The seasons

     It won’t be long now, and the blazing heat of summer will bow to the colors of autumn. The scents of the forests will change to a cleansing of dryness and tinder only to become a pile of a burning rainbow. The air will be filled with cut corn husks and winter wheat being gobbled up by the armies of farm machinery soon to be at rest in their giant barns. Pumpkins with haunting faces will set upon the steps and porches of all the houses with children. Bags full of treats will be devoured and give way to the anticipation of all to come. November brings a gray color like two colors competing for dominance only to sometimes be pounded with a blanket of white laying to rest all that dwelled above it.

     The sounds and smells and visions of the holidays can only be captured in the minds of children and those who never wanted to grow up. A glorious time of the year when people seem more courteous to each other when church pews are full and  to much food is made and shared among family and friends. Thousands of Christmas trees give their lives to adorn the homes of countless families and traditions are carried on with hopes they always will. Children try and sleep, dads cuss at toys that need assembling, and mom puts the finishing touches on the hanging stockings not forgetting to lay out a plate of cookies and a few carrots. The morning brings screams of joy and happiness as we sit and smile at the momentary pleasures we were able to provide. 

     The new year is brought in with the falling ball and kisses of hope that the new year will bring with it good health and prosperity to all we love and care for. That signals the end of the holidays and the beginning of the long road ahead where next Christmas is already being thought of, and secret funds are stashed in a coffee can to grow throughout the year. Spring finally comes after the frozen ground opens and a re-birth begins. The sights and sounds of rain pounding on the roof quenching the thirst of tiny buds and saplings soon to bloom in a multitude of colors only an artist could truly capture. Rivers flow once more, and the bounties it produces feeds the masses as it has been done for  centuries. The re-birth of the land is a re-birth of the human spirit.

     Summer arrives with its own brand of colors and sounds, firefly's in grassy meadows, welcome shade from a weeping willow tree and a warmth that covers our bodies that turn a shade of brown. Lazy Sundays by the lake and homemade potato salad and ice-cold lemonade are the perfect compliment to the hotdogs and burgers cooking on the grill. Summer passes much too quickly, but for those of us who welcome every season, we only think ahead to the wonders of autumn heading our way in a few short weeks. And so, the circle goes as we replace bikinis with sweatshirts and then arctic wear all the while thinking about the lake and the smell of the fall fair with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads. 

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