Corona Chronicles: October 2, 2021

Corona Chronicles XXXIX

September 2021

Tycelia Santoro

Fall Smiles
Brenda E. Smith

Hands down, fall is my favorite season of the year. It has always been the time of year that I feel most alive. It is a time of myriad changes. Kids head back to school wearing new outfits a size or two larger than the ones they outgrew over the summer. Hummingbirds that slurped nectar from my orange nasturtiums are well on their journey to warmer climes. The air that was so swelteringly oppressive and heavy to breathe now smells of crisp and refreshing breezes. The sun goes to bed earlier and the darkness of night like an over anxious guest arrives too early. Beachy tank tops are replaced by plaid flannel shirts, gardens that produced colossal quantities of zucchini and tomatoes dwindle and dry up.

The trees outside my window are impatient as they begin to feel the change too. They start to don their costumes for the annual spectacle they enact each October free of charge for all to behold. Their theatre pays homage to nature’s surrounding beauty. Some dress in robes of red to honor the crimson sunrises that signal the start of each new day. Others layer in shades of orange that match the plentiful ripe rose hips on the bushes nearby. There is the gorgeous warm deep yellow of abundant goldenrod that rustles in the wind filling us with a sense of gratitude for this season. My favorite wardrobe color is the blend of gentle pink and peach intermingled on the same leaf. It echoes the harvest moon’s reflection on the rippled surface of the ocean as twilight leads the way into darkness.

I feel a sense of great anticipation as the trees groom to play their parts. Each day more colors burst alive. Each tree on its own is quite splendid, but when all the actors join together on the stage the sight is gloriously breathtaking. Finally, I stand mesmerized and try to record the brilliance of this performance in the picture book of my mind. Nothing is as perfect as the original masterpiece itself. As the final act plays out, the actors bow to their loyal spectators. With each bow hundreds of leaves shake free and float to the earth below. Their purpose has been served. A few tenacious stragglers cling to their branches loath to accept their fate. But the fall breezes urge them trembling into one last dance – then snatches them to drift, helpless. Bare naked the trees await the freeze and cold bleariness of winter.

I think that Mother Nature offers us a valuable lesson about life. In the cycle of our own lives, we are born in the spring, small vulnerable sprouts that grow, learn and begin to form into the person we will be. In our summer, we are productive and work hard to succeed at jobs, raise families and make an impact on our communities. Our fall is the time for celebrating our accomplishments. We try to check off a few more of our bucket list items as we prepare for our last dance. In our winter, each day becomes a challenge, our bodies and minds wither, and we wait exposed for death to take us. We depart, knowing that in nature’s cycle, Mother has given us the promise of rebirth in the spring.

It is fall now. I’ve passed through spring and summer. The trees are starting their grand celebration and I want to celebrate with them. I‘m not quite ready to think about winter yet. I want to spend my time doing the things I love with people I love. I want to write about the amazing life I’ve had and learn new things I’ve always dreamed of learning. I want to see places I’ve never seen and meet people who are different than me. If this is my last hurrah, I want to celebrate until I’m utterly worn out. Then the winter gale can snatch me, but I’ll have a smile on my face as I’m lifted aloft.

Photos by Audrey Deveney

Talk on Irish Stained Glass
David Caron

October 13th 2:00 p.m. EST
Please join me for a fascinating discussion

“In this illustrated talk David Caron will shed light on Ireland’s celebrated stained glass, from the foundation of An Túr Gloine (The Glass Tower) studio in the early 20th century to contemporary artists working in the medium today. David’s talk will give an insight into the preparation of the new edition of the Gazetteer of Irish Stained Glass (Irish Academic Press, June 2021). This publication is a significantly updated and expanded edition of the original 1988 gazetteer.”

https://stained-glass-museum.arttickets.org.uk/stained-glass-museum/2021-10-13-irish-stained-glass-from-an-tur-gloine-to-the-present-day

Deirdre Good

Thoughts for the Day

Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
~RUTH BADER GINSBURG

What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.
~C.S. LEWIS

Music…gives wings to the mind, a soul to the universe, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, a life to everything.
~PLATO

Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.
~GARY SNYDER

Courtesy of Gratefulness.org