THE LEAVES OF NOVEMBER

The leaves of November are burning, or scattered all over the ground,

The trees have lost their crowns of gold, and now wear shades of brown.

There are some trees that are standing bare,, their colors have gone with the wind,

The mighty oaks wear darker cloaks, their leaves stay close, like friends.

Yes, the bright colored leaves are gone now, replaced by shades of umber,

We'll think of them, in a few weeks when,we're deep in Winters slumber

                                                                       jen11/09

Mother Nature uses a beautiful range of colors when she paints;

And she saves her brightest, deepest colors for Fall, gold and orange, burnt sienna, crimson, and all the hues and tints on her pallet, Enjoy these colors of Autumn, they won't be here long !

 Today on our drive we saw some subtle and not so subtle signs of Autumn; The bright sunshine yellow faces of the blackeyed susan that grow along the roadsides, the large round hay bales that dot the fields, the changing color of the corn fields as they get ready for harvest, and the sun that turned the soybean fields to gold....

At home my dogwood tree is turning, it's leaves a mixed shade of mauve and blushing red, my autumn clematis is in full bloom and beautiful on my arbor, the nights are cooler and the days are shorter, and evening comes long before we're ready;I've been doing some cleanup in the flower beds and in the garden, I have some tomatoes to can, and today I picked the last of the green beans.

My neighbor and his grandson picked field corn today and filled several buckets with large dry ears of corn, they grow these for the squirrels, who by the way have not been waiting for this harvest, but have been helping themselves these past few weeks, These same furry fellows have been feasting on the acorns in our oak tree, dining and discarding their leftovers all over the hostas and the ground below, You could say we have the best fed squirrels around....KD, who used to tree them when she was younger, now just gives them a casual look and goes back to her nap.

Yes the signs of Autumn are all around us, not full blown yet, but still there if you look for them, soon Fall will show herself in all her colors, and I can hardly wait.....

BLUE SEPTEMBER DAY

This comptemplation could take hours,

as I sit here among my flowers;

My thoughts are random, and I wonder why,

the clouds are positioned "just so" in the sky?

Why does the vine on the arbor know,

just where to cling, which way to grow?

How does the rose know when to bring a smile to my face?

and when it fades, how does it know to send another in it's place?

Do you think they're placed by another hand?

that it's all part of a Master's" plan?

Looking up through the trees, to the blue of the sky'

I no longer question or wonder why;

I am content to enjoy and store away.

the memories of this blue September day !

"Emerald green feathers that catch the light"

The hummingbird hovers just above the spray of the garden hose, surprised, I can only stare in wonder at this beautiful image, thinking to myself,"what a magical thing this is!", this encounter only lasted a moment in time, but really made my day !

Later, sitting in lawn chairs we saw a beautiful yellow finch appear above the seedheads of the coneflower, it lingered there, busy prying the seeds loose, unaware of our stares of admiration, the joy on our faces that seeing him brought....

Simple things that leave an impression, a memory to store away; The blue of the skies, the pristine white clouds, the soft cool breeze after the rain, Thank God for the simple things in life..., I wish you all a day of " Hummingbird's and Finches"....

"Of hummingbird's and finches , and a score of other things,

of sunny skies and rainbows, and the joy that each day brings.

Of the morning haze on a rainy day, and the dew upon the ground,

of the butterfly that passes by, and does not make a sound.

Of golden days and a sun so bright,and emerald feathers that catch the light,

of yellow bursts of color that flit from tree to flower,and bees that gather pollen, hour after hour.

Of time that slows and grass that grows, and day's that never end,

and days of "hummingbird's and finches, are wished for you , my friend..

Jen, 8/22/09

Soft rain falls upon my flower garden,

leaving crystal drops of moisture,

upon each leaf and bough.

Moisture gathers in the broad leaves

of the Hosta,

hang supended , then fall to the ground.

Rose petals are garnished with iridescent

jewels that hold and catch the light !........jen

Today we took a Sunday drive through farmland feilds and one lane roads; At times we were surrounded by fields of corn, We came upon unexpected open vista of  green rolling fields, and barns that were almost hidden by the crops.

After all that spring rain, and most of the crops having to be replanted, the crops look very healthy....Not too far from here , in the next county, we came across beautiful, classic scenes of the "heartland" above are a few, It was a nice drive.....jen

     Thank goodness for the oak tree and it's cooling shade, we sit

under it a lot, Denny and I, and watch the birds, butterflies and bees

as they flit from flower to flower.

     There are a lot of bees this summer, more than I've seen in a

while; And the birds! the robins are still here, the finches in their

beautiful bright colors, cardinals and mourning doves !

     The sunshine and all this rain has created a burst of color in the

flowerbeds, a real treat for the eyes...Ah...Summer, hot and humid, wet and rainy, or hot and dry, we have a few more months to go, Find yourself a nice shady spot and Enjoy The View !.......Jen

Getting Acquainted:This uninvited guest made it's first official

Wishing all our friends and their families,

A GREAT 4th of JULY !!

Jen & Den