Thursday, November 6, 2008

To linger just a bit longer (Part I)

Our glorious Indian summer ended Thursday. Harsh winds ripped the gold and scarlet leaves from the trees and left skeletons silhouetted against gray skies. A chill rain adds to the gloom.

I shouldn't complain, it could have been snow. For the next several days (or maybe weeks) I will be huddled inside wrapped in knitted sweaters and furry cats. I will watch the birds and read my friend's blogs and wait to see what winter brings.

But first I want to time travel back a few weeks and relive a bit of autumn's blazing color.

I am rich today with autumn's gold,
All that my covetous hands can hold;
Frost-painted leaves and goldenrod,
A goldfinch on a milkweed pod,
Huge golden pumpkins in the field
With heaps of corn from a bounteous yield,
Golden apples heavy on the trees
Rivaling those of Hesperides,
Golden rays of balmy sunshine spread
Over all like butter on warm bread;
And the harvest moon will this night unfold
The streams running full of molten gold.
Oh, who could find a dearth of bliss
With autumn glory such as this!
~ Gladys Harp



From my favorite poem by RobertFrost. I always picture his wood in autumn with fallen leaves mostly covering the paths.


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
and having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~ Robert Frost


Maybe, if we are very lucky, we will have another spell of good weather before winter sets in to stay. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! .

35 comments:

F Cameron said...

I love both poems. Quite meaningful.

It's going to be in the 80s here today! Then, we'll get rain and back to the 50s next week. We're enjoying the sunshine while it lasts.

Cameron

PS I wrote about gardening blogs today to encourge my non-blogging readers to come read other blogs.

BeadedTail said...

Lovely poems and picture. Great plan to snuggle in sweaters and kitties!

Gail said...

Marnie,

Beautiful imagery from you; I can feel the harsh winds and see the trees empty of the gold and reds! Keep toasty warm and have a good weekend.

Gail

Anonymous said...

Hi Marnie, two very wonderful poems, but Robert Frost's work moves me in a way no other poem ever has. Thanks for that. We are getting the front edge of the rain now and it will turn colder here too. Snuggling with kitties and woolies sounds perfect.

Frances

Connie said...

Beautiful photo...and the poems are lovely, as well. Our Indian summer has come to an end and the rains are settling in, sigh. What a wonderful fall it has been!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hey Cameron, thanks for the mention. I'm hoping to see some good weather yet. I have a couple days worth of work to do and would rather do it under sunny skies and mild breezes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Beadedtail, the very best lap warmers;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Gail, you keep warm too. Hope your have something fun to do this weekend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Frances, whenever I read:
"Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:"

I get teary. He was a remarkable poet.
Marnie

Balisha said...

Hi Marnie,
I love the Robert Frost poem.You have had such beautiful photos on your blog this fall. So glad that I started blogging....the seasons are even better than before.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Balisha, do you think you notice things more or maybe in a different way? I do, I notice much more when I have a camera in my hands.
Marnie

Dog_geek said...

I've always loved that Robert Frost poem, and your picture goes beautifully with it. We are still having unseasonably warm weather here. I could use some real autumn weather, rather than just going straight from summer to winter.

tina said...

Hi Marnie, I love the second poem. I always think of this poem and Ralph Waldo Emerson's when I think of life and walking through the woods. Beautiful golden pics. Are your allergies better now? Stay warm and safe. Have a great weekend.

flydragon said...

Lol, I need to get a couple of cats.

DP Nguyen said...

That's one of my favorite Robert Frost poems. It's lovely! And the photo goes perfectly with it.

Rambling Woods said...

My entire blog is based on the Frost poem. I really should put up the entire poem. I too need to take a look back as the last nice day was today...

Anonymous said...

How sad to think of the beautiful trees in your previous post being all bare. No way to avoid it, is there? We've had much the same, two days of unrelenting wind and it's stripped most all the foliage also. I need a lap cat, mine is not one. I'm hoping for a mild winter ~ wonder what the chances are? Have a great weekend Marnie!

joey said...

