Autumnal

I traditionally ended the notes I sent in August with "Enjoy the fleeting days of summer." However, as the weeks of hot, dry weather continued here, I found myself adjusting to the new temperament of the seasons in the mid-Atlantic. No longer am I wishing that summer linger a bit longer. Rather, I am longing for the cooler days of  autumn which I am told is only second to spring in Virginia.

September is foreshadowing the upcoming season with a nip in the air one morning and a blustery wind another. The harvest moon was spectacular the other night as seen in a video from The Washington Post. And, as the days noticeably shorten, the autumnal equinox arrives this week.

This morning it rained steady and soaked the parched landscape. The mums bowed their heads, the berries dripped with moisture, and the leaves held onto each drop of water for as long as possible. I know the heat will return but not as intensely. Pumpkins are beginning to dot the landscape as I transition my wardrobe and dress the house in dabs of orange and yellow, too.

I would like to nap like the cat but am instead nesting, deeply appreciative of the weather and the quiet which allows thoughts to roam and creative juices to flow. I am prepping and planning for the busy months ahead. So much is new and yet one can rely on some things nonetheless. So, I close instead with "Enjoy the fullness of transitioning days this September, dear friends."

September

Linda Pastan

it rained in my sleep

and in the morning the fields were wet

I dreamed of artillery

of the thunder of horses

in the morning the fields were strewn
with twigs and leaves

as if after a battle
or a sudden journey

I went to sleep in the summer
I dreamed of rain

in the morning the fields were wet
and it was autumn

Diversity

I have been thinking about our human propensity to want standardization and uniformity. We desire sameness, to be around those who look like us, think like us, believe the same things as us. With sameness comes inclusion and acceptance and safety but also apathy and boredom. In contrast, when you examine the biological world, it is filled with variability.

Simply look at the diversity of the natural world around you and note how it is ever changing, adapting, and evolving. No black and white here: nature embraces the complexity of grey. Such heterogeneity and ongoing adaptation may be to our benefit, or not, yet cannot help but inspire and challenge us to adapt in response.

Last weekend, I attended the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello. Monticello immerses you in the complex life of Thomas Jefferson, often called America's first botanist. I wandered through the flower and vegetable gardens, grape vines, orchard, and woodlands. With camera in hand, I snapped images of the diversity of beauty around me despite the intense heat.

Throughout my visit, I kept repeating Ralph Waldo Emerson's words, "Scatter joy!" I was reminded of the power of a single seed, the challenges a seedling faces as it bursts from the soil, and the potential of the diversity of living things to coexist and elicit happiness. Nothing like planting a seed and embracing difference.

Looking for the Differences

Tom Hennen

I am struck by the otherness of things rather than their same-
ness. The way a tiny pile of snow perches in the crook of a
branch in the tall pine, away by itself, high enough not to be
noticed by people, out of reach of stray dogs. It leans against
the scaly pine bark, busy at some existence that does not
need me.

It is the differences of objects that I love, that lift me toward
the rest of the universe, that amaze me. That each thing on
earth has its own soul, its own life, that each tree, each clod is
filled with the mud of its own star. I watch where I step and see
that the fallen leaf, old broken grass, an icy stone are placed in
exactly the right spot on the earth, carefully, royalty in their
own country.