start out well and then slack off. This time I am determined to stick with it. Not only do I know it is good for my health, but I live in an area where walking is pure pleasure. The hills are sometimes a challenge, but the lack of traffic makes up for that.

Since I am limited somewhat to the five miles surrounding my home, blogging about my walks requires a little creativity. There's only so many photos of horses, cows, and scenery before it starts to become redundant. So, on this morning's sojourn, I spent my time looking downward at the sides of the road. My target was the creepy, crawly, fluttering creatures that hide among the roadside vegetation.

I hope you have enjoyed meeting my new found "friends" and I know you can hardly wait to see what's next... :)

Walkabout

The first early morning in a very long time cool enough to walk; 72°! Left my Tennessee farmhouse just before 7:00, camera in hand, while the mist was still lying over the valley. The corn fields have already been turned to silage and the soy beans are ready for harvest. Our extremely hot summer has taken its toll and given the entire area a tired, sleepy appearance.

About a half mile from the house, I saw my first neighbors, tranquilly (word?) dining on their breakfast of green grass. These particular cows are Black Angus and revered for their tender cuts of beef. I prefer them peacefully grazing in the field...

Proceeding farther down the country road, almost at the one mile point, I came upon more friends. These are some of a large herd of horses owned by a long-time Hickory Valley farmer whose wife works in New York City. Now that's what I call commuting!

Although my spring strolls always provide me with many wonderful wildflower shots, I was hard pressed to find any on this end-of-summer morning. This is the best I could do:

If all goes as planned, I will be doing a lot more walking and will have more stories and photos to share. :)