The leaves adorning the backyard trees are subtly changing colors as mom nature readies for her winter rest. Just being outside and allowing her to be my guide is about as sweet a feeling as I can have. The air is mild and mostly still, with small puppy breaths of breezes. We haven't been blessed with our first seasonal frost which--when it comes--will place the final touches on a year of our lives. Make the best of your lives, my friends; we have but one opportunity to live each second to its colorful fullest.
Possum grapes and persimmons await a kiss of frost to complete their annual cycle. Small birds and other critters such as opossums will make the best of the bountiful fruit as they prepare their bodies to exist on the poor fare of winter wilds. Two other critters--my grandmother and me--used to pick the small wild grapes which grew in the trees along the dusty roadside. It took a lot of the delicacies to make a very few pints of jelly, but the resulting taste was incredible. I was not yet in school, and had the days free to tag along with her or my uncles on their various jaunts through the surrounding woods and fields, and collecting the grapes was the highlight of autumn for me. I will give you fair warning concerning the persimmons; make very sure they are completely ripe before you eat them. If you are more than a quarter-mile away from home when the unripe fruit hits your stomach, you will likely not make it to the toilet no matter how fast your Michael Johnson legs will carry you. You can only hope your friends and neighbors do not see you in such distress.
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The photo was made in my back yard early this afternoon.
2 comments:
Blogger is acting very strange today.
Ahyhow, I have never had persimmons. I will heed your advice.
Nice backyard shot. The sky looks nice and crisp.
Thanks, Mark.
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