Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Autumn in the Country by Marta Perry



Here in the Pennsylvania countryside, autumn has definitely arrived, in spite of the fact that the thermometer has reached close to 70 degrees the past two days. The trees are at their peak of color now, and I fear one good storm will take the leaves off in a hurry. I decided I'd better get out and take some photos before that happens!


We have two streams that border our place--this is the larger one, Catawissa Creek. In the summer, this is our swimming hole, where the grandkids spend countless hours splashing, paddling, and catching minnows. Now the water is far too cold for that, but the color of the trees and the peaceful murmur of the stream make it well worth a visit anyway.


Fall has its rituals here. The county fair is over now, but people are still talking about it. Did you go to the fair? What did you like best? Caramel apples or apple dumplings or funnel cakes? It's a tradition to eat your way around the fair! Fair Week is followed by all the final fundraisers held at tiny country churches and fire halls throughout the county. If you don't enjoy a pumpkin festival, maybe you'd like to look for a craft sale or an apple butter sale. And of course on Friday nights the lights from the high school football stadium can be seen all over town--to say nothing of hearing the roar when our Panthers make a touchdown.


Maybe we enjoy fall so much because it brings with it a reminder of what follows. The leaves will fall, the temperatures will drop. Soon we're be watching for the first snowfall, and folks will go into their winter hibernation, not wanting to venture out to town when the roads are slick and darkness closes in so early.


Autumn is a bittersweet time of the year. Don't let it pass you by without taking the time to enjoy the activities, or just stop and stare at God's amazing handiwork and be thankful.


Blessings,

Marta


5 comments:

Ramona Richards said...

Lovely shot, and you paint a gorgeous picture of fall life in the country. It's definitely my favorite time of year, with crisp mornings and amazingly blue skies. Thanks for sharing.

Susan Sleeman said...

Marta, your great description has made me long for a real fall instead of our slight dip in temperature here in Florida. This week we are having record highs, but the leaves are falling from some of the trees.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pictures. I remember the days when the leaves would change when I lived in the Midwest. That is one thing I miss because I live in Phoenix. Of course I don't mind so much when it's sownig elsewhere. :)

Anonymous said...

Er-make that snowing. Fingers working faster than brain.

Marta Perry said...

Thanks, everyone. I'm not a great photographer, but even I can't mess up this!

Marta