Early Autumn

"The Wheel Turns as the Wheel Wills." (Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan).

I noticed the beginning of trees turning - just a few - last week. How the mornings are cooler, the sun is a little lower, and at night, the crickets are a little quieter. The hens are moulting, and the proud tomato plants, flowers and green plants in my garden are showing their age a bit, though still fruiting - a last burst before the dormant time of winter. The goldenrod flowers, in full bloom, practically glow in the lower sun. I hear the wind whisper, "Fall is coming" and I welcome it, for Fall is my favorite time of year.

This morning Rami and I walk our neighborhood - as we have many times before, and for many years. I notice how her steps have slowed even more since last Fall (she's almost 12 now; 84 in dog years) and I can't help but wonder how many more Autumns she'll see. Odgen Nash's poem, "On a Good Dog" comes to my mind, and I want to shed a small tear for all of us.

Yet, in spite of that, my thoughts are turned ahead to the future. I open myself to the breeze, the birds, the feel of the earth under my feet, to the sounds of crows cawing and the squirrels bustling about. The squirrels have more purpose now - less frolicking in the trees and chasing each other, and more searching for nuts and seeds. The squirrel and bird babies are grown, most of the fawns have lost their spots, and all the furred and feathered ones - along with the trees and plants - are preparing for what comes.

As the Great Wheel turns toward the Equinox, I feel the blood of the Ancients rising in me once again. My daughter and I have always called Autumn our "Witch Time" because now, more than any other time of year, the ancestors call, we feel the change of the seasons in our own blood, the tree sap, and the water that flows beneath the land. We become more aware of the ebb and flow of Nature and the elemental forces that surround and encompass us.

As the days grow shorter, yet still summer-like, my thoughts turn from beaches, salads and white wine, bright sun, heat, and green growth to pumpkin muffins, cool walks in the woods, bright golds and seasonal beer. I look forward to warm clothes, crisp afternoons, and the promise of a soon-to-be-glowing fireplace.

Happy Autumn!