Angelkeep looked at the Jack-O-Lantern created for our Halloween décor. Its broad toothy smile displayed the joy of the holiday that runs rampant all month for children and candy merchants.
Abundant candy was represented by gaps between the Jack-O-Lantern’s teeth. The upside-down triangle nose failed to sniff the tendrils of burning leaf smoke wafting around the neighborhood. Two pyramid eyes cannot see. They miss the peak of nature’s colors unfolding this week.
Those blind eyes are sad indeed. Angelkeep remembered the time — shy but a year from a quarter century ago — when doctors noticed advanced stages of eyesight loss to this columnist. Due diligence, doctors’ care, medications, and God’s Grace kept the sight intact, only diminished. The initial fear and concern recently had been found, although written by Eliza Cook in poetic form and published in 1857.
With fall’s focus on the human senses being delighted, the apple and cider focusing on taste, this poem became very special to Angelkeep. It’s shared here, 167 years later, to encourage all Angelkeep Journals readers to be especially aware of nature in October. It’s more than Halloween’s approach.
The Blind Boy at Play.
The blind boy’s been at play, mother,
And merry games we had!
We led him on his way, mother,
And when we found a starry flower,
And praised its varied hue,
A tear came trembling down his cheek,
Just like a drop of dew.
“We took him to the mill, mother,
Where falling waters made
A rainbow o’er the rill, mother,
As golden sun-rays played;
But when we shouted at the scene,
And hail’d the clear, blue sky,
He stood quite still upon the bank,
And breathed a long, long sigh.
“We asked him why he wept, mother;
Whene’er we found the spots
Where periwinkles crept, mother,
O’er wild forget-me-nots.
‘Ah me!’ he said, while tears ran down
As fast as summer showers—
‘It is because I cannot see
The sunshine and the flowers.’
“Oh! That poor, sightless boy, mother,
Has taught me that I’m blest;
For I can look with joy, mother,
On all I love the best;
And when I see the dancing stream,
And daisies red and white,
I kneel upon the meadow sod,
And thank my God for sight.”
Autumn’s changing colors can astound the eyes. Not only do the leaves magically change colors but also native plants erupt with blooms matching the colors of the overhead leaves. Many of the weeds of summer suddenly become blooming wildflowers of the season prior to winter. God provides one last burst of vibrant hues before turning the earth into neutrals and whites. All too soon the warm colors of autumn will be found only on the birds.
Some of the birds changed colors. Bright yellow male finches turned to a drab olive. The lesser colored female golden finches put on a neutral feathery coat against the winter months. Deer darkened from their amber summer glow to deep brown. In some cases a predominant gray. Many other examples of color loss in winter served as reason enough to get outdoors. Bask in the colorful and sensual display autumn offered.
While walking about, it might be wise to seek a pearl crescent identifiable with the bright orange color against black markings. It appeared as though its creation came as a reminder of Halloween’s approach. Its last flights disappear soon after that holiday. It recently became a new Angelkeep discovery. It measured only about an inch in width. The white crescent moon-shaped designs at the base of each hindwing give more credence to association with Halloween.
Its first science discovery came in 1773. Additionally it held shapes that appeared like the outline of a pumpkin with a frowning crescent mouth. They lingered around the last of the blooming asters. Asters were another colorful fall flower that will cease to display vibrant hues after Halloween.
Asters, once called Michaelmass daisies, were named that due to blooming on and after September 29, the ancient feast day of St. Michael the Archangel.
Mr. Daugherty is a Wells County resident who, along with his wife Gwen, enjoy their backyard and have named it “Angelkeep.”
