Changes

Downy
Originally uploaded by ChrissyJ.

Eric and I went out for a walk this afternoon, to catch the end of the fall colors and enjoy some relatively pleasant weather. Changing leaves signal the start of something new - the coming of fall and all the great stuff that goes with it: Halloween pumpkins, apple cider, and Thanksgiving dinner.

On a hillside meadow, the dried stalks of milkweed plants waved slightly in the breeze. The textures of the pods and downy seeds evoked the the brittle end of a season, rather than the start of another one. These fragile remnants that once fortified Monarchs put me in mind of what's been left behind. It will be many months until the next afternoon at the beach, or sweet corn with dinner.

But there's stew and hot tea in front of the fireplace...