Strength

Today is the day of my High School reunion. Beth and Bubba (of Beth and Bubba fame) are in town and I suck up their attention like zinnia suck up the dew. My poor spaz dog felt neglected last night, as I was out on the town, but the kindly stepfather kindly kept him company...

There is cold frost on the grass every morning now, and the grass grows longer, as it is the end of the season. The water in the pool is tinged with green; leaves drift lazily on the water and it has a memory of the scent of the pond. The lavender was harvested and has regrown enough to be harvested again. The lavender plant itself has short, spiky leaves, like fir tree needles, on it's limbs, and it turns silver in the frost. It is, indeed, an evergreen, and keeps it's needles all winter. It is the best greeting for the winter that I know of.

It's a cool morning and there are just enough clouds to embellish the blue of the sky. We are not in full fall colors yet, but the leaves are thinking about it, and the trees sigh. There is a stillness to this morning that I love. The deck around the pool seems like the beach at the end of the year, when most people go home. The water is left, and the wind, and the chairs sit with the imprint of the cats' bottoms on the cushions. Faded towels hang stiffly over the rails and the inflatable toys and floats are faded with the sun and water and rain. 

This time of day is usually tranquil, and it is reflected by the changing leaves and the still bright colors of the zinnia on the dark gray of the paving stones.

Moss accumulates everywhere...