God's Paintbrush

It’s October and God has taken his paintbrush to northern Virginia and she is showing glorious colors! I find it a joy to drive along the roadways here in Stafford County and observe the gorgeous hues displayed on the trees. It reminds me of a poem called October’s Party written by George Cooper. Years ago when I was teaching, I built a lesson around that poem every October. After the dog days of August, the summer monsoons, and the Indian summer of September, I can hardly wait for October to throw her party each year. As the crispness creeps into the morning air, the trees and shrubs begin to dress for October’s party. October's Party By George Cooper October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came— The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name. The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand, Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band. The Chestnuts came in yellow, The Oaks in crimson dressed; The lovely Misses Maple In scarlet looked their best; All balanced to their partners, And gaily fluttered by; The sight was like a rainbow New fallen from the sky. Then, in the rustic hollow, At hide-and-seek they played, The party closed at sundown, And everybody stayed. Professor Wind played louder; They flew along the ground; And then the party ended In jolly "hands around." I’ll have to admit that it’s been a few years since I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy the full-blown glory of October. Living in the Southwest doesn’t offer much in the way of fall colors like those that you get in the east where there are many deciduous trees. Therefore, I am soaking up lots of memories to relive in my reveries when I go back to southwestern New Mexico among the juniper trees and other evergreens. Several times lately I have taken my camera with me when I went out to do errands. I’ve posted an album of the Virginia’s colorful array of fall leaves on Facebook. You can enjoy them at this link: Virginia Fall Colors Thank you, God, for providing such beauty to feed our spirits!