The Hills Beyond

I sit at my desk and can now see the hills atop the North Road.  The beautiful orange and gold leaves are loosing from their twigs and the sturdy branches are standing out; reaching toward one another as if in an attempt to hold hands.

This is a beautiful time of year.  It is about now that my mother would begin exclaiming happily, "Now we can see out into the woods", as she and Dad would take their regular drives over the countryside.  Each year I get the impression of this more clearly. When all the leaves are on the ground one can truly see so much of what is going on deep in the woods.  It is yet hard to pick out the form of a deer and sometimes even a chipmunk as they stand still behind a tree trunk or rocks on the stone wall.  These two were down behind the house, trying to elude the camera's eye.

Our cabin is set with quite dense woods behind.  The late Fall and Winter open our vision just as the fresh, crisp air opens our lungs. At this moment the sun from Mom's side of the hill is lighting a knob above the North Road.  Soon each hillock will begin to appear, one or two at a time.  It happens every morning but today it is revealed to me afresh, as until now the leaf cover had hidden it from my view.

There are mums to plant.  I suppose I was slow in buying them this year, but the opportunity had not opened up until this weekend. Soon the urns will be filled with the bright yellow and russet blossoms that reflect the leaves strewn across the walkway.  I am willing to cover them every night just to delight in a couple weeks of their company;  a few short weeks before the ground is completely blanketed in white.

Have a crisp day.