Now is the time to hear the song of the wild geese in flight.  Leaves are hinting in subtle  ways that their glory days are not far off and the chill in the wind causes me to consider the condition of the wood stove.  It is also the time when fields lay golden until evening, when they become an expanse of warm russet.  In either state, a field says it is autumn.

There is something therapeutic about looking at large open spaces..  It rests the mind and can provoke us to have the deep thoughts we have been putting off.  This may be the longing people answer when they are drawn to the ocean or the vistas of the mountains. 

Yesterday, I left for Elizabeth City, the minute school was out.  At that time, it was a warm October day.  It was a lovely drive past pumpkin stands and houses with chrysanthemums on porches.  There is about a mile that the drive takes me past fields that are vast.  The late day sunshine fell on them and lit them up .  Now and then, leaves took to the air and it felt at those times like I was  driving in a parade that celebrated October.

Saturday Morning

It was still dark, when I woke up.  I went out anyway armed with coffee.  There was a cold wind blowing and rain had fallen in the night.  There was no evidence of the squirrel community, but a cardinal showed up and did great justice to his species, as he was a very bright red.  

I did not feel inclined to tarry, as the cold wind was steadily blowing.  I went in to read.  At some point, there was light and everybody was awake and hungry.  After breakfast, Jenny and  I took Lyla to a farm that had a pumpkin patch, a corn maze and several small animals.  The wind had settled to a light breeze and the morning had warmed to a bright and beautiful day.  Lyla came home with a small pumpkin and I had several ears of bright yellow corn to contribute to Will and Jennys’ new porch.  It was a good way to spend a morning.

Afternoon Strolls

We ate lunch outside in the fresh October air.  Afterwards, Lyla and I  took a walk, as is our habit.  I have learned a fair amount of new street names, though I can’t yet remember their exact location.  I do know, that on Raleigh Street,  there is a rose bush with a very sweet scent.  A friendly little boy with a dog, named Noah, live on Woodruff,  and play under a huge old magnolia tree.  We walked an hour and went down many little streets, but not for love nor money, can I tell you the name of the street with the  big  yellow cat that lays under a dogwood.

Jenny got a lot of things in their place, and Will worked in the yard again, while Lyla and I were sauntering through the village-like community.  It is a beautiful thing to watch a young family “setting up housekeeping” and even more endearing, when they are your own.  More than dishes, go into a new home. Maybe the hopes and dreams of the young couple, outnumber the furnishings.

In the last light of the day, a flock of wild geese  flew over the laughing river and filled the air up with the sound of autumn. . .  for  when fields lay golden, the first frost is no longer a fortnight away. 

I am quite sure that all the world sings in October.  I saw the sun rise this morning on my drive to work-and this day was born in a beautiful manner, I can assure you-and worthy of a song.  It started off with the fog that has become very familiar.  The sunlight was muted and it turned the gray fog a lovely shade of pink.  Nature is full of surprises and one never has “seen it all” as we think, I realised.  As the sun reached the tree tops, it crowned them in gold.  The trees whether stately or not appeared to shine themselves.  This morning, would be a hard act to follow.

October is full of wonderful and beautiful-in many forms.  The climate is particularly  pleasant with its’ bright days and cool nights.  I find it difficult to be inside when I am convinced that every day is the grandest that has ever been.  Today, I spent my break outside.  It was for just a few minutes, but long enough for me to disturb a covey of small birds under the persimmon tree.  The fruit is far from ripe, so I did not feel so bad about it.  Just past the persimmon tree, a bluebird was foraging in a carpet of bright yellow leaves.  This is why I love October, I thought.

Leaves tumbled across the road, on my drive home.  The wind today was friendly and without malice, as it had been just a week ago.  I pulled in to the rabbit patch and drove by the pumpkins and the yellow chrysanthemums on the porch-and I thought, this is why I love October, too.

All of the days’ inspiration showed up on the kitchen table.  It just seemed like the day warranted a celebration of some sort and so we had a “Sunday dinner” on a Tuesday night.  I made extra gravy for Cash, Christopher Robin and Christopher Robins’ little friend.  I have been trying to  “tame” the small kitten anyway, and thought surely gravy would help-and it did.  I  carry a little dish out each night with some sort of temptation in it.  He eats greedily and allows me to sit near enough to rub him.  This night was no different. 

He and I sat together, though there was a good foot between us.  The moon rose up and cast its’ shine like it has a million times before, but that fact did not diminish the effect it had on the rabbit patch.   .  . and I thought, this is why I love October. 

At First Light. . . . 

Saturday was as beautiful a morning as the one before it.  I went out expecting to find the usual circus of the squirrels in the yard-but no, the yard was as still as  it could be.  It made me smile to think that maybe the squirrels needed a rest-and it was well-deserved.  The birds sang anyway and the sun brightened the yard in lovely increments.

