The Shepherdsville Times: In The Fall
...Most of our trees and shrubs drop their leaves by the end of November. The fall color is glorious, and the air smells of dry leaves with a hint of wood smoke. Gradually, starting in late September, the green begins to be edged with reds and yellows and oranges and browns. Each tree stands out separately from the background. Some lose leaves early and stand starkly limned amongst their neighbors...
Jerry Selby tells of a time of enchantment in rural Indiana.
For more of Jerry's seasonal words please click on The Shepherdsville Times in the menu on this page.
Up here in the north half of the globe, us English speaking folks call this Fall, or Autumn. Nicest time of the year, in my opinion. Of course here in Indiana we only get the occasional tail end of a hurricane, and early snowstorms are unusual.
Most of our trees and shrubs drop their leaves by the end of November. The fall color is glorious, and the air smells of dry leaves with a hint of wood smoke. Gradually, starting in late September, the green begins to be edged with reds and yellows and oranges and browns. Each tree stands out separately from the background. Some lose leaves early and stand starkly limned amongst their neighbors.
This is the time for hiking and camping and gathering nuts. Shirtsleeve weather, with maybe a sweater at dawn and dusk. A time for bonfires and wiener roasts and marshmallows toasted on long sticks. It's a time for drift fishing down a lazy stream. A time for canoeing, and canoe camping, when the woods are at their best and it seldom rains.
When we were younger, with small kids at home, we owned a pop-up camper trailer and station wagon. We spent many happy weekends at State Park campgrounds, hiking and leaf collecting and tracking small animals. Returning to cook over an open fire, competing to see who could come up with the fanciest meal.
Grandma prefers to sleep where they have indoor plumbing now, but our children and grandchildren are continuing the camping tradition.
Over the years I have planted several hundred trees and shrubs on our 2.7 acres. That means plenty of leaves, which need to be dealt with if you want a lawn to grow. The first few years, we spent much of our free time raking and burning leaves. But as time goes by, young and strong begins to change to old and crafty.
Our place faces west. In the fall our prevailing winds all are from the west or northwest. The last great leaf fall usually occurs in late November, after a rain. Ordinarily, a few days later there will be a brisk west wind. Which picks up most of the leaves and deposits them in the fencerow at the east of our property.
After the Celestial Leaf Blower has performed its annual chore, I get out my riding mower and mow my lawn for the last time before winter. By judiciously altering my mowing patterns, I can blow most of the chopped-up leaves into my perennial beds, where they serve admirably as mulch.
We are not farmers, but we are country people, so we understand our farmer neighbors. In November most of them are just finishing the harvest season. Fields are mostly brown and bare.
Wild animals are all getting ready to survive the winter now. Gathering food, perfecting dens, putting on as much fat as possible. Reptiles and amphibians dig deep and become almost comatose as the temperature drops.
Some warm-blooded animals hibernate, but most just den up and wait for a sunny and windless day to scavenge for food and water. Some of them raid my bird feeders. And I usually put out some dry cat food. Not all survive.
Fall is the main hunting season in our part of the world. Squirrel and rabbit, upland birds, ducks and geese. And deer hunting, of course. The bow and arrow season, the black powder season, then the regular season. This fall there is also a short wild turkey season, although the main season is in spring.
Then of course there are fox and raccoon. They are hunted at night, with packs of dogs. We don't hear the dogs as often now, but it's still a popular sport.
I'm not a hunter, haven't been for years, but many people are. And if it weren't for hunters, we'd soon be overrun. Beautiful as they are, deer are a real menace on the roads, especially at night. They cause ten thousand accidents a year, even in a small state like Indiana.
I like to go night fishing this time of year. Go out with a few guys to a likely spot on a riverbank. Put out your lines, with bobbers and sinkers for still fishing. Open the cooler, get someone started on a story, and hope nobody disturbs the peace by catching a fish.
Enjoy the sounds and smells, and the luxury of spending time with good friends.
It's November.
© Jerry Selby
