In the thickly wooded area around my house this month, I’ve noticed there have been heavier rains this month than there were in the last. The evenings are also slightly cooler but the afternoons still have a blazing sun above. I also took some time out at night, which isn’t new to me but I still made observations.
Although this month was for the most part sunny, dry, and hot like September, there were a few times where rain fell, and heavily. This was usually during a night and left the following morning with soaked grounds, flooding local creeks as well. As for the land I’m observing, much of the water ran downhill and collected in smaller pools where there once was a pond. It’s dried up over the past years of drought. A lot of mud formed near the pond but not too much everywhere else that was covered in plant life.
As Fall starts to come, the evenings are becoming cooler (anywhere from 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit). The daytime hours still remain above 90 degrees however, with the usual bright sunlight searing overhead. Despite this and the coming of fall, much of the plant life remains green and healthy as opposed to drying and losing leaves. There are also instances where I see small mice, birds, and even a possum run along in the evening. As for larger animals, I can usually spot very large vultures whenever I go out, and sometimes hawks. Snakes still remain hidden from me.
As said in A Sand County Almanac, “Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty” (pg. 96). This month I went out for observations at night. This didn’t make for good images but I still find it comforting to go out during the cool nights. Stars are always bright when I go out and the wind is relaxing. Things are usually quiet besides crickets and maybe an animal’s occasional rustling. Out where I live, there aren’t city lights set up. Everything is calm and dark. It bothers me to see the city coming in the distance. A toll road was made recently just miles away from home and lights line it completely. I grew up in the country and to see it disappear hurts. It’s also bothersome to meet people who grew up in the city and can say they’ve never had a good look at the stars because of city lights. To me, urbanization cuts off from the world and becomes something else. I’m not saying it’s bad, but to me, it’s missing something essential to connecting with the world.
