I’ve been procrastinating. I was supposed to publish this post on Wednesday, but here it is Friday, and I’ve only just now begun to write. I apologize to those of you who look forward to my Wisconsin Wednesday posts. The thing is I don’t want fall to arrive, and I think that if I just ignore what I need to do, time will slow down and give me just a little more summer. That wish is only an illusion, however. Fall is coming, and the past two days have given us a taste here in Wisconsin of the change in temperature that is inevitable. The wheel of the seasons is turning.
The highs for the past two days have not risen above 70 degrees by day, 50s by night, but that isn’t the only change I’ve noticed. The scent of autumn has arrived here in Wisconsin. It’s a distinct and heady mixture of wild grapes, apples, leaf mold, fresh river water and northern air. When it arrives is different every year, but I smelled it a couple of days ago, right before the rain and drop in temperatures. Seasonal changes are occurring quickly now, almost as if one change signals many others to begin, both in the natural world and also in my own life.
I talked last time about the disappearance of the songbirds. Yesterday I saw something that signaled the end of summer. Cedar Waxwings are flocking now. They arrive this way in early summer, and they leave this way too, usually with the first few cold fronts of autumn, all together like they are setting off on a road trip, gathering their family members for the long trek. Seeing them leave makes me sad, not only because they are one of my favorite birds but also because I know it will be another year before they return. Here they are gathered along the top branches of the dead tree by the river.
The goldenrod is slowly taking over as the star of the show in fields and meadows here along with a few late blooming Joe Pye Weed.
My gardens are still going strong, but not for much longer now. The Pinky Winky hydrangeas are changing colors, and the purple Liatris are nearly played out now.
All around us a gathering is taking place. I’m harvesting the bounty of my garden. The oak tree out front is loaded with acorns, the fields are full of corn waiting for harvest.
On Monday I go back to school, another sign of fall arriving. Schools have already begun football and soccer games. Cross Country is in full swing. Back to school commercials blare from all radios and TV sets, but I’m not yet ready. I’d like another month to enjoy the warmth of summer, another month to enjoy the birds, butterflies, flowers, and fruits of summer without having to think about AP, SLOs, RTI, and UDL, that horrific alphabet soup of “have to.” Can I get an amen out there? I hope to keep up with my blog all year, but I may have to move my Wisconsin Wednesday posts to Friday and have a This Week in Wisconsin instead. We shall see. Thanks for stopping by to see what’s happening in Wiconsin!
