Leaves are falling off the trees and covering my yard. Fall is here! Cold weather is coming. Would putting the leaves back on the trees make summer come around again? Every change of season, I’m reminded of one of my favorite children’s books, The Four Puppies. They enjoyed each season so much they wanted it to stay, but when fall or winter or spring rolled around, they just had more fun than ever. What could be more fun than building a fire in the fireplace, and, with a cup of hot Folgers close at hand, reading my favorite cozy mystery?
It’s not that I don’t enjoy fall; I do. It’s a beautiful season, usually, except sometimes when November’s skies are gray and threatening. I like the colored leaves, I love fall rains! So why do I have this urge to put the leaves back on the trees? Maybe it’s the fact that falling leaves remind me I’m getting older, everyone is getting older, things are changing, and I wonder if those changes will be good. I’ll try to have a better attitude. I promise.
Last night, rain fell. It was delicious to wake up and hear the rain on the deck. I imagined the squirrels tucked away in the maple or oak tree, the birds asleep in their nests, and people resting safely in their beds. With the rain came much cooler weather. The Bible speaks of rain often. One of my favorite books, Deuteronomy, has this verse (32:2) “as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.” No wonder I love this verse; it mentions rain and herbs in the same sentence!
With the month of October, the true advancement of a new season, I am inclined to think about having another contest. I thought I might give a signed print copy of By the Fright of the Silvery Moon as the prize. If you’ve already read this newest cozy (and many of you have) you might consider giving it, if you are the winner, as a Christmas gift to someone who loves cozy mysteries. Only thing is, I can’t figure out what kind of contest. Can you?
The maple tree in front of my window on the world is gradually changing colors. It is my symbol of the season. I don’t know why some leaves just let go and drift toward the ground before they all become scarlet and gold, but they do. The grass is beginning to be carpeted with leaves. There’s no way I can put them back on the trees. So, what do you do when you can’t change things? You accept the change gracefully. After all, I actually really do enjoy fall.
Speak Your Mind