by Lisa Kates

Created on: September 14, 2009   Last Updated: March 28, 2011

Vibrant landscapes fade subtly as summer transforms into fall. Green leaves spin into gold on bushes and trees as cooler weather foreshadows the beginning of a new season. Flowers lose their passionate colours as petals droop and nod, ready to sleep until the following year. The sharp edges of summer blur with the approaching mysteries of fall.

September mornings are dewy and stepping outside to get the daily newspaper delivers a breath of chilly air and the sunlight is hazy, not as anxious to move its blazing rays high in the sky. The warmth comes a bit later in the morning and leaves us earlier in the day but within a few weeks the heat from the sun will be so diminished that we will not feel any of it at all.

A clear evening fall sky offers up magnificent star constellations. The crisp edges of the big dipper or the dusty paths of the milky way are luminescent in the darkening night. A full moon beams down onto houses whose lights are turned off earlier because children and adults have returned to fall schedules.

The crickets have gone to sleep and the birds are still and quiet, not wishing to make the same summer evening ruckus. Canadian geese are getting ready to form their "v" flight formations as they head south, not wanting to endure a long cold season. However,as long as they remain, their colorful beaks and delightful honking fit in perfectly amongst the changing leaves and cooling days.

The farmer's markets herald the transformation of seasons as big bushels of pumpkins and gourds replace lettuces and tomatoes. The berries of summer are replaced with crunchy red apples and ripe juicy pears. Turnips, squash and potatoes are dug from well-tended gardens and are sold in wooden baskets. Local cloverleaf or lavender honey is displayed on tables alongside freshly baked pies and breads. Thanksgiving turkeys will soon be be on their way, to be sweetened with fall's cranberry harvest.

The transformation of nature is fascinating and inspirational. Hiking through a forest of crunchy fallen leaves or cycling along a country road staring in awe at huge groves of red and ochre is a spiritual tradition. No matter how hard we try to capture the beauty of fall through photographs or paintings nothing can rival being outside on a fall day , drinking hot apple cider while wandering through small town fairs. Only nature knows how to make our hearts skip a beat as summer fades into fall.

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