I awoke to an orchestra

Pin It The flash of light ignited against the other side of my closed eyelids; that’s probably what awoke me from a restful slumber. The low, guttural tones of thunder followed only moments behind it, chased by the rain. The glorious downpour smattered down upon rooftop in cascades of monsoon. It layered the sidewalks in shimmery wet, inviting worms to surface for schoolchildren to step on as they make their way to my classroom later this morning in this watery-shimmered world.

I moved through the house with lights off, attentive to the wondrous orchestra playing all around me—reverberating through the four walls and ceiling—and even permeating through the very earth below me.

Light flashed, bringing to life the images hanging on the walls of my home for a brief moment of time.

Exhilaration.

Windows were thrust open, and the sounds were fully welcomed into my world—or I into theirs. Above, the lights of the city reflected off of the dark, twisting clouds as a train whistle pierced the darkness from someplace off in the distance; a melancholy souvenir of places far away, and stages of summer I loathed, yet hunger to live again.

But for now, the rain continues to fall in its eternal drizzle from the skies above me, and the August rushing of wind hits the trees in my Olympic-sized backyard, adding to the ensemble which continues to acquire its musicians.

Like before, I am prepared to meet with a smile whatever challenge is here to greet me today,

Welcome, rain.

Something told Teachinfourth...

Pin It Something told the Wild Geese
Rachel Field

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go;
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered. . . snow.

Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries luster-glossed,
But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned . . . frost

All the sagging orchards
steamed with amber spice
But each wild breast stiffened
and remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese
it was time to fly.
Summer sun was on their wings
Winter in their cry

As I awoke this morning, I stepped outside and found myself surrounded by a world arrayed of ice crystals - like truckloads of diamond shavings - covering nearly everything. The bitter cold bite of the morning air invigorated my lungs and made me smile.


Though I am not a huge fan of winter, it is wonderful - that time - when autumn and winter meet.

Chilled morning

Pin It I awoke this morning feeling a distinct chill in the air of my bedroom. I’d left the window open the night before in order to capitalize on the coolness of the evening, and to give the AC system a break.

It was so cold this morning I had trouble getting out of bed. Climbing into a warm shower was like a blessing from heaven itself.

When I was ready to leave, I emerged from my home, and the bite of the morning air greeted my nostrils with more intensity than it had while I’d been inside. I fully expected to see frost covering the long blades of grass of the front yard, like carpeting shards of broken glass. It made me think reminiscently of Halloween, and felt that I should have seen decorations festooning the neighborhood and people emerging from their homes shrouded in costume.

They weren’t.

It was at this moment that I was reminded just how much I love Halloween. It is, I would have to say, one of my absolute favorite holidays.

That, and National Corn-Fritter Week.