Ready or not, fall is here. This morning the outside thermometer reads 48 degrees and the inside temperature is only 66 degrees. This is NOT open window weather! I have resisted turning on the furnace and added an extra blanket to our bed, and layers to my daytime clothing.
Brrrr!
Gone are my flip flops, capri pants, and sleeveless tops of summer. I’ve dug out my jeans, sweatshirts and long-sleeved shirts.
“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Yesterday, I donned a sweatshirt and headed out to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to play. While the Arboretum’s display gardens are filled with gorgeous flowers, I skipped them and headed to the prairie and woodlands. It was a great day for a hike.
Nature’s Still Life
Everywhere I walked I saw little still seasonal still lifes beneath my feet created by nature. I found greens galore that reminded me of spring and then one after another little tablou’s that represented fall.
Hungry chipmunk let me get quite close
I decided to head off the beaten path and take one of the many trails that criss-cross the arboretum. Heading uphill on the Ridge Trail, I came upon a beautiful long hawk feather on the trail and then several steps further along the trail saw a big open field. My appearance at the edge of the field startled a hawk that was on the ground.
Up it rose, and then flew over my head and around in circles above me for several minutes. It was magical.
First view of the barn
The huge open field was amazingly beautiful, a perfect green bowl of a slope surrounded by trees on 3 sides. When I looked across the green pasture, I was amazed to see a path leading to the Arboretum’s iconic barn. I’ve made photographs of this barn from a distance, never knowing that there was a path that led directly to it.
A closer view
Full view of the barn and silo beside it
Looking downhill at the clouds and sky from the top of the hill near the barn gave me a sense of glee and wonder—the skies felt like they went on forever.
Endless Sky
Walking alone across this beautiful scene reminded me again that I was in God’s cathedral. Sometimes the trees are it’s rooftop and sometimes the sky. Both are grand and awe-inspiring.
Time Spent in Nature is Holy
Time Spent in Nature is Healing
When was the last time you took a hike by yourself out in nature? Spending time alone in nature is the best way I know to reconnect with the beauty, wonder, and sacredness of life. Make time in your life for nature soon.
May you walk in beauty. May you experience the light in all things.
Deep greens – love the pattern of these leaves
Black-eyed susan flowers are day brighteners
Prairie grasses
Looks like fall
These greens remind me of spring.
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