Oct 10 - Photo of the Day - Emotion

Farewell Dear Yellow Grape Tomatoes, and Thanks for Your Bounty

Summer's Demise

If you read my post yesterday, you probably sensed how I revel in autumn's spell. The truth is, joy is not the only emotion I feel with the onset of these nippy nights and overhead florescent displays.

Death, or the process of dying is a large part of fall. The annual flowers and herbs have turned black and wilted with the first frost. Tomato plants sag, and their final, sweetly delicious fruits tenaciouly hang on or drop to the ground with the wind's gusts. The ancient pine blankets our home with identical long V's of beige flakes. Garden hoses are coiled and stored as preparations begin for winter's biting freeze.

While winter has its own beauty and delights -- outdoor skating rinks to name just one -- the imminent piercing temperatures limit our outdoor freedom, and here in Ottawa at least, last a very long time. There is grief, then, in this season, and the top of my chest carries the weight of melancholia as I pack away my shorts and tank tops, flip-flops and sun visors, and pull on my down jacket for today's walk.

Oct 9 - Photo a Day - Red

l'amour!

I Heart the Fall

This incredible maple tree is the earliest to acclaim "Autumn" in our neighbourhood. It grows in front of Mrs Smith's yard, across the fence behind us. She lives on a tiny, six-house loop, where all but the treetops are protected from the wind, so its glory lasts a long time.

Every morning for a number of weeks as I make my cup of tea, it waves its vibrant plumage through the kitchen window. While morning is not my favourite, autumn is, and this tree with its persistent glow makes me almost giddy.

When Copper and I walked around the block to take a photo of this beauty, I had no idea that there was a heart lodged between its long-needled pine and blue-spruce neighbours. But here you see it!

A number of other 'reds' tempted me, and were strong contenders for today's photo: the firebush two doors toward the greenbelt, a brilliant border of neon red roses, a Canadian flag flapping in front of a golden ash tree, the Keller Williams (my former company) 'For Sale' sign down the street, and even the newly-hung red-berry wreath gracing our front door.

This season, with its intense colours and scents, fills me with such glee. I feel as though Life has pulled out its paint pallete and dotted the world with its electrifying spirit simply for the joy of surrounding us with beauty.