Autumn in Osceola

Daydreaming this weekend of Autumn in Osceola. I loved the late afternoons when I would walk with Princess Dark Star around Congress Hill. We shuffled through leaves and I tried to think of names for all the fall colors: red, purple, magenta, burnt umber, scarlet, etc. Smells drifted out from the houses we passed of dinner cooking, and fires in woodstoves sent smoke drifting into the sky. Flocks of geese were going over on their way to safe harbor for the winter.

My last day at Terrapin Station was four years ago this month. It seems only yesterday. I’ve been gone now as long as I was there. My days at Terrapin Station were some of the best of my life. A place where I found the peace and serenity I had been searching for. Perfect in every way except for the fact I was a thousand miles away from my family.

Fall in Oregon is not as glorious as in Missouri, but we have had some unusually rain-free days this month. The weather forecasters predict it will end next week. So this weekend may be the last for outdoor chores. We had the Family Work Day a week ago so not too much remains. Boxes to take to the shed, pine needles to rake up, deck to be winterized.

Sunday evenings have always been hard for me. All those years of going to work on Monday mornings meant that Sunday night was a time for getting ready for the week ahead, doing the chores that were put off all weekend, and realizing how quickly time goes by. A friend used to call it “Back to prep school” syndrome. Whatever it is, tonight will bring on the angst and I will be nostalgic for Autumn in Osceola.