TheBanyanTree: Emerging Colors

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Our windows have been wide open, trying to catch any breeze that might blow
through.  Our fans have been spinning round and round, trying to keep the
sweat from forming on our skin.  Thunderstorms have raced overhead, dumping
buckets on water on our parched gardens.

August and September did a flip flop this year.  August was cool and dry and
the trees got confused and tried to change color.  September’s been warm and
steamy and the trees decided to remain green.

The flowers have exploded in our gardens.  The blooms are HUGE and COLORFUL.
I haven’t had to haul in the houseplants yet.  The night temps have remained
comfortable and during the day the delicate plants from the house are
relishing this prolonged exposure to the sun.

We’ve been able to have “fire parties” as the older grandson calls them.  As
dusk approaches, the boys gather up leaves and small branches and I start a
fire in the chiminea on the deck.  We sit in awe watching the orange flames
zip up into the dark night and talk about scary stuff.  And we can enjoy the
fire in the comfort of our shorts and T-shirts rather than parkas and
mittens.

But on the autumnal equinox and when the days and nights are exactly 12
hours each, the weather began to change – not dramatically, but just a bit.
A vicious cold front blew through and its winds sent window washers crashing
into the side of the highest building in Minneapolis, the IDS Center.  The
sky became night and rain pummeled the ground.  The front was moving so
fast, it blew through in a blink of an eye.  In back of it, fall was waiting
to take over from summer.

The next day was crystal blue, like the world came back into focus from
summer’s haze.  The reds and yellows expanded their intrusion into green.
Everyone’s energy levels are up and we’re trying desperately to keep up with
football, baseball, and our children’s school events.

The air chilled down last night, but it wasn’t even close to freezing.  But
it was cool enough for me to bury myself in my blankets and dream about
meaningless things while reaching out for the warmth of Ray’s body.

We’ll still have a few warm days, but oranges, reds, and yellows will
dominate now.  I’m thinking of pumpkins and vegetable soup and hot cider and
children wearing masks while criss-crossing streets in the dark.  My candles
will ward off the darkness.  The fireplace will be lit.

Fall is here.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.polarispublications.com
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http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and
here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst
the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many.  ~Oliver Wendell
Holmes