Change of seasons

The nice thing about living in the midwest is seeing the change of seasons. At least that is the response that we invoke when apologizing for the crummy cold, damp, gray portions of winter.

We are doing that change of season thing now, in October. Leaves are starting to drop. Firewood is piled up to record heights, thanks to 4 large tree blowdowns earlier in the summer. We've already enjoyed fires in the fireplace (that is the preferred location for fires). My favorite woods are locust and osage wood. They burn like coal - slowly with white hot coals and a low flame.

Soon most of the wildlife will be gone, or at least less obvious. Butterflies, birds, snakes, cicadas, crickets, hummingbirds, praying mantises (is that really the plural of mantis?, tree frogs, and other critters will vacate until spring. It will be quiet, except for the trickling stream, semi trucks on the interstate, and occasional winds whipping through the pine trees. Meanwhile, we'll recall our friendly (mostly) warm weather visitors with a few photos from this past summer. And look forward to seeing them again soon.









Click to enlarge and notice the spikes on the hind legs of this katydid - the spikes that produce the signature chirping/clicking sound.

But late fall and winter can be beautiful in its own way. Bright oranges, reds, and violet tones will blossom, then fade. Grays and browns will settle in. Evergreens stand out in their green or blue uniforms. Gabbie and Tess's white coats will be accented against the drab woods as they dart after deer.

It reminds me of the Mamas and Papas song California Dreamin, “all the leaves are brown,....and the sky is gray." Instead of California dreaming, we'll be dreaming of spring and summer which will come soon enough to Bittersweet Woods.