The winds are charitable this afternoon. They blow in only the truest colors; the bluest skies. They are walking winds; those which gainfully push one up a steep hill while cooling one off on the other side, and all the day the sun shines and shines.
Deep gusting winds scatter the weaker leaves all around the streets. Larger trees still burgeon with amber, pink gold, chocolate beige, candy apple reds and softer yellows, along with muted purple leaves. They’re not ready to let go yet. Our baby maple in the back yard however, has shed all covering quickly and stands naked by the shed. Soon it will be time to wrap the trunk in green felt. The tree has been with us for a year and a half now and still requires protection.
He thinks it will be the final mowing efforts of the season. He hopes so. Mid October is fairly late on this side of the lake. More mid-central in the state lie fallow fields which have already had their first lace dusting of snow. Late yesterday evening I think I hear the low distant droning sound of a mower; a quiet neighbor in this silent neighborhood is doing yard duty long after twilight. I can’t place the sound. Then I think I’ve imagined it. But on my walk today, I see the lush checkerboard pattern of green mowed grass by the house at the top of the hill. This yard is a work of art. The grass, silken sage and soft.
Charity is in the air. An Instacart order gone surprisingly wrong turns out to be a blessing in disguise. We end up with a corrected order delivered at 10:30pm by a frail slip of a woman who takes the time to compliment our collection of ceramic pumpkins. Additionally, we end up with close to one hundred dollars of free groceries since between various delivery policies, the late hour and delayed service, the woman from Instacart tells me simply, ‘It’s our fault. You can keep them’. In turn, we split the grocery order with the neighbors on this following brilliant afternoon. There are things they need we can’t use and groceries I’ll put to use right away. Now, there is a large pot of simmering turkey chili, perfect for this chilled afternoon and plenty of vegetables which won’t go to waste. Charitable winds indeed.
I stroll twice around the loop, riding the winds, breathing deeply. At one edge of the circle, a dog growls and barks fiercely at his yard’s boundary. I smile graciously at him and murmur quietly, ‘I could cook you for dinner, you small thing you…’. This dog has zero sense of time, space, proportions and heights. He’s the size of half a hot dog. He dutifully watches me for a bit and once satisfied I’m not moving closer but rather farther away, he snuffles and waddles triumphantly back to his porch. He’s accomplished his job. I’ve done mine today by remembering charity and manners. I disappear around the bend thinking to myself, ‘You do not understand the depravity lurking in the hearts of mankind you small thing; keep barking, little one’.
The winds have made me charitable today…
I may not see him until the spring, because though the colors are brilliant and the sky cerulean, they will sooner rather than later form slate grey clouds and heavy, dense weighted fog over the fields waiting for the first cover of lace . Be blessed, small half a hot dog creature. The winds blow kindly today.
690 Saint Paul 