After a quick breakfast, Will and Jenny went to fetch a load of things from their previous house, and Lyla and I took a stroll.  I have been discovering new streets in the Riverside Village.  On this day, I found a street full of very old small cottages.  They were painted in lively colors and some were adorned with flowered shutters.  The exterior trims were ornate and quite appealing.  Flowers grew in every yard and there were wind chimes that tinkled in the slight breeze.  The yards were small, but were made the most of with all sorts of things growing everywhere.  I suspected the residents were lovely folks and very artistic by nature.  I loved them for saving the cutest little pieces of history I have seen in a long while.

By Afternoon. . . 

The afternoon was as wonderful as the morning though it still warranted a light jacket.  Lyla did nap as she ought to.  Will worked in the yard and Jenny put things away.  Lyla and I managed an early evening walk.  We walked past the time of the low slanted sun rays.  I started missing my boys-all of them, all at once.  This happens to me frequently when I have a nice visit with any one of them.  To me, they are a unit and it feels incomplete when we aren’t all together, no matter how nicely a visit is going.  It is an impossible conflict, other than a few times a year.  I understand fully the logistics of the situation, but I am a mother and a mothers’ heart feels as it is inclined to do so without any regard to sensibility at times.  I was having such a good time and wished the boys were with me, this autumn night.

When the sun had clearly set and with darkness at our heels, Lyla and I began the walk home.  I was in a bit of a hurry and trying to keep my bearings straight.  My landmarks are things like the huge magnolia , the house with the white dog or the house with the large lantana bush.  Why I do not pay attention to signs is beyond me.  It was almost dark and I had decided we were on the right trek, when a lady walking a cute little dog stopped for me to admire him-and I did.  She asked if I had seen the moon on the river tonight and was horribly shocked when I said no.  She insisted I stop immediately and head in that direction.  She convinced me.  It felt sinful not to take advantage of what she had described as the “the most beautiful moon that ever was”.  So, taking a sharp right, we headed for the river.  I smelled supper cooking in the homes and felt like I acurately named their fare several times.  Lights in the windows were shining brightly and muffled voices could be heard as windows were being shut.  It made me happy to see families safely gathered.

When the moon on the river came in to sight, I was not the least bit sorry I had met the lady with the little dog.  Lyla and I were the only ones at the rivers’ edge and we watched the moon shining in silence. I thought of Alfred Noyes and his beautiful description of moonlight-“the road was a ribbon of moonlight”.  I also thought that this moon was shining on my sons and it comforted me to think of it like that.

On the way home, I declared this Saturday to be one to remember and so I tucked the memory deep in my heart-where such things are kept.

Friday Morning

Friday morning dawned with crisp air that snapped with song birds calling out to one another.  The squirrels were as diligent as ever about their work and I watched them a while.  The sunlight was golden and so was everywhere it fell.  

After breakfast, Lyla and I donned sweaters and took off on a stroll. This is a habit of ours and we walk no matter the weather-but todays’ climate was as perfect as it could be.  The sidewalk is laced with sun and shade.  Autumn flowers bloom in the yards and the dogwoods are decked out with red berries and auburn leaves.  Some of the streets remain slightly flooded so we abandon our familiar route.  We have several new friends because of this.  Some of them are cats.  Some are trees.

In the Afternoon

Lyla barely napped in the afternoon.  Jenny had to write a paper and she is still unpacking.  I caught up on some reading while Lyla poured things out and picked them up again.  The afternoon was too glorious not to be out, so Lyla and I walked again, for a good length of time.  I followed the sidewalk down little unknown streets.  I so love the traditional picket fences and many of the cottage-like houses had them.  Periwinkles that look so delicate, adorned the fences profusely, having braved a hurricane and the brisk autumn air.  If all goes well, periwinkles reseed and I mean to plant some next year. 

I found a  new route to the laughing river and so we strolled for at least a portion of the way as we used to.  I was glad to see that the homes were not damaged though an ancient oak had fallen.  It saddened me terribly.  The trunk was as large as a dining room table.  I suspect a good many critters called it home. I love trees and consider them about as important as the house on a property.  I do hope to always have an old tree growing  wherever I call home.  I am thankful for the hand that plants a tree.

Before it was dark. . . 

Jenny had an errand to run downtown.  Elizabeth City has an old-fashioned book store that sells mainly books.  Not toys and clothing to mimic a cartoon character as some are in the practice of doing.  Of course, I love this place thoroughly.  On this day it was closed, as many businesses still are, due to the storm.  Two young children were peering in the book stores’ large window.  They were on their tip-toes and had their hands cupped around their eyes to cut out the glare, for a better view.  It was a cute sight and I wondered if they were making Christmas wishes.  I hoped so.

