We’re getting deep into autumn here in northeast North Dakota, just a few blocks from the Red River of the North. I took a couple of walks in the city today, the first was around my neighborhood, where most of the houses are 100 years old or more, but so are the trees. Growing up in Nebraska, I witnessed the loss many of the old canopies due to a mass casualty event of Elm trees in the 1970’s into the ‘80’s. The postcard perfect (really, it was a postcard) cover of the old highway into the campus of the local university is minus this canvas altogether now. It occurred to me as I followed what was the old 19th century “county road” (now Reeves Drive) on my trek and it’s just absolutely peak right now. I’m probably more mindful of it as a result, and it was nearly overwhelming.

Soon, it’ll be on to the formidable task of winter, being slowly signaled in by the turn of these leaves in their deciduous cycles, and It’ll be the order of the tall and hearty fir trees to begin their long, cold vigil. The daylight changes here ‘tween the solstices is dramatic. On June 21st, sunrise is 5:29am, sunset is 9:31pm, so we’re looking almost 16 hours- even longer with the twilight on each end extending it at least an hour. We can go to a night game at the baseball park, and it’s not dark yet when the game’s over. When we close in on Dec 21st, we’ll be down to sunrise at 8:15am and sunset of 4:48 pm- a reversal of over 7 hours. I already feel like I’m going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark. When this cosmic flip occurs and the earth starts to turn its back on the sun, concordantly and semi-consciously turning away from life is easy; barricading from and cursing at the cold and wind, thinking of warmer spring days ahead, forgetting that today is the day.

This day is a Sunday, I’m caring for my daughter as we share in the simple task of doing laundry, stopping to visit about the football game or listen to some music; she has a lot of medical problems, and isn’t very verbal, but her exclamation of “wind!” is as crisp and clear as the day outside, her best expression of her ever-knowing of “the now”, as the leaves rustle in a loud, last protest on their trip to the ground- I’ll take their challenge of embracing the life force of every day that is winter here in the North Country. These are the days.

(thanks Aaron B for moving this to the front burner)