Dear Reader:

I took this photo last fall and came upon it again while searching back through my posts for another picture. The sun’s rays that day formed a rainbow prism falling on a red Japanese Maple growing in among a small forest of trees.

Just remembering the beauty of it makes me want to hurry up fall this year…many others agree as that seems to be the most popular greeting during these last hot, tired dog days of summer.

“Do you think fall will ever get here? or “I am so tired of heat and humidity…where’s fall?” or “I am so ready for a change…a cooler change!”

As I have come across some whimsical pictures/drawings of fall I have found myself wanting to jump into the painting and live out fall from inside out. Just a short stay…until our own fall arrives. Come with me on this fun, imaginary journey.

*We have to do some time travel for this one…but the beautiful simplicity of it is what drew me in…I can almost smell the burning fall leaves and hear the delighted squeals of the children playing in the leaves… while supposedly “helping” gather them in the wagon for the bonfire. I love the old farmhouse architecture and the proximity of the local church…a serene scene…so different from today’s times.

The school teacher in me loves this painting as fall signifies a return to school, learning, and reading…a favorite passion that started back in my own childhood. I love Meg Ryan’s line in the movie “You’ve got Mail”…( She portrays an owner of a small book store in NYC)

“When you read a book as a child, it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.”

In the same movie Tom Hanks utters one of the most popular fall sayings to date as he emails Meg Ryan’s character and confesses:

“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your real name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms.”

The child in me would love to jump on this slide and come down among the fallen autumn leaves…bet the leaves make it go even faster!

Artist: (Pakse)

This is a Becky Dingle kind of painting… magical whimsy at it’s best! It is mysterious with an orange “fog” background…a lantern (you know I love lanterns) with little fairies flying around the light and silky pumpkins waiting expectantly among the diversity of multi-colored ferns. I would climb up in that tree with a book and spend endless happy hours in my own reality.

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I’m back in front of my computer still typing away…safe and sound. And I am happy to be back…heat, humidity and all. I got enough of an imaginary taste of fall to tide me over for a few more weeks. If it comes too soon…it departs too fast. I’ll wait!

So until tomorrow…

…“That old September feeling… of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air…. Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year’s mistakes and failures had been wiped clean by summer.” ~Wallace Stegner

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Shout-out: Happy Birthday to my beloved Aunt Eva and my two cousins, Charles and Marilyn. Cousins…*I hope you both have a fantastic birthday today! Thinking of you and loving you.

*If fall had arrived with trees letting go of its prized treasure of colorful leaves…I would send you, cousins, a nice surcie like this…who knows …maybe one day!