Under the Autumn Trees
My inspiration for the following came from this post on a wonderful blog that I enjoy reading on a regular basis: https://ginlemonade.com/2018/09/02/if-we-were-having-coffee-writing/ In this post, Lorna gave her readers a blogging prompt/challenge to write a sepia-toned fall memory. Not only is she a gifted writer, but Lorna is very helpful to other bloggers as well. I have learned so much about blogging from her, more than she will ever realize. She also has the same name as my sweet late sister Lorna, which I believe may just be a touch of fate. I have many fall memories, as this is my favorite season, but when reading the prompt my mind immediately traveled back to 1992 and my fall afternoon under the trees….
I used to write songs. It seems like a lifetime ago, but I have written over a hundred songs. At the time, I loved country music and thought I wanted to be a country music songwriter. Lyrics were my forte, but for many of my songs I also put these lyrics to music. Heck, I even “sorta” learned to play the guitar so that I could do this. I researched, partnered with a few musicians, made a few trips to Nashville…and then life got in the way. My dream of songwriting took a back seat to family, work, and college. Over time the dream faded, but the memories of my songwriting days have stayed with me. What, you might ask, does songwriting have to do with memories of Fall? I’m about to tell you.
Back in 1991-1992, I was lucky enough to have a job with federal holidays off. Columbus Day happened to be the only holiday that I was off, but my kids still had to go to school. For that reason alone, I loved Columbus Day in October. 🙂 I had a free day-all to myself. This particular year it was such a beautiful day, and I didn’t want to waste it sitting at home. The leaves were already deep into their color change on this cool, crisp October afternoon in Kansas. This was my day.
My adventure begins…
I packed a sack lunch, just for myself. I grabbed a blanket, my pens, and notebooks, hopped in my big old (and I do mean OLD) white Oldsmobile with red interior, and took off. I drove, with no particular destination in mind. Of course, I knew that my travels wouldn’t take me far, as I had to be back at home by the time my boys arrived home from school. Wow, I only had two kids at that time in my life. As I said before, it was a lifetime ago.
Driving on country roads on a 70 degree day, windows down, is such an exhilarating feeling. Granted, the reason I had all of the windows down was because my old Oldsmobile had a terrible exhaust leak and I needed the ventilation..but exhilarating nonetheless! On a lone dirt road about 25 miles outside of town, I found THE SPOT. There was a space with several trees covered in vibrant orange, red, and yellow. Some of the leaves had already started to fall, blanketing the ground with the same vibrance.
I had to climb over a bit of barbed wire fence, lugging my blanket, lunch, and writing supplies. I could hear the leaves crunching under my feet as I trudged toward my spot. I realize that I probably shouldn’t have been there, as it was obviously private land. I wasn’t making the smartest decisions, but HEY…I was a 25 year old on a mission!
This is the life…under the trees
I spread my blanket out directly under the trees, positioned myself on my back, and looked up. I could see the bits of blue sky peeking between the red and oranges of the leaves. That moment in time was etched into my memory, forever. I was free. I was relaxed, and I was alone.
I wrote so many songs that day. Some were entire songs, and some were just bits and pieces that I wrote down to save for later inspirational moments. This truly was MY day, and nobody else could touch it. After a few hours of writing, relaxing, and munching- I packed up and left. I got back just in time for the boys to get home from school. My husband came home from work, and I continued on with my life.
I’ve never really told anybody about that day. I think I may have mentioned that I went for a drive in the country, but it was almost like a secret that I just didn’t want to share with anybody. It’s been 26 years, but I believe that I could probably point out that exact spot. I wonder if the trees are still there? I wonder if they are huge now? I’ve had a lot of good times and memorable experiences , but no day will ever compare to that beautiful day under the Autumn trees…alone.
