One Leaf

As I step out my door on this misty mid-September morn, out of the corner of my eye I witness one leaf slowly drifting to the ground. Standing here for a moment, I realize that instead of a multitude of birds singing their songs of praise as they had in the spring, there is only one chirping a very slow and lonely sound. In the distance, I can still hear the crickets; suddenly I find myself taken aback that autumn is quickly approaching.

In that brief moment, my mind suddenly begins to wander to days of old, when the air was full of aromas and experiences that only occur when the leaves start to fall and the air begins to cool. The bright colors of spring and the heat of summer will soon be only a memory as the earthy hues of fall slowly start to take over. The earth that seemed so alive only a few weeks ago is now starting to prepare itself for a long winters’ nap. However, before that can happen God will dip his brush one more time and paint the hills with bright red, yellow, and orange and we will again marvel at just how beautiful a world He created just for us.

While we have all reminisced at the beauty that unfolds before us as autumn takes hold, what I seem to remember most about this season are those amazing scents that tickle our snouts this time of the year. Now I am not talking about the smells by themselves, but the experiences that can never happen again. Like walking into my grandmothers’ house and smelling a fresh apple pie in the oven, or a pan of hot apple cider on top of the stove. One can never forget the aromas that were experienced as we rode in that old wagon, pulled behind an old Ford tractor, through the woods with my grandfather as we approached that spot where he had recently cut down a tree to use as firewood for the approaching winter.

Many an autumn evening was spent cutting and splitting firewood, and the smell of a freshly felled tree is something that you will never forget. By that same token, I remember many a cool crisp late fall mornings standing, waiting for the school bus and experiencing that bouquet in the air that comes from the burning of wood in a fireplace or stove, combined with the cool misty air that had settled into the valley.

There are so many other fragrances of the season that I recall and while they all trigger memories of my childhood, there is none that can transport me back quite like the smell of burning leaves. Every year we would rake all of the leaves into that deep ditch in front of the house and my dad would take a match and ignite them so that they quickly became nothing more that ashes.

Even now, I remember walking down an old dirt road and smelling the sugariness in the air from burning leaves. A little, further down that road I passed a hillside whose tall grass had been cut, and soon would be baled into hay to be stored in the barn so the animals could be fed on those cold winter days. There is no fragrance that compares to that of a freshly cut hay field. In the distance, I could hear a lawnmower running as a neighbor was mowing his lawn one last time. However, the normal scent of fresh cut grass had been replaced with the sweet smell of wild onions that had popped up all over his lawn.

Without a doubt, winter will soon arrive, and even now, my body starts to shiver just contemplating the impending cold that will surely arrive. As that north wind starts to find its way down south, we will pull out our thick coats, gloves and hats. For now though, I plan to enjoy autumn and all of its beauty and aromas. Maybe I am a dreamer, or perhaps a little nostalgic. However, today I think I will just sit back and cherish the memories brought to life in my mind, by one single, solitary leaf.