Make Like A Tree…And Leaf

I have to be honest here, our move to Hawaii is weighing heavily on me right now.  For the most part, I’m excited.  I mean, if we HAVE TO move (and Uncle Sam says we do), Hawaii is a much better option than, say, Fort Polk, Louisiana, where I’m told the state bird is the mosquito.  Charming, no?  As far as moving goes, Hawaii is a great destination, but, on the other hand, knowing what we’re leaving behind here in Virginia still makes my heart heavy.

I REALLY going to miss fall.

I’m no horticulturist, but I’m quite certain palm fronds don’t shift from their deep green color to vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow each October.

As a kid, I didn’t really know much about fall, other than what I saw on television or read in books. I lived in California and then Florida, where, like Hawaii, palm trees don’t change color in the fall.  We didn’t walk through crunchy leaves; we wore shorts on Thanksgiving Day.  Even our first few years of marriage were spent in places where four seasons were not the norm (Hawaii and Arizona).  We actually spent our first year in Missouri, where the seasons change like clockwork, but I’ve completely blocked  that year from my memory.  Trust me, if you lived in Waynesville, Missouri in a furnished one bedroom apartment with one window and turquoise carpet, you’d block it out too.

We also lived in Maryland for 18 months, where the leaves change, but Caroline was a toddler during that time frame, and again, I blocked it all out.  I’m not sure what’s worse:  living in a furnished one bedroom apartment with one window and turquoise carpet in Waynesville, Missouri or raising a spirited toddler in a small townhouse in Fort Meade, Maryland.  Judging by the fact that I chose to not have a second child, you can probably wager a guess as to what I think is worse.

To make a long story short,  Virginia is where I fell in love with fall.  It’s where I took the time to admire the beauty of changing leaves and how barren trees in January produce beautiful new buds in April.   Today on my way home, I was awe struck by the beautiful, tree covered rolling hills in our area.  Sometimes when you’re busy or distracted, you don’t notice these things, but today, I couldn’t take my eyes off of what I saw before me.   I wish I had my camera with me,  but I didn’t, so instead, I took a few pictures when I got home.  Knowing that this will be my last autumn in a non-tropical climate for quite some time, I want to really take the time to enjoy nature in action.

What struck me today was the graduation of color on the trees.

And how this one is changing, one clump section at a time.

It may be dorky that I get all giddy about leaves, but I can’t help it.

Dorky is what I do best!