As Nugget and I were on our walk around the lake today, some of the trees still had leaves of red, orange, and yellow. We stopped to take a little rest. As we sat there, I heard the sound of kids at play. There is a school not far from where we walk.As I listened, memories started to come to mind. I remember Fall days of childhood. The crisp morning air as I walked to school. A puff of wind that is just cold enough to make you snuggle a bit deeper into your coat. And that wind makes your eyes water a bit. The leaves crackle and crunch under your feet as you walk.
You look up at the sky and you notice that the blue of the sky looks like a darker shade of blue as a back drop for the leaves in the trees. The colors of red, orange, and yellow seem to be so bright. On the wind you can smell that someone has their fire place going. Then the scent is gone.
On mornings like those, when I was so much younger, I wished that I could walk on for the rest of the day. No school, no teachers, no classrooms to go to. Just me and mother nature. Fall. And then we have Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then -- the big one -- CHRISTMAS, with all of the houses in our neighborhood decorated, and all of the different Christmas trees in peoples homes.
Fall, with the colors, the raking of leaves, and the smell of leaves being burned in your yard. Playing in a huge pile of leaves, the dust from them making you sneeze. The bits and pieces of leaves sticking to your clothes and your hair. When you're done playing in the leaves, going into a nice warm house and having a big mug of hot chocolate.
As I come back from my memories and Nugget and I continue our walk I wonder. It's been years since I have seen kids playing in the leaves. Do they? Nugget and I finish our walk. We arrive to our warm home, and I have a cup of coffee instead of hot chocolate. Nugget has a treat and we move ourselves to the family room.
We build a fire in the fireplace. Then I sit in the recliner, Nugget in front of the fire. Me with my thoughts of Fall days when I was young.
And some tell me old age is wonderful....they must have minds locked in rock as I miss my youth, and all those fine memories. Nice piece, my friend.
ReplyDeleteStephen, my friend, thank you. I too miss my youth. My mind goes there, and things are quite clear. But, my body betrays me time and time again. Like my Dad use to say. " I've the mind, and memories of being twenty. But the body of a sixty or seventy year old. And it really sucks.'
DeleteMy best to you and yours.