Walking Iten's Acres: October Musings October 12, 2014

Mid-October and the morning walk is chilly--but invigorating.  Lots of beauty still around--phlox everywhere, fall crocus--white, pink, yellow starting to bloom; no lilac yet.  New England aster is pretending that it's Ohio aster--as always.  Heath aster is ubiquitous as well.  The hardy cyclamen and monk's hood are always mid-October beauties--pink and blue wonders.  As the leaves fall, the berries on the dogwood and hawthorn become evident, as well as the crab apples.  Some trees have lost their leaves, the maples are just about in prime time--the ancient red maple at the bend in the driveway is the star. Burning bushes are on fire. Dogwoods are turning. Here and there are scattered late bloomers of other denizens of The Acres--Rose of Sharon, hibiscus, sneezeweed, morning glory, sunflowers--even a banana yellow day lily. The annuals in the container gardens are doing well--especially the dianthus, snapdragon, zinnia, begonia, and geranium.  Some pots in the trees--I suppose since they are more sheltered--are still overflowing with impatiens. Flowering beauty is still present, autumn beauty is coming to the trees, winter beauty can not be far behind. Yes, winter can be beautiful--stark at times, exquisite in the white and black contrasts of snowfall, myriad shades of green on the conifers. I know, it's cold too.
I need, at least, three more good weekends to get everything accomplished that I want to:  two more pot bunker beds, re-do Bed 5, mulch, dig up the gladiolas. (I could really use a couple of weeks off school, but I admit--I would miss the kids too much. Whatever you do, don't tell them. I'll hide it in parentheses.)  Life will never give you all the time you think you need.  Anyway, I hope I can get those things completed before the cold of winter arrives. They are predicting, as I'm sure you know, another frigid winter. Fortunately, The Acres have shown this blooming season that they are a match for whatever comes its way. And, of course, the path to the glories of spring, summer, and fall always pass through winter. The winters in our lives only make the times of beauty more breathtaking, do they not? They make the beauty more resplendent.