Lately I’ve been noticing how this autumn is touched with gold. There are reds and oranges, yes, but the trees are especially yellow this year. Resplendent, in fact. The days have been warm and sunny and the nights crisp. The wind has been rustling leaves about, reminding me of clambering up our old sycamore tree as a child. I watch my daughter outside, the way she inspects the ground and gathers treasures, and wonder if she’ll remember these days. Making flower potions, walking in the woods together, collecting leaves. I think she will, considering the fact that she still remembers how my husband accidentally broke her first sled before she had even turned two!
I bought her these overalls two years ago, two sizes too big. I wanted them to last a while. At first I rolled the cuffs up twice. Then just once. Now no rolls at all. She wears them every time she works out in the garden with Dada, and whenever we go on walks. Even though we have our share of difficult days and time-outs, seeing her outgrow these overalls reminds me to appreciate this stage. All of it.
Our flowers are still hanging on, depsite the chilly nights. There are quite a few cosmos and zinnias left, but it’s these bright blooms that I associate with autumn. Our first year here, we thought they were three-foot tall dandelions! It turns out they are sow weed flowers (and the stems make me itchy, by the way). Weed or not, I still like seeing them in the meadow, opening at dawn and closing at dusk.
The itchiness doesn’t bother my daughter a bit. She picks them and brings them to me, always saying, “Here Mommy, I brought this for you. I know how much you love flowers.” Indeed I do. They’re such amazing reminders to appreciate the beauty of the moment.