[….Spent….]

Fall can personify what I feel sometimes…that can be good or that can be a pretty melancholy thing.  I feel weary of several things right now, things that have gone on and on and seem to stubbornly persist beyond all prayer and reason.  Believe me when I say this isn’t something I say so I can get comments saying:  having done all stand or some such sentiment…I get that but I’m just expressing a battle weariness that comes to everyone at some point or another.  Going outside I find much of what I’m seeing tempered by the feelings I’m having.  Most things are on their last hurrah now as we enter deeper and deeper into the fall season .  Green is giving way to yellow in many trees now…here in our state there’s not much red or orange.  I find that the seeds in particular draw my attention today.  The pods are mostly fully open like that last picture or they have finished delivering their cargo now.  I’m amazed at how the rule of the bright little yellow flowers has now quickly passedand the cat tails are now showing signs of decay.  The next thing I see is the effects of the relentless sun and dry weather we have on the cat tails……some are even completely white!  If you are not able to appreciate gold tones, browns and yellows you would not like fall in Montana.  Fortunately I’ve grown to love it!  It strikes me through all of this that for new life there’s got to be death somewhere…these adult plants are giving their life that they might release their finely packed seeds…with or without my help they are completely focused on this task right now.  Once that internal time frame comes there’s an explosive action that ejects these seeds.  White is a very prevalent color right now as everything has the same plan to release seeds .  I’m shocked to see the thistles that so marvelously stood out with their purple blossoms now completely faded at this point.  The sun has an amazing tone right now that gives the old familiar sights a new interest point to me.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen these cat tails do this before…at least not so quickly in the season.  Looking at the stunted and mummified cockle bur type planet I felt pretty smug…at least I wouldn’t have to pull these darn things off my pants and socks before going back inside!  Speaking of which it was time to head back so with a glance or twobehind me I began to head back to the house…taking in the bright golden tinged sunlight.  Entering my yard I noticed one of the little seeds and was amazed that it had found it’s way there.  Yes, many things seem to be getting old, yes this is a season of transition but always life finds a way to triumph and I still find great encouragement in that!