color will blind you, a day well spent

It is so pretty here right now! Mushroom  dots in the green grass- bright leaves, crisp and hanging on for dear life. The next wind will see to it that they land on the floor.  The thrill- gone!

Kim and I went to Emily's today to take care of Emmett. A splendid time to be sure. He is potty trained and talking, like a grown man. Delightful child. Beautiful boy. 

We went for a walk  to the coffee shop for juice and a bagel. On the way I couldn't stop taking photos and squealing, about the colors - so intense!

Tiny crab apples, the birds don't eat them, the bugs stay away, they are useless  but are very cute. I guess that is some sort of purpose. They could be strung and dried for a natural Christmas tree decoration I suppose. Might try that. 

Flora's pumpkin is huge now.  Growing  until it is the size of a carriage. 

 These are the legit colors, can your eyes even make sense out of them?

Not sure what this plant is- I google -lensed it but came up with too many false ideas. The berries are flat (?)    the leaves are insane!

We walked, we talked, We compared first jobs stories and laughed so much - wished we had worn more substantial underpants. Kim's first job when she was maybe fourteen or so, was selling carnations at the side of the road. She remembers being picked up by some people , taken out to a desert road , left with  a bucketful  of carnations to sell .  Stood for hours ,  no traffic , no people , just desert. . She abandoned the bucket ,called a friend to come and get her, got home before dark and her parents never knew.  

What you ,as a parent, do not know is probably a blessing.What you do know is worrying enough!

One of Emily's neighbors has a front garden absolutely brimming with Japanese lanterns.

They are wonderful are they not? Every stage of their lives is surreal. I have tried to grow them with zero success. It takes three years for them to actually become  lantern pods. I am jealous of this woman's successful garden.  

Their color is vibrant- more vermilion than orange.  She also grew  Honesty plants, and crimson love-lies bleeding. Most of which had been harvested and hung to dry. 

Autumn was my mother's favorite season. Wyoming did not offer much as there were no trees or bright gardens. My parents decided that they wanted to drive to Maine to see REAL autumn. I was just starting my last year in high school, my brother was away at college. My mother had some elderly woman come in and check up on me ,  I was  on my own. Always independent I didn't mind  the empty house. I could eat as many hot dogs  that  I could find in the freezer.  Cake and coffee before school. Pretty great!

Then something came up at school and I had to have a formal gown. I went to the dress shop in town -got  a really great dress. My mother had credit with the shop  so it was  her dime.  Dress,- check ,shoes, check-  gloves check - all ready for  the school assembly - "Outlaw Day", the crowing of the Outlaw queen.  ( dear lord!)   

My parents, bless them, high tailed back  across country , got home in time to be in the audience at the assembly  to see their homely, bratty  child get a splendid, if iffy,  tin crown and title  of Queen of The Outlaws.  Hilarious  now ,  of course- back then it seemed special. Anyway , I got a pretty nice dress out of the deal . And every autumn I think of my mother and the drive across country  to see color and busting their buns to get back to see  that  fabulous dress. It served me well through the rest of High school and three years of university. Then either it fell apart or I ate too many hot dogs , to much  cake. 

 

I just received photos from Keeka-  climbimg into a massive cave in Borneo,  she is loving that part of the world . The monkeys are naughty! They steal everything not tied down, aggressive and quick and bitey.

She wants to be "Crazy rich Asian". 

Have a lovely autumn day, I hope you have a tree to look at!