Nature's Quilt

As yet the trees in my area have not changed colours but I thought I would share some old photos and memories with you. Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year. The changing colours make me think of a sampler quilt created by Mother Nature. It triggers fond memories of when my DH and I were dating.  One of the things he loved about me was that I enjoyed doing the "simple"things like going on a picnic in the country. The sunny weather and beautiful fall colours made the picnics extra special. The fall colours also trigger another happy memory for me.
The road to our country home is lined both sides with huge, ancient maple trees. I'm assuming they are a type of sugar maple because there would be a glorious riot of colour during Indian summer. Brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows would greet me as I drove up the road. I would always stop at the top of the small rise in the road to survey the lay of the land and  give a silent "thank you" to the farmer who planted these maples over 125 years ago. Whatever troubles I might have had during the day were melted away by those majestic trees engulfed by their colours somewhat like having a quilt wrapped around me. A childhood memory recuring at this time of the year has to do with Horse chestnuts. As soon as the chestnuts were mature a bunch of us would throw small rocks and sticks up into the trees to coax the nuts down. Just picture it. We were only about 8 years old and could hardly throw that high but we tried with all our might and were elated when we succeeded. Next I had to figure out how to get the nut out of  its shell without hurting my little hands. When I had enough nuts shelled I would string them together to make a necklace. That part almost got the better of me until I figured out to use my father's hammer and nails to make the holes in the chestnuts without him finding out I used his tools. I was forbidden to go near them in case "I poked my eye out". Once the necklaces were strung we all wore them around our little necks as if they were a badge of  courage. Each year when the trees change their colours these memories always come back to me and make autumn "special" for me.