The Burning In My Heart: Autumn Leaves and Wild Winds

Looking at the autumn leaves blazing with fire on the trees, I can feel their light pouring into my soul and lighting me on fire from within. It's almost too much to bear to look at them for long, and yet I am a glutton for the beauty. The wind just fans the flames higher.

all photos by Grace Robert

Anne Girl

L.M. Montgomery's character of Anne Shirley has always held a special place in my heart. As a girl, my imagination was captured by her, and not just because she had red hair and lived on Prince Edward Island; she had flaws like me, such as being too stubborn, holding grudges, and being a little too romantic. I loved nature, and she loved nature. I hated certain boys, and she hated certain boys. I fell in love against all my protestations, and she did too.

No surprise then that I sat down to paint something pretty, and what came out, quite by accident, was Anne Shirley. I didn't realize it until I'd painted the last strand of hair, and then I said to myself, "Well, if it isn't Anne Shirley." She has the red hair, perfect little nose, and flowers in her hair.

Rather appropriate I think, with fall coming on to astound us in all its wild, red glory.

Cold Fronts and Early Mornings

This morning I dragged myself out of bed at 6:00 as part of my effort to to become an early riser... and I was immediately rewarded. A cold front had blown in over night, and after finishing breakfast, the wind blowing outside the window coaxed me outside and into the crisp, cool air. What delight to feel that first tingle of fall in my fingertips! Even as I write this, I am listening to the rush of the wind in the trees and breathing in the scent of woodsmoke. Numerous plants are blooming their last few rounds of flowers before it becomes cold for good in the next month or two.

First came the lovely, glowing roses... 

Then the lovely "surprise lilies," which sprang up after all the rain.

The gardenias are still blooming away as well, and there are spiderworts all over the yard, hiding in the ivy and grasses.

This lovely morning glory had its face turned toward the morning sun.

And last, but not least - the first real sign of fall. Gather ye rosebuds while you may, because soon it will be chilly and damp!

Autumn Dreaming

I am just about desperate for fall to get here. This summer in the Ozarks has been terribly dry and hot, and I am yearning for autumn storms and colors. There is nothing to compare with the snap in the air that comes with that time of year, and the exhilarating feeling of the wind rushing past, blowing one's hair about and tossing around leaves; it makes me feel as though I can fly if I only try hard enough.

photo by Tim Ernst, www.timernst.com

This photo perfectly captures the autumn glory of my neck of the woods, the Ozarks. For more gorgeous scenery, visit Tim Ernst's website.

Alphonse Mucha, Autumn, 1896, photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

photo by Tim Ernst, www.timernst.com

John William Godward, Autumn

Gale Rainwater, Soft Autumn Hills in Ozark Mountains, gailrainwater.com

Maxfield Parrish, Morning, www.tendreams.org

Mark Karpinski,  Ozark Region of Southern Missouri, liquiddrift.com

Maxfield Parrish, Reverie, www.tendreams.org