The Night on this Friday

When the sun rays start to slant, night is not far behind.  Jenny finished her paper and read it aloud.  The topic was a difficult one and I am sure there was little pleasure in composing it, but she did a fine job.  Lyla was tired early as she had all but skipped her nap earlier.  It wasn’t long after dinner, that we all declared it would be an early bedtime for all of us.  I planned to read when the house was quiet, but I was unable to keep my eyes open for long.

My last thoughts were feeling grateful for periwinkles growing by picket fences.  I thought how I loved little cottages with friendly cats and dogwoods with their cheerful, red berries.  This was a very good Friday.

Very Early in the Morning on Thursday

I like to go out first thing in the morning, not long after waking.  If weather permits, I  always do so and have my first cup of coffee.  in this way, I come to know the community of small animals that call the territory home, as we do.  This morning I saw a band of squirrels working feverishly.  My presence did not seem to make a bit of difference.  They were too busy to glance my way, let alone give a morning greeting.  A robin watched with me and I think he too was impressed with the agility and speed of the squirrels.  They dashed about rapidly as if  they were terribly late for something very important.  I am glad I am not a squirrel, I thought.

I hadn’t been sitting long, when a bookmobile pulled up and parked near the corner.  My daughter has not lived in her new house long and so it was a pleasant surprise. This may be “old hat”  for many people here, but we do not have this service in Farm Life, and I had not seen one since my own children were little.  If I were a resident, I’d have signed up this morning!

The Latter part of the day. . . 

Jenny had errands to run-one being a check up for Lyla.  All was well and I like the friendly and sensible doctor, who said Lyla was “perfect”.  I napped with Lyla after lunch. I didn’t mean but to lie down, but I fell asleep, while Jenny unpacked some things and placed them in their new homes.  Lyla and I took a stroll in the early evening and I met two sisters who built small homes that are joined by a living room.  It is a neat arrangement and it reminded me of the beautiful bond of sisters-and family in general.  The economy we face in our later years is daunting, so these sisters got creative and somehow it encouraged me.

When the Moon Was Rising . . .

I called Kyle and Christian in the evening.  All was well at the rabbit patch and Christian did feed the kitten, which I will call “Ruth” if it is a girl. 

 Before bed, I took Lyla out to see the the light of the moon on the river beneath it.  The Pasquotank  river was so still,  it seemed like a huge mirror.  Lyla was very quiet and watched the scene intently.  There is a certain look she gets on occasion and I do not speak when I see it.  She is thinking great thoughts or at least giving great consideration to something.  She and I watched for a while- or a year.  At some point, she raised her little finger,   pointed up and said “moon” , for the first time.  

The content of the most ordinary days holds some splendor it seems, if I but examine the moments that made them.  It is not a difficult task and most often beauty just leaps out and presents itself.  Whether the moonlight falls on the river beneath it, or illuminates an old oak growing by a ditch bank, makes no difference. The day does not withhold beauty from any segment of the population, but  instead is generous with all that seek it.

 

I sure was happy when the lamp on the morning table came on yesterday.  Within moments, I had a load of laundry going and I started washing dishes, soon after.   Kyle cooked on the grill as we had planned, but I made the vegetables on the stove.    I cleared the kitchen table of batteries candles and oil lamps.  It felt good to turn the water on and there it was! When the sun set, there was the joy of light.

Everyone was so happy in the community and the phone was ringing steadily. It was a happy time and we were all in good spirits.  It felt like a holiday . At night when the darkness fell, I looked out just to see the lights shining  from the neighbors windows and  it was beautiful.  

Christopher Robin brought his little friend for dinner again. I fed him and sat quietly while he ate.  I did not stir, but spoke gently.  It is a talkative kitten.  He was almost persuaded by Christopher Robin to come in, but changed his mind after a peek.

Wednesday Morning

Since school was out, I left early this morning for  Elizabeth City. Jenny had been asking me to come for several days, but I just couldn’t leave the boys stranded without electricity.  I am very limited in my abilities, but I am resourceful and it takes that when things change up.  The drive north was beautiful though if I say, I have spent the last month “in a fog”, I wouldn’t be far off from the truth.  When the fog lifted, the sky was as blue as it  has ever been.  Flat, thin clouds , way above the horizon made for a pretty sky to drive beneath.  

The morning was so especially nice, that I took Lyla for a stroll within an hour of my arrival.  Elizabeth City is full of rabbits as I have mentioned before.  There are also a lot of magnolia trees. The woods and yards are full of them, I noticed, as we walked.  There are also songbirds and friendly people.  A lot of the streets have standing water from the beautiful Pasquotank river.

