It’s late October and the southwestern Ohio days are noticeably shorter and the temperatures cooler. This year, but not every, I’m still bringing in bouquets of cut flowers. The yield is not quite as abundant as last month but the color is just as vibrant.

Do I appreciate these last bundles more than those collected in June, August or September? Maybe. I can’t be certain of next week providing me a houseful – or even a vaseful. And there is just a wee bit more beauty in the scarcity and uncertainty.

Last night  as I gathered the zinnia, snapdragons and the feathery fern-like asparagus tops, I thanked them for their season-long production. They have brightened our tabletops, window ledges and front porch for months.

I’m pretty sure they nodded their assent in return.

” I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
L.M. Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables