Autumn Leaves!

 

Glorious, glorious autumn leaves, their fiery hues aglow!  Vibrant sparks of flame and flash warm my memory long after leafy embers fade to earth, covered in ice and snow.

No, I'm not a poet (obviously) - that just sorta happened.  Don't groan too loudly when you read it, okay?  I might hear you.
 
The leaves around here sure know how to go out with a bang - and I'm loving every minute of it!  This past week has been gorgeous and sunny, and the leaves on some of the trees have been breathtaking.  I've been working outside for the past couple of weeks, slugging away at all the rock work for stairs, retaining walls, and a back patio that I stopped doing during the impossibly muggy summer months.  The goal is to finish it before winter hits...wish me luck!  Anyway, I've been soaking in the beauty of these leaves as much as I can while the weather is so very lovely.

 
I was experimenting with how they looked in various types of light.  The top photo was taken in the shade with dappled light in the background.  The middle photo was just straight shade, and the third photo was taken facing the sun against a shady background.  Each version shows off a different aspect of these fiery wonders.

 

Compared to the real thing, these fake leaves don't stand a chance, but since I really didn't feel like stringing together a bunch of real leaves (they'd probably turn brown anyway) I figured I'd better compromise.

 
Most Thanksgiving decor leans more toward the orange/yellow/brown angle, but I like to stay with my beloved red hue.  Mixed with chocolate brown, it still feels autumn-y, doesn't it?

 
I made a new table runner for the occasion...in polka dots, of course.

 
Some of you may recognize this little guy from last year, he's making a reappearance on the inside of my house this time around, because

 
I made a new wreath for our front door!  I had to make a bigger one this year because the old one wasn't big enough to cover the missing wooden piece in the door's window panel...and because I found those fantastic red and orange blossoms on clearance and just had to find a way to use them.  It was a sacrifice, I know.

 
The fake leaves were from a fall leaf garland, and I added some faux red berries in the mix too.

 
This is another wreath from last year that some of you may recognize.

 

Now that I've done the wooden disc Christmas ornaments, I keep looking at those wimpy paper circles glued onto the ribbon "flowers" and wish that I had decoupaged the scrapbook paper onto little wooden discs instead.  Hmmmm, is it worth redoing all those circles?  Probably not, considering that there's only a week or so until Thanksgiving and then it's time to decorate for Christmas!

 
I always feel sorry for the Thanksgiving holiday, what with it being sandwiched in between Halloween and Christmas like it is = the importance of it is getting increasingly overlooked.  Especially now that Christmas merchandise is available for purchase in September, for heaven's sake!  Not that I don't love Christmas, because you know that I do...I just wish that we could focus on the spirit behind Thanksgiving a little more, and for a little longer.

 

 
"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.  No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."  ~H.U. Westermayer

 

 
Here's another quote I think you'll appreciate:  "Hem your blessings with thankfulness, lest they unravel."  (author unknown)

 

No holiday is complete at my house without its own version of the Wall o' Plates!  I found some turkey ones that I could tolerate (not much out there, that I could find, that fit the color scheme and the theme) so they make their grand appearance all over the place this year.

 

Okay my friends, as I come to the end of this post, please remember to...

 
...and...

 

Because even with all the awful stuff happening in the world, we still live on a very special, very beautiful planet.  With lots of things to be thankful for. 

 

Even (or should it be especially?) the leaves on the trees.

 

Comments

[Interior Decor]

Wow simply cool pictures. It covers the entire collection of fall.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrSTQDVc0tc I love the idea of giving thanks to the nature which has given us a lot. The plates look lovely.

[Tracey]

Thanks for this lovely post, especially the quote. Sometimes, we need reminding...