Monday, August 28, 2006

Changing Seasons

Although the temperatures are still in the 90's on most days, I am beginning to see signs that summer is waning and fall is coming.

Most notably, everyday now there are a few golden and brown leaves slowly sifting down out of the trees, letting go, weary from their nonstop duties of capturing sunlight and converting it to food. The Half Century Fountain seems to attract a fair number of these tired-out toilers, so each morning I find myself skimming out the prior day's leavings.

Having finished their primary job of creating food for their parent plant, now the leaves will slowly decompose. Ironically yet fittingly, they continue to feed their parent through their death and recycling.

An anonymous quote caught my attention last night: "Humans - despite their artistic pretensions, their sophistication, and their many accomplishments - owe their existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains." How much healthier our psyches and our world would be if we'd all realize and remember that fact.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't wait for it to get cold. Summer is definitely my least favorite season.

We had the first taste of fall a week or so ago. It was just a hint. That feeling/taste/smell in the air. And the temperature..it was cooler. So wonderful.

Anonymous said...

The other day, it just started thinking about cooling off. (It's stifling here. Hot and muggy. Or warm and muggy.) I look forward to watching the Japanese maples turn. An interesting note, the seasons here are much, much more preditable. Not many surprises, at least concerning the weather.

Gaia Gardener: said...

I enjoyed our trip north for many reasons, not least of which was the cooler temperatures that we were able to enjoy.

Which has made it hard to get excited about being home, with temps still in the high 80's and low 90's during the day...and the humidity fogging my glasses every time I go outside. But come December and January, it will feel pretty good down here.

Franksparrow, in what way are the seasons more predictable there? Less variation in temps? Fewer storms?

I'll bet the Japanese maples are gorgeous! Do they plant a lot of the different, unique-looking varieties, or are they all mainly the original species?

Hope all's going well for you. I'm enjoying reading about your experiences on your blog. It's an impressive adventure!

Anonymous said...

There's much less variation in temps., or so I'm told. There's a rainy season in July and August (and it rains nearly every day). I was warned (repeatedly) about the winters here, but so far it's been comparable to Kansas, except much less precipitation.

There's a lot of the regular Japanese maples here, but there's also some variety.