random thoughts – Day 2,370 (Saturday) – seasonal gifts

Turning to gold.

The season is changing and nature is delivering gifts. The leaves on the tree out front have a couple spots where the leaves have already shifted from green to something akin to the Harvest Gold color that was popular in the 1970s. The yard needs mowing again, but there won’t be too many more needed and before too long, shoveling the stairs and walk will be the required yard activity.

Out back, the goldenrod is hanging on with golden color and is still attracting pollinators. I’m so glad I didn’t mow it down. According to some guides, the first autumn frost is roughly six weeks after the goldenrod begins to bloom, and based on that lore, we'll be waking up to frost almost any minute now. There are a couple random plants with fluffy balls like dandelion puffs mixed in the goldenrod crop. 

There is a massive pine tree in the woods that stands two or three times the height of the house. It dropped a couple large and lovely pine cones in the yard. Soon the showers of pine needles will commence.

Still golden.

A bear passed, unseen, through the back yard and left offerings of scat two days this week. At least a dozen holes of varying size and depth appeared seemingly overnight, dug by unknown critter vandals.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, acorns litter the edge of the street and the tips of a few tree branches have turned red. One tree I passed today has been suddenly liberated of its leaves, but the branches still have some crabapple things dangling like holiday ornaments.