Beautiful Fall, Despite It All

There is moisture out there. This morning the sky was filled with low clouds and the air hung damp over the earth. But as the day progressed, the clouds lifted and blue sky appeared. We had about ten minutes of rain one day last week, but the drought continues. 46 out of 67 counties in Alabama are suffering emergency level drought conditions, including where I live. We have a chance of rain several days next week, with 80% chance on Wednesday. I am hopeful!

Despite the drought, fall colors this week have been beautiful, and one day I took a walk to see the foliage in neighboring yards.  This gorgeous tree is located on a neighbor's property.I am surprised that not all leaves have simply shriveled and turned brown before falling. Plenty of them have, and autumn colors are more antique than vibrant. But Japanese maples and other acers, dogwoods, hickory trees, and crape myrtles (Lagerstroemias), as well as various shrubs are putting on a show. Molten leaves fall to the ground next to the road leading to my house.

In my own garden, colors have peaked. Here are images taken this week:

The first good rain will surely strip the trees and leave a deep sea of leaves covering the ground. When that happens, I will be outside rejoicing. 

Dead Bee

The other day I came across a carpenter bee, clinging to a marigold. The creature was completely still, even when I waved my hand over him. The temps had dropped into the upper 30's during the night, and at first I thought he was merely cold.But hours later, after the sun had warmed the garden, the bee remained, in exactly the same position.Oh, little dead bee, I thought, and suddenly a memory came bubbling up from long ago, when my oldest son was fifteen months old. Sam was a verbal baby, but he had not yet strung more than two words together. 

We were on the porch when my son reached for an insect lying on the decking. "Oh, no, Sam," I warned. "That's a dead bee."

The next day Sam pointed to a piece of black fuzz on the couch, something that had probably come off a blanket. "Hey, Mama!" he said. "He a dead bee!"

Many seasons and years have come and gone since then, and another one is turning now. I am hit by how fast they are reeling. A recent view across the front lawnDays are definitely cooler, with highs only into the 70s. The drought continues, but I read an encouraging forecast from a weather model that predicts rain after November 15, possibly as much as 6 inches between that date and December 25. I will believe it when I see it. Meanwhile, lots of bees and other little creatures are finding warm burrows in which to hibernate. I have not seen any more dead ones.