Last Swim

Have we ever gone swimming in October? October 7 to be exact. I wrote this haiku in honour of the occasion:

Unexpected text:
“Swim today? Low tide. North wind.
Could be cold.” “Let’s go.”

It WAS chilly but memorable. 

I’m on a haiku binge. This in honour of our neighbour’s yard: 

Magic hour sunlight
setting fire to red maples
born for this moment

What a brilliant colorful autumn! Sumacs along the roadside are simply stunning in their scarlet glory. Remember how sad we were after Fiona when all the leaves turned brown? Like beauty had been wiped from the face of the earth? But beauty is back! Also, the clear autumn light turns each sunset into a spectacle. 

I love to see all the pumpkins and fall mums decorating doorways this time of year, so cheerful. But what about these short days? I never get used to being plunged head first into darkness. What to do during these long inward-turning evening hours? We can sit around listening to horse chestnuts clattering saucily onto the roof, but that’s only so satisfying. Or we play Scrabble, Upwords, Boggle, Bananagrams, cribbage or solitaire; work on a New York Times crossword; watch 10-minute condensed versions of sports events on YouTube; read read read; listen to audiobooks; make popcorn; phone someone; put wood on the fire; have friends over for a soirée; listen to music; make music…

Yes, make music. Our Cove Choir is singing “in parts” songs like Dust in the Wind, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Here Comes the Sun. It’s safe to say that we’ll never make it to Carnegie Hall, but it’s fun to gather in our little school raising our voices in song, (heat pump faithfully humming in the background), feeling connected to one another through music. I’m so glad that I have friends who want to come out on a dark night and sing with me.

Other happenings in the Cove. Seaweed has piled up along the shore below the camp, free for the taking. Planks on the bridge down to the church have been replaced. A huge hatch of Asian beetles last week has everyone picking beetles out of their hair and eyes. Beetles on windows, walls—it’s startling! They have moved on, or at least turned into something else… hmmm. 

Potato trucks filled with small potatoes are rumbling off to warehouses throughout the district. No spuds grown in the Cove this year so we tried gleaning in a nearby community; but harvesting equipment had scraped the field to the bone and we brought home a grand total of three potatoes. We ate the potatoes for supper last night and they were delicious, so that was something.

Time to accept reality. No more swimming in the Cove. Salty beach towels can be washed and put away. Also,

Clean out flowerbeds
Buy crocus and tulip bulbs
Plant hope for next year

We’ve been down this road before. In a mere two months the days will start getting longer and everything will begin all over again.