When the Walnut Leaves Begin to Fall
It is the school-imposed end of summer, Labor Day weekend has come and gone and I am looking forward to Fall. It is not good to be this way. Ideally one should be living in the present… for that is all we have. I have yet to overcome this and many other bad ways of thinking. A breeze shimmers through what I call (in my ignorance of the real name) the penny tree for when the wind blows the leaves look like so many pennies shimmering down from Heaven. The sun is so hot it tingles on the skin– yet it is not the strong sun of July that burns quickly. The angle of the sun in its diurnal slant is different. Summer is definitely slipping away.
The bees, wasps and yellow jackets are having a heyday in the goldenrod, Joe Pye Weed and Purple Loosestrife. The marsh is thick with flying insects going this way and that. My eyes capture swallowtails. Happily the monarchs are still here. A turkey vulture circles overhead. Some carrion must be nearby. Earlier we saw two golden hawks fly sunlit into the back field. A wisp of a cloud floats by in an otherwise perfectly blue sky. This summer has flown by in the blink of an eye like a fritillary flits by the flowers in the marsh.
The smell of fresh cut lawn is intoxicating to my raw senses. Soon the grass will cease to grow and the lush green will look washed out. All of its inhabitants in the metropolis beneath our feet will dig deep underground or turn off their bodily systems to overwinter– an amazing concept to a mammal. Some fill their bodies with a type of antifreeze. Nature never ceases to astound. This summer I have made my peace with the insects. Terrified of them as a child I have come to love and respect them, indeed hold them in awe for the feats they accomplish. Our accomplishments pale as humans, supposedly so superior.
No longer do I see turtles sunning on rocks or snakes coming out to bask in the heat of the road. Some species of birds have left already– unbeknownst to me. I just know that some I used to see are gone and the bird song of the spring mating season is a fleeting memory. One lone humming bird flies around the marsh intermittently, causing frantic excitement upon spotting him.
It is the time to dead head the flowers of summer. It is the time of Black-Eyed Susans and Peonies and Sebum. And soon it will be the time of the Mums.
With each gust of wind yellow finger-like walnut leaves shower down on our heads– like large yellow snowflakes– a foretaste of snowfalls to come. The sun’s shadows grow long as twilight is near. Soon the white cloud “lions and tigers and bears” will retire into the black cave of night. And the summer will die and in dying, give birth to fall. The comfortable rhythm of the changing season beats in our sometimes unhearing hearts.
MOONSIDE 
beautiful!🥰✨
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September 10, 2024 at 8:41 AM
Thank you so much!! 🙏🏽
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September 10, 2024 at 9:52 AM
What you write, what you see, is poetry. I love that you call them penny trees–I have no idea what they are, but your description makes them clear in my mind, There’s a not of sadness here. And looking ahead isn’t bad–the world too often holds our focus forward instead of here. Thank you for making us aware of what you see, what so many miss.
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September 10, 2024 at 10:48 AM
Thank you, Dayle!
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September 10, 2024 at 11:05 AM
Such a poetic tribute to Nature around you! You have all your senses receptive, soaking in all the changes of the seasons, with eyes that really see, and ears that truly listen, which is not what one can say about most people in today’s often self-absorbed, always in-a-rush world.
Focussing on this same, (apparently ‘ordinary’) silence and awareness, which you certainly need in order to notice and observe the changes happening around you, which you have described so beautifully here- is also the way, to our own personal peace, harmony and contentment.
I wish you and your family, a blissful remaining summer and fall!
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September 10, 2024 at 11:08 AM
Oh, what a lovely comment! The place we lived in for 15 years was so beautiful one could not avoid being appreciative of all the creatures and plants and colors and shapes and forms. It was as sacred as any temple. And one could not avoid being swept away by the Presence there. We are no longer living there but the memories are etched in our minds. And we have to make more of an effort to feel the Presence in other ways. Your comments are always so kind and thoughtful. I wish YOU and your family a blissful remaining summer and fall as well wherever you are.🙏🏽
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September 10, 2024 at 12:39 PM
I had to chuckle about your mention of “Penny Trees.” When my husband and I take our morning walks this time of year, I often stop to pick up a penny, but it’s a leaf! And we’re duped again and again! Great post. 🙂
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September 10, 2024 at 6:02 PM
Thank you alot, Nancy. Maybe it the same tree.😊
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September 10, 2024 at 7:56 PM
That was so beautiful. I loved it. Thank you.