Wednesday Evening

 Jenny said there was limited food in the grocery store.  I had not thought of that, being I stock pile at the rabbit patch.  We managed a good meal anyway and afterwards, I called my parents and then the boys.  I reminded Christian to put food out for the kitten.

The moon was almost full, when I went out later.  It was the color of butter and the sky was black.  What a peculiar week, I thought.  On Friday, we all just knew we would have a rainy weekend.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rain fell most of the night on the rabbit patch.  It was falling this morning, when I awakened.  It has fallen all day and is doing so now, as well. Very few days have passed in this manner in the decade I have lived here.  The rains’ song has been as gentle as the doves’ in the evenings -and with only a  few, brief interludes .   

I found out  this morning, that schools were closed.   The early hours were cool and dark.  I heard the rain and listened to it for a long while.  The entire rabbit patch seemed in a state of total serenity.  I sat by the morning table and thought of writing.  I considered starting  to read a new book-and later  making a cinnamon cake-but I did none of those things.  I sat in silence, instead.   I hardly moved.  I was sure if I did, I would break the spell that seemed cast, by rain falling at dawn.

There was not any sign of rushing, this morning.  The country road, I live on was void of traffic.  Kyle went back to bed as soon as he found out that he had the day off.  Cash and Christopher Robin slept close to one another, by the morning table.  I was curious about the weather update, but not enough to turn the television on just yet and disturb the sense of peace, I was feeling. 

While it was raining,  I said a prayer.  

The world offers a lot to respond to.  It can make you weary. On this day , for a while, I did not want to hear politicians arguing or see pictures of starving animals.  I did not have to imagine the heartbreaking results of crimes committed the night before. I do not take these things lightly, but am deeply saddened by them.  Sometimes, I wonder if the children of today  will grow so accustomed to hearing these things, that their hearts will  fail to stir at tragedy.  That would be a shame as the world needs compassion.

  I don’t care how you go about it  and I think Heaven cares less, but the world needs prayer.  I often hear it said “all you can do is pray” as if prayer is a last resort and only when all else fails.  Whether one lights a candle, holds a strand of beads , looks at a field or goes to an altar. . .  it is a beautiful thing to pray.

 

Today was a nice day. Sunshine has been scarce for weeks, though Saturday was bright.  I mowed that day .  I noticed the french mulberry is hanging full of berries .  They are bright fuscha  colored berries and birds eat them like candy.  The lone ginger lily is full of blooms and a new lantana is growing by the picket fence.  Meanwhile, a hurricane is headed this way.  It is just a few days before the creeks rise and the wind will be a force to be reckoned with.

The rabbit patch is well inland.  The creeks will rise and may flood the road on each side of the rabbit patch. Everything not nailed down must be stored away.  We have started preparing in the way we know how.  A storm will help you truly define necessities.

A few years back, a hurricane came through this way.  We lost several big trees around the edge of the woods, but the worst was going without power for over a week.  I washed clothes the way folks did years ago and hung them on the line.  It was a long process.  We cooked on a grill and showered in the privacy of the “Quiet Garden” with a water hose.  It was a hard row for a while, but we lived to tell about it.  

The stores are madhouses.  I am about sure that I bought the last flashlight in the county today.  I am in the habit of keeping the rabbit patch well stocked, just because I do not like shopping, except for Christmas presents -and I try to only buy when things are on sale, then I am known to buy heavily and put my freezer to good use.  Having said that, I bought coffee today anyway.

The drive home from work and shopping, was as peaceful as the stores were maddening.  It was another silver day and a light mist seems to have made itself at home, for the last few weeks.  The ditch banks are blanketed with autumn wild flowers.  Bright yellows , blues and  purples are blooming like the world depends on it.  The fields lay bare in the absence of their crops and create a sense of rest, as you gaze upon them.  I just can not worry when I look at a field.

I am convinced that the world needs Octobers.  October will paint the landscape as only it can.  Harvesting anything is over at the rabbit patch.  The joy that comes with the tending is now replaced with gratitude.  In October, the lowly sweet gum gets to boast along with the maples-and holds its’ own quite well.  Nights fall early and stars show up earlier because of it.  Christopher Robin may give up his notion of being a barn cat and not put up such a fuss when I call him in at night.  When it’s raining he is quite satisfied to assume the position of a well-mannered house cat.  I expect cold weather will have the same effect.

I am on a mission to find beauty in every day-October makes it easy.   Any stones I may have gathered in my heart, will surely melt like butter, in the splendor of October.  October is not a time to hold grudges or unkindness of any sort.  The earth itself, is in a state of glory and the Hand that gives, is generous for all.  None need fear a shortage of wonder-October is full of it.