What season is it where you are?
Is it the start of fall?

Whenever I think of the start of autumn I think of this poem by Emily Dickinson.

The morns are meeker than they were –
BY EMILY DICKINSON

The morns are meeker than they were –
The nuts are getting brown –
The berry’s cheek is plumper –
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf –
The field a scarlet gown –
Lest I sh’d be old-fashioned
I’ll put a trinket on.

Maybe it seems difficult to understand, but we can talk about that.

It is the beginning of autumn. So the days are shorter. The mornings are “meeker”.

“Meek” means quiet and respectful.

So she is writing that the sun comes up later and the days are shorter.

It is fall, so the nuts and berries are almost ready for eating.

Roses bloom in spring and summer. It is fall now, so there are no roses.

But the leaves of the maple trees are changing colour and other trees and plants already have red leaves.

So Emily Dickinson thinks that she must be smarter or more colourful.

So she says she will put a trinket (accessory) on. This might be a brooch or a necklace.
Poems like this are fun to read aloud. Why don’t you try it?

How often do you stroll around your neighbourhood or town? I rarely do. I tend to drive these days, although I’ve been making an effort to walk more lately. It’s the perfect season for doing so. On Sunday afternoon, I went to a small celebration. I drank champagne at the party, so of course, I left the car at home.

It was a nice day, so instead of getting a taxi, I walked there and back. It took around an hour each way. I stopped at a few places on the way and took pictures. It’s surprising how little we notice when we drive everywhere. I found lots of nice corners I had never noticed before. Corners like this – autumn leaves in spring!

 

      And this – spring green

 

  And these carps flying in the breeze

 

 

The wind socks in the photo are called “koinobori” and they are displayed to celebrate Children’s Day. Children’s Day is 5th May, but there were still some carp flying in the wind on Sunday! For more information about Children’s Day, see here, and for more information on koinobori, see here! And here is a shot of the wide spring sky and a traditional house.

 

  And a nice shot of the river.