Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Pre-winter


The forest around me is preparing for winter.  The life of the forest and the surrounding landscape is sinking into the ground, safe below the surface, to hibernate there until spring. What’s seen above the ground is almost uniformly brown, with the shades varying from pale beige to the deepest color of espresso.

The dying of summer’s greenery puts the land in sharper relief.  What was hidden by a shield of foliage is visible again.  Only the skeletons of summer remain.  The earth seems to be taking a breath or perhaps holdings its breath.  Pre-winter is quiet, a respite between the glory of autumn and the stresses of winter.

I like this time of year, this pre-winter of November, when I can actually feel the landscape slow down and prepare for slumber.  Nothing is hidden during this time—not by snow or leaves. Everything stands in stark relief.  Even the rolling of the hills stands out more.  It’s a pretty time of year, I think, though not showy like October (well, most Octobers).

8 comments:

Pablo said...

The corn field looks familiar. You'd see the same thing in the Missouri Ozarks right now.

Jacqueline Donnelly said...

Even though I seldom stop to comment, I do love moving through the seasons with you, feeling very much in tune with your reflections. Yes, this time of year has its own beauty and meaning, and you have expressed it so well.

Scott said...

Carolyn: I love your image; it is completely evocative of November for me. If I showed Kali that image, she would shiver and despair of living here in Pennsylvania; she's a summer kind of person.

Terry and Linda said...

Our corn is looking the same..and our ground is the same color.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Carolyn H said...

Jackie: Thanks! I love the change of seasons. I don't think I'd do well in one of those places where the weather rarely seems to vary.

Carolyn H said...

Pablo: Farms all have their corn and other crops in right now, I expect.

Carolyn H said...

Scott: I'm not a summer person, though it seems most people are. I might even say that November is perhaps my favorite month, though October is close. And a good, snowy January suits me pretty well, too.

Carolyn H said...

Linda, Harvest is over pretty much everywhere, I'd guess.