Fall, a time of Joy

 Fall, to me, is a time of joy mixed with a tinge of sadness. I think the sadness comes because of the passage of time. To me that is important for I am on the downhill slide of life and I guess I want to hang onto it for as long as I can.

But...that time of joy. The heat dissipating, the changing colors, things and people in a flurry preparing for a winter which lies ahead. That all is a cause of joy. And, the birds that fly overhead in search of a warmer winter, the butterflies that take a long sip of nectar from flowers now in their passing days. It seems to be a time of preparation and also a time for reflection. I gather my 'nuggets' and store them away. those nuts of happy memories so that I might drag them out and live them again on a cold snowy day. 

Each day is filled with new discoveries and yesterday I witnessed something I had not seen on my balcony before. A Cloudless Sulphur butterfly happily sipping nectar from the last of the lantana blossoms. I got so close and watched it in awe. That memory was one of those nuggets that I definitely will pull out when I am wrapped in a warm blanket watching the winter encase us all.