In recent days leading up to the first day of fall, I’ve been intentional about getting out and soaking up some nature time – driving, walking, sitting to just observe and appreciate the beauty of where we live and celebrate the changing season. My friend Margaret Simon commented this past week that she’d noticed many were lamenting the end of summer while I was heralding the onset of fall, and she inspired me to share some of the reasons I could live in the world of autumn year-round.
Ours is a small, rural county in middle Georgia with huge orange sunsets that dip down between the rolling hills, nuzzling down into an heirloom quilt for a good night’s sleep. Sometimes, we are “those people” who really do take Sunday afternoon drives with nowhere to have to be and no time to have to be there – just so we can take it all in!
A family of deer come along their path daily, walking along the edge of the trees. Their darker winter coats are starting to come in, and the babies are losing the last of their spots.
Mushrooms are growing along the rocks, and leaves are dropping in shades of red and yellow from the trees, spinning down to blanket the ground.
And spiders are becoming more plentiful – the big ones, spinning webs between trees, setting traps for unsuspecting prey. Somehow, they give off a Halloweenish vibe, especially as our resident bats circle overhead in the evenings.
The most hopeful time happens as the day begins when the sun is rising and the light infiltrates the trees, pounding down on the grass like a warmed oatmeal breakfast with a multivitamin and a glass of orange juice, turning on the light, greeting us all with an enthusiastic “Good Morning!” as it peels back the covers of night.
Redbirds lurk and loiter, running off the last of the small songbirds from the feeders as they migrate south. They’ve already laid claim to the feeders that will get them through the freezing winter ahead.
Monarchs and Black Swallowtails feast on the last remnants of the withered figs.
The American Crows and the Fish Crows, too, become more abundant. They sit on church steeples, thanking their maker for a reprieve from the brutal heat of the summer. Their caws stir in a dash of Poe.
Our pair of Great Horned Owls was visiting every night, but now they are in a different spot on the west side of the farm. We can still hear them, but they haven’t made themselves evident lately.
Even if I only spend ten minutes each day outdoors, I notice the small changes that are happening around me and feel grateful to be able to admire the transition from summer to fall. I’m choosing a tree this year to photograph every 5 days so that I can see the change as a time lapse once the leaves have all let go and the summer-to-winter transformation is complete. I can learn much from trees that shed worn leaves and bloom again fresh in the spring.
I take pictures and count the blessings of each magnificent and microscopic moment of beauty. How do you celebrate the changes as fall approaches? I’d love to hear all the ways we welcome the season!
Common Threads 
Love! Love! this dedication to the beauty of fall. #Septemberbeauty. I haven’t kept up with my IG posts since being back at school. Your photos are lovely. Did I tell you my family is taking a trip to North Georgia at Christmas? The name of the town starts with D and is well-known for Hallmark movies. I can never get the name to stick in my brain. I’m glad I inspired you.
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99 percent sure it’s Dahlonega. My favorite Georgia town of all. I just sent you a text. Lunch on the balcony overlooking Montaluce vineyard is a must. A drive up to the top of Amicalola Falls is heaven! We shall chat, friend! You will fall head over heels in love with Dahlonega and it is Hallmark all the way.
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I sent your response to my girls. Thanks!
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Kim, thank you for leading me through a collage of autumn loves and happenings in your area. Your beautiful thoughts and photos are a tribute to each microscopic moment of beauty. I invite you to join me in recollecting the beauty of summer’s end. Love this image: like a warmed oatmeal breakfast…
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Thank you so much! I will check it out and read your Padlet!
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Every single photo is beautiful. But my favorite is the sunset and the mention of Sunday drives. It makes me miss going on Sunday drives through the hills of West Virginia.
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Thank you, Anna! Those Sunday drives are peaceful!
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Kim,
This is a beautiful reflection on my favorite season. For me it’s the changing colors that inspire me. I love oranges and reds anyway. There’s something about the juxtaposition of cool mornings and evenings to warmer days, an in between time I love, so your sunset photo and the cardinal are my favorite photos. I’m hoping to share some fall photos next week.
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Thank you, Glenda! I can’t wait to see your photos! I appreciate your reading.
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Love this, Kim! And I’m going to copy you – “I’m choosing a tree this year to photograph every 5 days so that I can see the change as a time lapse once the leaves have all let go and the summer-to-winter transformation is complete.” WHAT A GREAT IDEA. When I taught 3rd grade in NYC. Pairs of students adopted a tree in Central Park and we would go visit and sketch it every month. Man’s connection to nature is so powerful and healing!
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Thank you so much for reading! Amen to the power of nature in healing. It is medicinal indeed!
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I feel as if I was on a walk with you, and it was wonderful! The opening photo of “huge orange sunsets that dip down between the rolling hills” is absolutely spectacular – yes, I’d drive around without any purpose if I could catch a glimpse of this. I, too, love to soak in nature every single day – it really is amazing how things change. Beautiful idea to take a photo every 5 days of the same place, and behold the variation of mother nature. Just lovely, Kim!
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Thank you, Maureen! I sure wish we could all take a nature walk and sit down somewhere and write outside for an afternoon, sipping tea and watching for birds. Thanks for reading today.
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Kim, wow! So much autumn beauty here. I was mesmerized with the bounty of your photos. Really gorgeous post. I have such a hard time choosing my favorite season. I think I always look forward to the changing of seasons, and I’m glad it happens every three months, as I never tire of one season. I like the cooling and changing of colors. Fortunately I was able to spend a week in Minneapolis last week. It was a little early for the beautiful colors, but we did see some change in many trees while we were there!
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Denise, I loved your post with all the photos from your trip! Except the sprained ankle, because I’m so sorry you went through that pain.
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