September Grass

This past summer my lawn got toasted. It was bleached white and it crackled under your feet when you walked on it. It killed me to look at it because I spend so much time and effort on the yard, but I had faith that it would return, and it has. A little rain combined with the cool days and cooler nights of September have returned it to its glory. There are still a few ugly spots in the front and out by the pool, spots where the sun is especially intense and the soil is still cracked and dry, but the back yard is perfect. It gets shaded by the house until midday, and it’s a thick, lush swath of emerald green.

Last night before supper I edged it, and this morning I mowed, cutting a nice pattern of stripes into the lawn. When I was done, I sat down on the patio and just drank in its beauty. Nature is an amazing and prolific multimedia artist. The colors, the smells, the sensory input of the gentle breeze carrying just a hint of the rain to come, all combined to create a living, breathing, 3D panorama that was both intensely beautiful and supremely serene. Great artists have captured its beauty, but nothing compares to the real thing. No man’s palette contains enough colors to match what’s in nature’s paint box.

I was hypnotized by the beauty of the moment, and it stirred a myriad of images in my mind. Images of the sunny but cool days of fall, the turning of the leaves and their vibrant colors, the trips to orchards and fairs, and the long lazy afternoons hanging at the local fields watching the grandson play football, thoughts made all the sweeter by the knowledge of the coming winter. I had to pull myself away as I had things to do, but the buzz of the moment stayed with me for quite a while, and that was a good thing.

Be sure to take some time out to soak up some of the sights and sounds of the fall season. Ogle its beauty, peep at its leaves, carve its pumpkins, whatever floats your boat, just be sure to do it.