A Day in Autumn

It's still a little too warm to plant mums, the trees are ever so slowly showing signs of their impending gloom. They don't sound dry and wispy as the wind rustles through them. Yet. I imagine it will happen suddenly, from the speckled glossy leaves to starkly bare trees. But it is Fall all the same, that's what the calendar says. This definitely means it is okay to buy too many apples and those bumpy warted gourds. The gourds sit on the kitchen island until I have a whim and put them where they should go. But truthfully do they look good anywhere? I like pumpkins piled on hay bales out front but the gourds always get lost in the mix.

I felt foolish today (moreso than usual) as I ran errands in Ken's rusty old truck and was so proud of myself pulling up to the barn to unload grain bags that I forgot to close the pasture gate. The horse who is much smarter than I ever thought, had a spectacular afternoon walking down our road and picked the loveliest home to gallopy trot through. When I found him a whole two hours after I had finished my chores and come in the house he was standing in the middle of a beautiful vegetable garden. A garden that I am certain was labored in the hot sun for months to finally be reaping a harvest..and I am most certain the harvest was not meant for my horse, though he seemed very guiltless as he saw me approaching. My children were walking down the road from the bus at this point and didn't realize the crazy woman with the polka dotted boots who was trying her best to lead a horse with an upside down halter on was indeed their mother. But being good kiddies they saved the day. I suppose I am not as mad at the horse as one would think, I hugged him tight when we got home which he like most men took a few seconds to relax enough to enjoy. I was so happy to have him home and push all those pretend conversations from my head of telling my husband how I lost the horse ( I could even hear him telling all the folks at work while they all laughed in unison). I will most certainly never ever forget to close the gate again. I hope.