In the slanted light
Feathery grasses and fiery foliage: get ready for the autumn show.
Yorktown, November 2008
All the feathery grasses shine in the slanted light. It’s time to bring in the lawn chairs
and wind chimes, time to draw the drapes against the wind, time to hunker
down. Summer’s fruits are preserved in syrup, but nothing can stopper time.
— from the poem “And Now it’s October” by Barbara Crooker
Just when we were wondering whether our relief at the cool weather was greater than our disappointment at how fast the summer flew by, the brilliance of October arrives to remind us that the passage of time is a magnificent spectacle.
Our years are a long-running pageant of laughter, trouble, love, sorrow, joy, sighs and grief. How appropriate that the waning of the year brings such a combination of emotions, sights, scents and sounds. Nature provides a vivid demonstration of the gifts inherent in approaching death, as even the dried grasses, fallen leaves and faded flowers enrich the soil of new growth in the spring.
Nothing can stopper time, but its sweet fruits are preserved, etched into memories that we will savor through the cold months ahead. Light a candle, put the kettle on and rejoice in the wealth of being right where you are, right now.
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
Defeat Despair 
Good morning Julia. What a favorite post to read in the early hour of this Fall day! The original was at a difficult time for your family and many days of “slanted light” have passed since then. Thank you for the many, many posts that I’ve enjoyed over the years and the Verandah visits, even if they require a warm throw🍁🧡☕️
Hi Sheila– we haven’t needed that warm throw much lately, but the leaves have almost all fallen now and I just know the cold weather will not be long in arriving. However, I have basked in the golden sunshine (literally and figuratively) and enjoyed every 70-degree day! I just love the gloriously long springtimes and autumns in this region! Sending fond thoughts your way!
Ah Julia, Loved the poem and the thoughts on getting older. We put some of our lawn furniture away just the other day.CW is having cancer surgery on his left hand Oct 21st. Life should be interesting as he has lost the use of his right arm due to needing shoulder replacement surgery.Blessings, Janet
Hi Janet, sorry I take so long to get to the comments lately. I hope C. W.’s hand surgery went well. It’s always a joy to hear from you! ❤
“Nothing can stopper time, but its sweet fruits are preserved, etched into memories that we will savor through the cold months ahead.” This fits our day today perfectly because hubby and I canned 17 quarts of applesauce today and will do another 10 tomorrow. Each time we open one in the coming months, we’ll be reminded of the beautiful autumn day today.
To us, homemade applesauce tastes much better than any of the jars we’ve had from grocery stores. Do you like to make applesauce or do any other kind of canning or jarring?
Judy, when I was a newlywed I had ambitions of canning (even bought a Farm Journal book with detailed instructions for how to do it) but freezing was always easier and since I was working, at times, two jobs– followed by babies and motherhood– I never managed to make time for it. During recovery from the two (so far) facial surgeries that resulted from my accident, I learned to love applesauce all over again, as I was on a strictly soft foods diet for 6 weeks each time, that stretched into more like 8 or 10. I bought organic– so happy it’s widely available now– and stirred protein powders and lots of cinnamon into it. I still keep it on hand and I’m sure I’ll rely on it after my next surgery, tentatively planned for March or thereabouts. But I’m sure my store-bought version does not hold a candle to yours! I enjoyed reading about your efforts. It’s a quintessentially autumnal theme.