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September 10, 2024 at 8:56 PM
So glad it made you feel it!! We aren’t there anymore but the memory brings joy.
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September 11, 2024 at 12:16 PM
I can certainly understand that.❤️
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September 11, 2024 at 10:32 PM
❤️
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September 11, 2024 at 10:32 PM
Lovely. Thanks for the nostalgic tour of last days of summer, Ellen.
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September 11, 2024 at 11:52 AM
Thank you, Cheyenne! Hope things have cooled down there!
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September 11, 2024 at 11:59 AM
I read this twice, I liked it so much. You have captured the loveliness of this time of year perfectly…talk about “poetic prose”! I wish we could hold onto this season for longer but I suppose, then it wouldn’t seem so special. We can come back here to enjoy your words on it though, whatever part of the calendar we happen to be in. 🌻🍂
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September 11, 2024 at 1:44 PM
Thank you, Julie, for your kind words. Yes, I wait for Fall all year and then it is gone in the blink of an eye. But, yes, that does make it so special.
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September 11, 2024 at 2:43 PM
Thank you for sharing the vivid imagery, the sights and sounds of the beautiful place where you used to live for 15 years. Your writing brought me there at this time of year, this September. Although you mentioned that you were looking forward to Fall, you were also immersed in the subtle movement of the season from Summer to Autumn, and the poignant transformations of the trees, the plants, the grass, and the creatures and flowers of the field. I love the title, “When the Walnut Leaves Begin to Fall”. The photographs are nostalgic and enchanting. Beautifully written, Ellen!
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September 11, 2024 at 11:48 PM
Oh, I am so very glad you liked it D.G. and that my post brought you there. An enchanting place not without its pitfalls… bear, for example. But I hope it always remains locked in our hearts 💕 to share.
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September 12, 2024 at 6:33 AM
Your words and photos make me feel like I have had a long walk in the woods. So beautiful, Ellen! ❤️
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September 12, 2024 at 5:30 PM
Thank you, Sunnyside! So glad you liked it.
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September 12, 2024 at 8:04 PM
Your words echo in my heart, Ellen. Such lovely light words, strung on the thread of autumn. The meaning of each individual fragment begins to elude me, leaving only an aftertaste of autumn mood. Life consists of constant changes, and sometimes you want stability and stability, a reliable support.
Moscow has an unusually long summer with temperatures of 25-27 degrees Celsius. But autumn still appears from every crack: cool evenings, strong gusts of cold wind, yellowing leaves, silent birds, ringing silence around and, of course, uncontrollable sad feelings that take over our souls. A melancholy rolls in that cannot be explained, but can only be accepted and lived with…
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September 14, 2024 at 1:06 AM
Ubit, thank you so much for your beautiful and poetic comment! Yes, it is melancholy but there is great beauty in the sadness. I hope you enjoy your Fall. Thank you so much for writing!!
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September 14, 2024 at 7:20 AM
Such a beautiful poetic prose, Ellen! Your words drove me softly into Autumn vibes. It’s my favorite season; there’s a mystical atmosphere full of magic, wisdom, and change everywhere. And we are invited to meet ourselves more profoundly – It’s time to go within, where the real treasures of life are hidden. Thank you for these words!! Sending you light and blessings, my friend 🙏 🌟
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September 22, 2024 at 8:31 AM
Yes,Susana, I totally agree with you. It is a magical time of the year. I think of it all year round. May yours be as blessed as you are. Thank you, dear friend for your loving kindness. ✨️🙌💕
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September 22, 2024 at 9:15 AM
bonjour ou bonsoir
A travers ce message, je t’envoie ma plus belle image,
Celle d’un sourire radieux qui réchauffe le cœur
Et fait briller le soleil même dans les jours les plus sombres
Le soir que les étoiles illuminent et réchauffe ta demeure
https://i.postimg.cc/g0rRYp10/bonsoir.gif
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September 24, 2024 at 2:26 AM
Bisoux d’amitie a vous, Bernard❣️
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September 24, 2024 at 4:47 AM