Delighted slipping into bed after a lovely visit ... stunning photos and interesting posts! Saying goodbye to autumn is indeed, bittersweet!

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Marnie,
Absolutely stunning photo! I wish we'd get some more sunny days soon before all the color is gone and blown away by the winds ... you've had exceptional luck capturing great fall color lately!

I had to turn the heat on the other night and I think it's going to stay on for the time being, unless we get another nice spell. We had a snow/rain combo most of the day and evening here today, but fortunately it's not accumulating anywhere but on the grass so far. We're not ready for that just yet! We still have to get the rest of our crocus and fritillaria bulbs planted ... but next week's forecast may be better toward the weekend with temps in the 50's. I hope so, because if we can just get a couple hours of decent weather, we can get the rest of them in the ground!

VP said...

Hi - thanks for stopping by over at my place yesterday, good to meet you ;)

I love your photographs and as a cat owner I'm always a sucker for someone else's!

I see we have a number of blogfriends in common too :)

Have a great weekend!

Rose said...

Lovely poems, Marnie, but "The Road Not Taken" is probably my favorite, too. What a beautiful image to illustrate it!
I agree, cats are good lap-warmers; I have a couple to get me through the winter:)

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Don't you just love how the leaves seem to make a huge golden puddle under the trees? I've taken so many photos this past week, but I wish I had taken more. Things reach their peak & then get blown so quickly. I've so enjoyed the weather this past week. Too bad it had to end.

Pat said...

Gloomy here also. My first week off in 7 months and it rained everyday. Funny you quoted Robert Frost my husband was just reciting some of his poetry to me. Lovely.

Rose said...

I had not read or heard of the first poem...I enjoyed it. And of course I like the Frost's poem.

Are you familiar with When The Frost is on the Punkin by James W. Riley; if not it is in my Sept 14, 2008 post.

And one of my other favorite fall poems is September by Helen Hunt Jackson--used in my blog on Sept 1 of this year.

Dave said...

That's a wonderful picture! Frost's poem was a good choice to match it. I agree with you that it has a very fall-like feel.

A Colorful World said...

I love the poetry of fall. Isn't it wonderful that we can all rejoice in such a glorious season! And especially get it on film! :-) But the poetry that celebrates it is so perfect and gives one a warm glow, like a fire in the grate.
Marie

Cosmo said...

Hi, Marnie--Wow, you could do a whole series of posts illustrating Frost poems--your shot of the woods was perfect! I hope you've had a warm and cat-cuddly weekend--does Aggie help, too?

walk2write said...

Thanks for sharing another golden moment from your world, Marnie. Lovely words to leave with us as winter approaches. The color here didn't last long enough, and I was too busy to enjoy it! Not fair.

Val said...

These poems are just beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

TC said...

I really enjoyed Indian summer here too. Some aren't as memorable as others.

Lovely post.

oldcrow61 said...

Lovely poetry. A beautiful picture as well. I wouldn't mind walking through there, wow!

Naturegirl said...

I certainly hope that Jack Frost will hold off for a bit! I am NOT ready..never will be!
I also reflect back to when the garden was filled with the energy of growing plants bugs and blooms..sigh..so now I observe life's quiet rhythms.

Cordwood Cabin said...

My favorite Robert Frost poem! (second is "Mending Fences"). A perfect choice for a great post ... we're keeping our fingers crossed that winter won't arrive just yet.

joey said...

Such a lovely photo featuring 2 perfect poems. Believe me, I know about Indian Summer blues ... we left in its midst last Mon and must have dragged the cold front home from Minneapolis. Spent Thurs night in Rockford, waking to a brisk change. This AM, now home, we woke to snow!

Kim said...

Lovely words, and a beautiful woodland picture :)

Kim x

Tara said...

both are gorgeous poems!

Mary said...

Lovely path and the color is wonderful!

sweetbay said...

I have been meaning to ask you this -- where is the wood pictured in this post? That is a fabulous photo.