Yesterday turned out to be a golden autumn afternoon, so I went outside with my camera, to capture some of the gold in my woods before it's gone. And while I was out there snapping pictures, some curious deer came out of the woods and stood around watching me the entire time.
So, I snapped a picture of them as
well. 
Because of the extremely dry and hot August, I was afraid we wouldn't have the usual beautiful colors this fall. I'm pleased that I was wrong.
Because of the extremely dry and hot August, I was afraid we wouldn't have the usual beautiful colors this fall. I'm pleased that I was wrong.
I've read that the best conditions for a good showing of color are the right amount of moisture and falling but not freezing temperatures, and these we've had in the past week or so. And surprisingly, dry weather, increases the sugar concentration in the sap.
The brightest fall colors occur when dry, sunny days are followed by cool, dry nights. An early hard frost, which is in our forecast for next week, will kill the leaves before they have a chance to complete their final shut-down. So, a beautiful display of color depends on a magical combination of sunlight, soil nutrients, and cool nights.
The poem by one of my favorite poets, Edna St. Vincent Millay, captures the feeling of a golden autumn afternoon perfectly:
God's World
O world,
I cannot hold thee close enough!
Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists, that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour!
That gaunt cragTo crush!
To lift the lean of that black bluff!
World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!
Long have I known a glory in it all,
But never knew I this;
Here such a passion is
As stretcheth me apart,--
Lord, I do fear
Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year;
My soul is all but out of me,--let fall
No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay
32 comments:
Oh, Renie, what glorious photos so warm and with all those golden and orange hues... Lovely, truly lovely!
I love that the deer were nosy and came into view so you could capture them as well ;0)
And... of course, I love the poem! Just a wonderful post, Renie, a beautifully written post!
Smiles,
Michele
Oh, thank you, Michele! But I had a heck of a time with blogger this morning. It didn't want to upload my photos, and then it just doesn't look right. I may try tweeking it later. But for now, I have given up on it. But I'm glad you liked it. Your always kind and encouraging comments are very much appreciated. Oh, and by the way, the deer are always here. Whenever I go outside, they come out of the woods. I'm thinking of writing a short story about deer. Fiction. It should be fun to write.
Blessings,
Renie
Oh, I think the photos are great, Renie, they're just perfect. You did a fine job with this post, it's really nice ;0)
Smiles,
Michele
Oh, the photos look okay, Michele, but the text is sort of off. I'm afraid to mess with the html, though. I wouldn't want the entire post to dissapear and have to start over. I'll see later if I can set it right. Thank you for the second nice comment. Spectacular day again out there!
Hugs,
Renie
Renie,
What a beautiful post! Your photos are gorgeous and the poem is perfect. I wish the deer around here weren't so shy. Watching them can only be done with the utmost stealth. It's wonderful that your deer are "nosy" and don't seem to mind having their picture taken. Thank you for this lovely peak at autumn in your woods. :-)
Hugs,
Tina
The photos are awesome. We had very little color here this fall and that always disappoints me. The colors were bland last year also and I was hoping we would have a blaze of color.
It's fabulous that you live in an area where deer come out to greet you when you are in your own backyard. I'm glad you got a shot of them.
Great poem too. I always enjoy paying you a visit. There's so much of the natural world in your writing.
I would love to read that deer story. Do it, my friend. It would be wonderful.
Thanks for commenting on my Loonie post. I always enjoy your visits.
Blessings,
Mary
Glad to know someone is having a colorful autumn. Hasn't happened much here. Was too warm then got too cold, so most of the leaves just fell off.
If you feel inclined to participate, I'm tagging you for: If you had an extra hour each day, what would you write?
Hi Tina,
Well, you know, I still love Nature best of all.
Yes, the deer in my woods are not one bit afraid of me. They are always around. I even see them close to the house at night sometimes. I like to think of them as my "guard deer." :-) They are not even afraid of my dogs.
Thank you for the nice comment. I'm happy that you enjoyed the photos and post. Have a lovely weekend.
Renie
Mary,
Seeing you and Tina commenting always reminds me of the old times. :-)
I didn't think we'd have much color either, but our weather turned beneficial to the process of turning leaves, just in time. The colors are really lovely now.
The deer story would be a fantasy type story, and I might just attempt it, if only to try something new.
Thank you for visiting and commenting. I always enjoy hearing from you. Have a nice weekend.
Renie
Amy,
What a nice surprise to see you here. We have very pretty colors now, and I love it. Hmmm, I have 2 other meme's that I haven't done yet. Thank you for tagging me. If I had an extra hour each day, I might take one editor's suggestion up on writing a book. But it's a daunting project for this somewhat lazy writer.
Thank you for reading and commenting. I appreciate it.
