Little Acorns

 Huffing and puffing up a steep hill, the sound of my steps became crunchy. A host of small acorns had dropped from oak trees and rolled down a front yard. They spread themselves over the sidewalk. It was a study in browns, pale to almost-black, reddish to yellow. Cars zoomed by as I examined the stripes and marveled at the caps, some detached, others still snug on the acorns. The overlapping pattern of the caps, similar to a pine cone, is imbued with whimsy. Can you look at those caps and not think of roofs for fairy homes or headgear for wood sprites? Magical images kept me company all the way home.

Looking At Art

 So often, people wander through a museum, stopping for a few seconds in front of whatever art might catch their eye, but then moving on. This father and daughter spent several minutes in front of a painting that had piqued the girl's interest. They studied the Venetian woman portrayed by John Singer Sargent and discussed it in detail. The father was enjoying their time together and the child was learning how to really look at art. She will grow up to be a museum-goer. It was lovely to see.

Inscribed Tree

 If you happen to be a tree growing along a popular walking path, you cannot escape. There are those who see your smooth bark as a surface for leaving some kind of mark. From the ground all the way to seven and a half feet up, the tree is covered in names, initials, numbers, hearts and even an emoji or two. Does the tree remind you of a person covered in tattoos? Most people choose their tattoos. The tree did not. I think farther back in history, to slaves with scars on their backs, also unable to escape. I placed my hand on the wounded bark, looked up at the golden leaves and tried, for just a minute, to feel the life that is still coursing through the tree.

Look Down

 In autumn, especially on a fine sunny day, we spend a lot of time looking up at the trees. The brilliant colors of the leaves are the stars of the show. Follow a leaf or two as it flutters down. How quickly those bright leaves fade to softer hues. The more subtle beauties of autumn are closer to our feet. I stopped to study a silvery tree stump, ringed with a collar of ruffled fungi. The pin oak and willow oak leaves will soon cover the stump. Time will work its magic. It all, eventually, becomes part of the earth.