Harvest Home
The maples flare among the spruces,
The bursting foxgrape spills its juices,
The gentians lift their sapphire fringes,
On roadways rich with golden tinges,
The waddling woodchucks fill their hampers,
The deer mouse runs, the chipmunk scampers,
The squirrels scurry, never stopping,
For all they hear is apples dropping
And walnuts plumping fast and faster;
The bee weighs down the purple aster-
Yes, hive your honey, little hummer,
The woods are waving, "Farewell, Summer."
Arthur Guiterman
(Symphyotricum/Aster Novae Anglia 'Hella Lacey').
October is the month of autumn leaf color, warm days, cool nights, and usually the Chicago area's first frost. There's still plenty of floral color in the garden as well, but the end is in sight. At least there are toasted pumpkin seeds and hot mulled cider to cheer me up.
On a slight tangent, I must note that the moon is a lovely shade of cerulean and the Devil's starting to shiver*: there will be post-season baseball on both the North and South sides of Chicago! Go Sox! Go Cubbies!
To read more October Muse Day posts, visit Carolyn Gail at Sweet Home & Garden Chicago. *It's only been 102 years since this has happened, and more than one person, myself included, has sworn that the Cubs will face the White Sox in the World Series when Hell freezes over.