Renie
Hey Renie,
Your woods are beautiful. I love your photos. And the deer, who would think that deer come out of the woods just to have their picture taken? That's just wonderful.
The winds had died down by this morning. Our trees are not turning much.. just getting brown. I miss all the color. Thanks for sharing!!
Hey Ann,
Wow, I was just over visiting you. I'm glad the winds have died down your way. Yes, I'm known as the "deer lady" around here. And everyone says the deer and even the wild turkeys hide out in my woods during hunting season. Which is true!
Thanks so much for commenting. I'm glad you liked the pictures.
Renie
Renie,
What a lovely picture...the gold is very pretty. I have deer that comes around in the back woods of my house, but never do they come into the yard. I suppose that living in an urban area that they are cautious of humans. Your deer are use to the more relaxed atmosphere and obviously are trusting of you. :)
An easy way to fix the text:
Go into blogger to edit post. Click on the HTML tab, however, you won't have to touch the HTML. Using your backspace key on your keyboard, scoot your sentences (text) back, all the way up next to the end of your picture/image code. Do the same for each picture. Your text should align correctly.
Your blog is looking good!
Our leaves have all fallen here. A few very windy days brought the last of them down. Next week some snow. . .so we are bracing for Winter.
Love the deer. Over the last 15 years deer have been slowly moving into our area. Old timers tell me they once were in abundance. The closest wintering deer yards are south of Lake Nipissing and on Manitoulin Island, where they are a pest. I hope their number increase with the logging there is lots of browse for deer. I remember seeing herds of them (as many as 30)in western New York in farmers grain fields.
Love your choice of poetry!
Deborah,
I am late this mmorning, as our phone lines were down. I'll get into blogger later today and try your suggestion, as I have to soon get ready for church, etc. Thanks, you're a life saver. And thanks for the nice comment.
Renie
Philip,
We have lots of deer around here, and I sometimes count 20 of them in my field. I enjoy seeing them. Of course, you have the moose!
The poem is a fall favorite by my favorite poet.
Thanks so much for commenting. I always enjoy your visits. Have a great Sunday.
Renie
You've captured the fall colors so beautifully! The deer look quite at home :)
xo
Hi Susie,
Yes, the deer are quite at home. Thanks so much for coming by and commenting.
Blessings,
Renie
Hi Renie,
I've learned something new!
Come on over to Writing the Cyber Highway and check it out ;0)
Smiles,
Michele
Oh, great tip, Michele. I was just over and copied and pasted the information. Thanks for sharing!
Hugs,
Renie
Great pictures...I am going to take some myself...everyone else is posting these great colors and I am sitting by my window looking outside and I have them too!
Thanks for visiting me.
Jody
Your welcome, Renie. I just replied to your comment over at my blog and updated my post with a definition and reference link to the word "hyperlink." Hope it helps!
Smiles,
Michele
Hi Jody,
And thank you for visiting here. Nice to see you. Hope you visit again.
Blessings,
Renie
Be over soon, Michele. Got to do a couple of things first. I'll have to learn that hyperlink stuff now too!
Renie
Renie,
Answered your message on my blog, check it out when you get a chance.
I can tell a difference in this post - it looks 'mavalous'.
Thanks, Deborah. Maybe when I turn the pc back on in the morning, it will look mavellous to me as well. :-)
Renie
Great photos!
Wish we could see the colors in
person. By the time we get there,
all the leaves are brown and on the ground! Still pretty though.
The girls loved the deer photo,
they cant wait to visit and help put out the chops!
xoxox
renie! that's beautiful! it's like a picture taken out of a book. gorgeous!
i came back... just wanted to give you a big (((HUG))).
Andrea,
Yes, the leaves will be brown and on the ground by the time you guys get here, but just think how much fun you will all have raking. LOL
Can't wait!
xoxo
Hi Pia,
Thank so much for the visit and nice comment. Autumn is a nice time of year around here, but I don't like what follows. However, I do love to hear from blogging friends!
Blessings,
Renie
Your photos were breathtaking. I love the color of the leaves. Some of our trees are being to turn but nothing like yours. Maybe we just don't have the colors like you do because of the drought we have had. We also have deer and wild turkey that comes up in the yard, I have also seen wild hogs way down in the bottom, thank goodness they haven't crossed the creek and gotten near my animals. I really enjoyed reading the poem. Hope you and yours have a blessed day.
OH, my son JB will be home in 10 days. YIIPPEE!!!! Just keep him and his troop in your prayers please.
Laura
Oh Laura,
That's wonderful news about JB coming home in ten days. I know you can't wait. I continue to pray for JB and our troops.
We don't have wild hogs around here, thank goodness. They can be destructive and mean.
So nice to see you again, Laura.
Hugs and God bless!
Renie
Pia,
Oh, what a nice hug! Thank you! And here is one big hug for you...{{HUGS}}
Renie
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