I sip my coffee. Time moving slowly. Coffee. Caffeine. Wake up time.
Leaves twirl, swirling slowly to the ground. Yellow leaves are in the majority. A bright yellow blanket with a few dots of green. In two days the ground has changed color. How did that happen so quickly?
Leaves: quietly spinning, collecting together almost as if magnetized. Some deposited in piles. Some in thin sheets. The covering thickness varies. Not yet enough to jump in.
Do I dare walk through them? Will they crunch and dissolve? Will their shiny brightness become dull and dingy?
I shiver. The cool morning breeze brushes my back as my coffee cup warms my hands.
Too early for so many questions. Time to finish my coffee and make a plan for the day.
But first to identify the leaves. To satisfy just one curiosity.
Catalpa leaves.
Leaves bigger than my hand. Individually pretty. Gracefully landing on all surfaces. Attached to none. Easily shifting. Decorative trees. Not indigenous to Iowa. Link
What trees fill the neighborhood? What trees are routinely trimmed? What trees thrive even as the seasons change and their bare limbs are exposed? Are there more in the neighborhood?
What do you SEE when you take a breath and look quietly today? What are you curious about?
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This is so visual and lovely!!!
Thank you, Kitty. It was a perfect time to slow down!
I do enjoy watching leaves float form tree to ground. Great descriptions in this piece. I spent yesterday mulching the blanket of leaves in our back yard. Will do it once more when the rest of the leaves have fallen.
Love this poetic post. I often think we don’t get falling leaves where I am, but this is a good reminder that I just have to pay attention.
Many days I only see them on the ground as well. So nice to make the time to stop and watch!
This is a beautiful post! Thank you for the reminder to slow down and look at the world around us.
You are welcome, Rita. So much to learn from observing nature’s gifts.
Lovely images of this exquisite season when leaves put on a colorful show for all.
Leaves … and a dance recital.
More images!
Thanks!
I love your vision and your wonderings. I’m going to ponder these questions with my students next week:
What do you SEE when you take a breath and look quietly today? What are you curious about?