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Winter Is Coming

A Thousand Words

Oct 18, 2024

Summer is over.

 Welcome to Fall

 

Traffic on the busy street comes to a halt.

 

The yellow school bus sat on the side of the road with its red lights flashing and stop sign extended from the side of its massive frame.  It sat waiting patiently for its precious cargo to climb on board.  Summer is over.  Children are back in school.  They have their supplies for the day, safely stowed away in their backpacks.  The younger children have colorful bags on their backs with superheroes and princesses adorning them.  Their bags are smaller and don’t look nearly as heavy as the ones the older kids are carrying.  The older kids have bags that are much more functional and much less colorful than their younger counterparts.  Their bags have keychains and lip balms dangling from them like bright treasures.

 

It's October in Michigan.

 

The days are getting shorter and cooler.  The sun has already started its “Here for a limited time only” schedule.  The lush green grass is starting to turn brown as the amount of warmth and sunlight it gets lessens with each passing day.  The leaves on the trees turn from green to dazzling shades of red, orange and yellow.  Truly a sight to behold.  As I look upon the breathtaking fall colors, I know what it means, “Winter is coming”.

 

Driving through the neighborhoods brings sights of ghosts, witches, pumpkins and a vast array of Halloween decorations on front lawns ranging from cute and fun to downright creepy.  On October 31st, it’s not unusual to see young zombies, pirates and witches happily running outside yelling “Trick or treat!” in their winter coats.

 

The cider mills are open.  At the cider mills you can get fresh homemade apple cider and donuts.  You can pick your own pumpkin in the pumpkin patch and hop on a trailer with hay bales for a fun hayride on a crisp fall day.

 

Fruit and vegetable markets are open as well.  They pop up not far off the road in various locations.  The summer bounty has been harvested and there is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for sale.  You can even get a bag of delicious, juicy apples recently picked from the carefully cultivated apple trees nearby.  Some of the markets even offer dried cornstalks and corn cobs for decorating.  There are also potted mums in stunning fall colors to brighten up any home.

 

Nearby are the fields.  Not long ago they were green and vibrant and full of fresh produce for harvest.  Now they are brown and barren.  They will stay that way until spring, when the seeds get planted and the cycle starts all over again.

 

As another day ends in my hometown, I look to the setting sun and think “Thanks for everything you gave us this summer.  See you next year.”

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