Autumn in the North Cemetery.

Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?



These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.


Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...

...seems to be working so far

Friday, September 24, 2010

Autumn: That Peaceful, Easy Feeling

Fall along the shore of  Long Pond in Fiskdale.
Autumn.   Officially it's here, although it has been slowly ramping up for weeks and weeks.  I saw my first red leaves of the season in Weston, along the turnpike, on August 3rd.  Since then I have been that much more aware of its slow unveiling.  When one is aware of the seasonal changes around them actually occurring, the colors, smells, and sounds are enjoyed that much more.


I have been on the other side when November 12th rolled around, and I stopped and looked around me at the bare trees, grey skies, and cold air, and wondered what the heck happened, and where was I when it did.


No more.  I gave up all that distraction years, and years ago.  Now, I am very in tune to the changes, and enjoy each one as if I am turning pages in a really good book.


Usually, I won't buy mums until Fall is here, but this year I felt that the color was missing in the yard, and I splurged a bit early.  I'll take down the Summer wreath from the front door today.  In  a few weeks, after the first frost, I'll remove the annuals, cut back the perennials, and begin cleaning up around the yard.  While I am putzin' about outside I will be planning our next adventure inside the house.  I like to do inside projects in the Fall and Winter, but this year I was sidetracked, and refurbished the kitchen in July and August, and rebuilt the bathroom floor, as well.  It felt strangely out of season.


As we spend more time on this planet, we find ourselves developing more, and more routines like those I perform each Fall.  Routines can be  comfortable, familiar acts that give us solace when we are performing them.  This is how closing one season in the yard, and preparing for the next one affects a lot of us, it's comfortable.   Such simple rituals, but they bring on that wonderful peaceful, easy feeling.


In the late Winter, very early Spring, I react differently to the changes about me; I get a yearning, and excitement for all things green, bright, and warm.  In the fall, it is the winding down from all that, and time to put away, rest, and renew.  


It is very much a peaceful, easy feeling.
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2 comments:

  1. Maple LeafFriday, September 24, 2010

    Wally your writing and photography make one feel as though they are right there enjoying that peaceful easy feeling, breathing in the scents of autumn leaves and autumn soil, and feeling the pleasant sensation of that cool crisp air. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wally HerseeFriday, September 24, 2010

    And, thank you...

    ReplyDelete



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