Hi, Everyone! Another month, another blog post!
It’s September… and fall is beginning to arrive in the Ozarks.
The temperature is dropping slightly, and the breezes are less humid, all telltale signs that summer is giving way to autumn. But for me, the glint of the sunshine announces that fall is coming. Although it’s almost inexplicable, the way the sun falls and glints on the world that surrounds me never fails to whisper and alert me to a change in seasons. And so it is, that Fall, with all her glory, will soon arrive to bless us with cooler temps, less oppressive humidity, and all the color we can take in.
If you were to ask me what I love most about the mountains, it wouldn’t be the fall colors; my love of the mountains is fed by the mystery that seems to envelop each twist in the road, the shadows of the trees, and the sheer majesty of the mountains themselves. No, the Ozarks aren’t the Rockies, but they have a serenity all their own in their remote indifference to the many inhabitants, tourists, and vacationers that hike, bike, swim, and fly over them each year.
All that said, I do find beauty in the color that Our Lady of the Fall brings each year. All the reds, yellows, oranges, and multiple hues in-between grace us with their presence from late October to sometime in December. And this year’s beauty should arrive with the same class and allure as all the years before.
So many of my blog posts cover topics of choice and consequence, strife and struggle, or the “how, when, and why” of my life; this September post, however, is going to take a lighter note and a higher road. This month, I just want to soak in the beauty that surrounds me and pass along some of that appreciation in the written word.
Several years ago, we made the decision to purchase raw land and create our own version of paradise in the Ozarks, and so far, we’re making good on that goal. We’ve managed to carve out a spot for a house with a magnificent view, a shop, and some spaces to leave as nature made them, untouched by our human hands of progress. It has been a unique experience: Sometimes arduous, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and sometimes a disaster. But through it all, the beauty and aloofness of the mountains have prevailed and we’re still so appreciative and in awe of our surroundings. We’ve witnessed three years of changing seasons and are approaching our fourth turn of summer to fall.
Here, against the backdrop of the Ozarks, the seasons are still evidentiary of the changing of the guard; the ebb and flow of life’s seasons run in unison with the ebb and flow of nature’s seasons. As I live life and move ever closer to the fall and winter of my life, my appreciation of the beauty of the fall increases each year.
With that in mind, we’ve made plans this year to take in as much of the scenery the Ozarks have to offer. We’ve planned excursions to many of the local hiking trails, trips to several tourist hot spots, and a lone weekend in Branson during the height of their many fall activities. To say that we’re becoming more local than newbies would probably be pretty accurate. I simply hope that we never fail to feel inspired, in love, and awestruck by the beauty of the Ozarks adorned in their fall décor and the coat of many colors that provide moments of beauty that will take your breath.
It’s my hope, as we move forward on our journey of an Ozark retirement that I’ll get to share ever more with my readers and my family. It’s my goal to impart as much beauty in my words as my eyes continue to behold in my Ozark Mountain Retreat.
Until next time, I’m going to leave you with this painting of one of my pictures taken on our Ozark land. It’s a smorgasbord of fall colors!
