October 10, 2011

To autumn...

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, 


   Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;


Conspiring with him how to load and bless


   With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;


To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,


   And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;


       To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells


   With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,


And still more, later flowers for the bees,


Until they think warm days will never cease,


       For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

~John Keats

(I missed Garden Blogger's Muse Day on Oct. 1, but this Keats poem describes the season so well. I'm not too late to join Dave's Fall Color Project meme. Check it out, and keep track of the beautiful color changes from north to south in the Northern Hemisphere. Thanks, Dave! All photos in this post were taken in southwestern Wisconsin or southeastern Minnesota near the Mississippi River.)

13 comments:

  1. I knew the area looked familiar!!!! I love that part of Wisconsin. You are so lucky to have enjoyed that drive!!! Was it around the LaCrosse area? Happy Fall!

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  2. I really enjoyed this post - the poem and the pictures worked together to invoke that dreamy, mellow feeling that warm autumn days can bring.

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  3. Beth what a lovely tribute. Too bad I missed this meme but maybe next year. Your post inspired me out to our local Nature Center to drink up the loveliness of fall...

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  4. @Chris: You're familiar with it?! Yes, it's beautiful. Happy fall to you, too!

    @Lyn: Thanks! Yes, we've had warm, summer weather for days on end, which is unusual for mid-October. Loving it!

    @Donna: You didn't miss it! I think it goes on until the end of autumn. Glad you had a nice visit to the nature center!

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  5. What gorgeous pictures! All so beautiful.

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  6. I really enjoyed the poem and the accompanying photos. Autumn is a wonderful time of year. Great weather for a drive.

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  7. So very "autumn-y' ... love it!

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  8. Your autumn is lovely indeed! Your photos brought me into that autumn state of mind. We are having cooler weather, and some of the leaves are changing. I look forward to that color blast that I hope comes in a week or so.

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  9. So pretty!
    Love the photos with the poem. Fall is a great time to get out with a camera.

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  10. So many lovely colours creating a natural tapestry. I must admit that I am slightly envious, almost no signs of Autumn here at all as yet.

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  11. @Catharine: Thanks for you enthusiasm!

    @Holley: Thank you--it's been fun taking several fall drives throughout the state.

    @Donna: Thanks! Yes, it's been especially nice this year with the fall color and the summer temperatures!

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  12. @Joey: Thanks, I think maybe I'm overdoing it. But soon all I'll have to blog about will be white stuff.

    @Sage: Thank you! I can't wait to read your autumn posts.

    @Julie: I'm so glad the temperatures have been so nice--it makes the photography more pleasant.

    @Janet: I've learned so much about regional seasonal shifts from comparing notes with bloggers in different parts of the world. I think I have a better handle on Europe's weather patterns now. Thanks! :)

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