A "Head's Up" for My Readers

This is a little update for anyone who reads my blog: I won't be posting for a few days. I'll be going on vacation and I'll be extremely busy. In fact, this will be the last entry I'll be making for the next week or so. When I get back, I'll try to write a quick summary of my vacation. Until then, I wish you all the best.

Autumn's arrival

Autumn is in full swing here in Wisconsin. Although the Equinox does not officially arrive until the 22nd of this month, the signs of the season are everywhere.

As I walked down the streets a few days ago, I could see the leaves changing on the trees. No longer universally green, their true colors are making themselves known. No matter where you look you can see it; a patch of scarlet here, a glimpse of saffron there, a few ochre leaves hiding nervously behind their more verdant cousins.

The birds are growing restless. Many are getting ready for their journey to warmer climes. I've already thrown an extra blanket on my bed, to keep away the chill. The daytime temperatures are warm enough (we've been hitting the low to mid seventies) but the night is a different story.

It's a beautiful time of year. Beautiful, yet sad. Yet soon enough this shall pass and we will have our first snowfall; Nature will be clothed in brilliant white. Those residents who complained of summer's heat will content themselves by complaining of winter's chill. And the Wheel shall simply turn.

Déjà Vu

I'm watching the Weather Channel again. To my dismay, there's a hurricane sitting off the Carolina coast. Although it doesn't appear to be anything too terribly powerful, a part of me shudders when I think about it. Making matters worse, it's quite overcast here in Wisconsin; I half expect to hear the wind scream past the windows and the trees sigh and shake.

Some of my co-workers are a bit jealous of me: they would love nothing more than to "ride out" a tropical cyclone. I can only shake my head in disbelief. It sounds more "fun" than it really is, let me tell you. It's nothing like a summer thundershower; a hurricane lasts for several hours, if not an entire day or more. It's not at all like a tornado; although a hurricane's winds are much slower, it is larger than a tornado and can wipe out whole cities if it chooses. Hurricanes are fearsome beasts, terrifying in their power.

Although there are days when I long for the beauty of the North Carolina coast, I sincerely doubt I would ever move back. For all its snow and cold, Wisconsin feels much quieter and so much more like home.

Poem: "Falling"

Tell me why
tell me how
I am falling
falling
falling
in love with you.

I shouldn't
no I can't
be falling
falling
falling
in love with you.

I'm just
so frightened.
I was hurt
the last time
I fell
fell
fell
in love
with someone
so wrong.

Just don't hurt me, love.
Stay with me, love,
and let me fall
fall
fall
in love with you.

Copyright 2005 Silverwynde

September Blues

The leaves are now turning colors in earnest; there are patches of yellow and red nearly everywhere now. The temperatures are getting cooler. The Sun is rising later and setting earlier. Autumn will be here in officially in two weeks. Summer is over and dying. And I mourn for its passing.

Although I have often thought of autumn as one of the most beautiful times of the year, it has never been one of my favorite seasons. There is just too much sadness ingrained within it; school starts for most children, the trees begin to lose their leaves in order to slumber through the winter, and there is no more visiting the beachfront. A part of me wishes it could hibernate with the rest of Nature and awaken, refreshed and renewed, in the spring. But, seeing as how I am not a bear, that is little more than a pipe dream for me.

There is one thing that cheers me through this waning season: the promise of a new spring and a new summer. Autumn will come, winter will follow, but spring is never far behind. The seasons change. The Wheel of the Year turns.

Poem: "Aftermath"

For the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Copyright Silverwynde, 2005.

The hurricane looked harmless enough, so
we decided to ride it out.
But the water rose so fast that
we couldn't get out.
The hurricane took everything I had,
from my home to my possessions.
But the last thing it took was my husband
who squeezed my hand and said,
"I love you"
before he sank beneath the waters.

Please donate to the American Red Cross to help the victims of this tragedy. If you want to help Katrina's furry victims then please send your donations to the United Animal Nations. Thank you.