The Blu Print: All the Leaves are Brown and the Sky is Gray

Well, not exactly, but this is one of my favorite songs, so I will sing it the rest of the day. The cottonwood leaves have yellowed and are starting to swirl down the fading stream on their way to the river. A few brisk, biting winds have tossed the branches of the aspens around, but they have not yet relinquished their bounty on to the pond. Soon, though. Soon.

Leaves are a transient living in my yard. They came in the spring with bright greens and yellows. They sheltered the robin and her nest, they littered the ground with the passing wild summer winds and they stuck in the velcro hair that is Blu. They curled around the edges of the water and made little boats for passing bugs. They confused the ducks who assumed they were a cornucopia of crackers. They bobbed and weaved about on the miniature white caps that a strong spring storm conjured up.

They clogged the drains and played hide and seek under the truck. They cluttered the porch and hid in the corners of the cabin foundation. The leaves were a living part of daily life no matter what the season. Now, they appear to be packing their leaf bags and heading to wherever leaves go to in the winter. Perhaps, they fly south with the Sandhill cranes. They may hitch a ride with the honking masses of geese that appear overhead. I appear to be in their flight path.

Saying goodbye to summer is not a task that I despise. As an autumn girl, I welcome flying leaves, cranky geese and a buck or two rummaging in the nearly complete harvest of corn. I listen for winter, and I sniff the air for those biting spices of dying leaves.

Leaves are a wondrous creation. They are alive with fire in the fall as they explode with the last living light that is within them. They quietly give up the limb at night when you are sleeping. One day, you come home, and they have left without a trace.

This is the season for leaves. Leaves are proudly displayed in art and design since the minute that someone picked up a stick and drew something on a rock. Leaves are life, and they are rebirth. They represent the passing of time. They are resplendent in these pieces of art that have been created by the Jewelry Creators Unite in Numbers guild.