Do you know Frederick? He's the little field mouse in the story by Leo Lionni called "Frederick". When winter was not far away, all the little field mice begin their preparations gathering food for the cold season ahead. Except for Frederick. "Frederick, why don't you work?" they asked. "I do work" he says. " I gather sun rays for the cold dark winter days......I gather colors. For Winter is gray.......I am gathering words for the winter days are long and many and we'll run out of things to say."
This year I'm taking the time to be a bit like Frederick. I'm paying attention to the changing colors and the shadows. I'm paying attention to the squirrels outside my window scurrying around with their corn and hickory nuts up and down the trees as fast as they can go. I've been taking pictures so that when winter comes, I can pull them up on my computer to help me remember. I'm paying attention so when that lake outside my window is frozen over I can close my eyes and feel the sun still warm on my back and recall how the beauty of all the autumn colors would sometimes take my breath away.
Yellow makes me think of Happy and Sunshine and Big Bird and Tulips that will once again pop out of the ground in the spring. I'm paying attention to yellow and these are a few of my gatherings........
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| Holding on to the last bit of Summer |
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| A walk in our neighborhood |
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| River Arts District Dancers |
"And what about the colors, Frederick?" they asked anxiously.
"Close your eyes again, "Frederick said. And when he told them of the blue periwinkles, the red poppies in the yellow wheat, and the green leaves of the berry bush, they saw the colors as clearly as if they had been painted in their minds."
i love you!!
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