I may have commented negatively on our fall leaves this year. I don’t say that I did, mind you, but I can’t rule out the possibility. Here in the Ottawa area our signature trees–the red maples–have been somewhat muted compared to other years or, indeed, to others and it’s been on my mind a little bit.
And yet. When the sun is shining and the light is nicely angled and the October winds and rains haven’t started, even a muted season offers views that are both pretty and pretty nice.
If the light is right, the leaves don’t even have to be orange/red to gladden this Albertan’s heart.
How often do I miss appreciating what’s in front of me because I’m comparing it to a memory? A photo of someone else’s experience? An expectation?
What I should do is to seize the day, or even the hour: October’s winds and rains are at hand; November’s gray skies await.
A much better way of looking at things….
Jim R – 🙂
Carpé Diem! Regardless!
Tom
Tom – Yup.
Most of our (yellow) leaves have fallen to let us crunch them when we walk. Forecast is that on Tuesday they will turn white.
Judith – Oh dear. Well, there was always a chance (50/50? maybe not that bad) we wouldn’t get a snow-free Hallowe’en in Alberta . . .
The leaves were quite spectacular here in the east end. We overlook miles of treetops, each species now showing their true colours (without Chlorophyll to make them green). Our trip downtown the other day (in the bright sun, sometimes backlighting the trees) was spectacular. I was smiling so much at them all, my front teeth dried out.
Barbara – Look after your teeth! But delighted to hear that you had good leaf-peeping.