My mom always says, “Can you imagine how how scary the first fall must have been? To think everything was dying?” As I watched the leaves fall in the yard the last few weeks I thought about that a lot, what it would have been like. It must have been scary to see the leaves change their shades, and then to witness them wither and fall into heaps on the ground. It must have felt like the world was ending.
But my favorite time of year is fall. People now drive for hundreds of miles to witness the changing leaves in the mountains. It’s the busiest time of year here and I can see why:
In that photo above can you see the yellow tree on the right hand side of the photo? That’s a gingko tree. It was brought over from China by a missionary in the 1940’s. It’s usually the very last tree in Bryson City to lose its leaves. I wanted to get a picture of it this year but one day I was driving through town and saw a group of people standing underneath it. All of the leaves were falling all at once! It only took about thirty minutes for every single yellow gingko leaf to fall to the ground. Maybe because of the drought we’ve had. It was the most bizarre thing. I meant to come back later and capture all the fallen leaves but by the afternoon they had already been blown away by a leaf blower. I’ll just have to look forward to getting a picture next year.
Almost all of the leaves have fallen now. Sun beams wake me up in the morning now because of the naked trees. In the spring and summer the entire yard is shaded until mid morning. I was worried about the chickens with the cold. I check on them every night in the coop but they always seem fine. They sit on their perches and puff out all their feathers so they look like little butterballs. Some nights I make them some hot oatmeal/corn mash right before they go to bed. Brett made them a wind screen with some old windows o the front of the chicken run. They love it….the windows warm up that side of the run almost like a little sunroom:
I don’t know if you’ve been following the fires but it’s been really bad here. The smoke was so bad I couldn’t even turn on the heat for the longest time:
We can heat the house from our wood stove thank goodness, so we were able to keep the smoke out when it was at its worst:
Last weekend Brett and Boo were splitting firewood to re-stock our supply for the winter:
Finally the rains came and the air has cleared. All the Christmas lights are up around the train depot for the Polar Express:
Hopefully the fires will be put out for good now as the rain continues. I was worried about our little town for a while but we ended up being okay. The fires in Gatlinburg have just been tragic and so much of the Smokies have burned. Keep all those affected in your prayers! #smokiesstrong
There is a ginko tree on the college campus I work at and it’s famous for dropping all its leaves very quickly. My daughter also works at the same place and we always wonder who’s going to have their car parked near the ginko on the day it decides to let go – that car is always covered when its owner wants to drive home. It’s quite a little spectacle to witness.
Prayers for all those affected by the fires… and prayers for peace always.
every time you post pictures of your city I think I need to go there. It is just too beautiful.
But you can relax, I live on the other side of the continent, no danger of me suddenly showing up.
I love fall. It is a very special kind of beauty.
reminds me of one of my favourite poems by Rilke
http://www.annettegendler.com/2011/11/my-favorite-poem-herbsttag-by-rainer.html
Prayers for everyone affected by the fires, it’s been scary. I am so glad to see you’ve adopted a senior dog. I know you’ll make however long she’s with you safe, secure and loving! The poor little thing must have been so frightened in the shelter. Kuddos to you and your family!
So glad the fires are gone and your woods are ok. Merry Christmas and keep on writing. I so enjoy reading your life.
I love fall as well. Nothing is more beautiful than the golden yellow of a Gingko tree. Prayers for those affected by the fires. That adds such an uneasiness to things so big as a fire. Grateful the rains have tempered the fires. I live in WA state and was on edge all of last year during an extra long hot summer and seemingly endless fire season.
Thank you for the update. I was worried about your lovely town with the fires. Your photographs are stunning! They would make lovely pictures framed.
Love the words, love the pictures, love the thoughts you share. the gingko tree is one of my favorites. One day there is a tree of gold, and the next there is a lake of gold under the tree. Poof! Done! Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Wow! What an amazing idea – I never thought about the first fall! EVER! Your Mom is a wise woman. Thank you for sharing that with us. It’s so wonderful to look at Scripture and ponder details as if you had been there. Every Christmas as I prepare the lessons from Luke 2 for our little Sunday School class at Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Park, a new, fresh and usually humorous tidbit has appeared regarding the Christmas story. This year it was the thought that when the angel arrived to give the announcement to the shepherds – did he have to give it a second try? Can you just picture him wondering how they could sleep through “the glory of the Lord” shining “round about them”, and trying to decide if he should clear his throat loudly or cough to wake them?