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| small creek before wooded area in Tennessee |
In late September of 1963, eight years old,
I would walk to West End Grade school in Lafollette Tennessee
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| in 1963 this was all wooded area in Tennessee, steep hill upper right |
I remember along
the way through the wooded area, in the moist, crisp fog, walnuts would fall. I
heard them crack upon tree limbs and then thump upon the ground. That
experience and memory comforts me as if God reassures me through my walk in
life.
After school,
along the path back home, I would gather many of those walnuts and, with my
grandfather’s hammer, crack them open for their fruit. My goodness did my hands
become stained with walnut oils. It was all much fun!
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| Woodland Conservation Garden Wellfield Botanic Gardens |
This morning,
walking along the Woodland Conservation Garden at Wellfield Botanic Gardens in
Elkhart Indiana, I was inspired again as I heard some nuts crack upon limbs and
then thump upon the ground. I don’t know if they were acorns or hazelnuts, but
squirrels seemed not to care much as they quickly grasped them and hurried
along.
Shallow rain
puddles adorned the walkway as these squirrels jumped and skittered about.
I love autumn. It
is truly my favorite season.
Also, neither
acorns nor hazelnuts stain your hands!
If you get a chance, you ought to visit Wellfield Botanic
Gardens for a wonderful seasonal experience!
You can read more about this place at their website:
And tell them Mike sent you!
