First Signs of Fall

After a lovely hint of fall weather last week, the past few days have been unseasonably warm here, with highs into the 100s--Indian summer indeed!  I gave birth to a sweet baby girl on Saturday, so I have had a good excuse to spend most of my time since then indoors. ;)  Our little garden fried while we were in the hospital over the weekend, and I'm back to longing for cooler temperatures and stubbornly sipping my cup of hot coffee in the afternoon despite the triple-digit weather out back.

But I took a little walk around the yard this morning to water the plants and was still able to hunt out the promise of fall on the way here at home.

These little glimpses of the season remind me of Charlotte Mason's discussion of a nature calendar in Volume 1, which we're reading through now:

Calendars.––It is a capital plan for the children to keep a calendar––the first oak-leaf, the first tadpole, the first cowslip, the first catkin, the first ripe blackberries, where seen, and when. The next year they will know when and where to look out for their favourites, and will, every year, be in a condition to add new observations. Think of the zest and interest, the object, which such a practice will give to daily walks and little excursions. There is hardly a day when some friend may not be expected to hold a first 'At Home.'

We just completed our first full year in this home--we moved in last July--and I am still getting familiar with our yard, learning what comes out when and working to identify all the trees and flowers here.  I think the calendar Miss Mason is talking about, often called a Book of Firsts elsewhere, will be a wonderful addition to our nature studies.  I'm looking forward to getting some free time to put a simple one together for our family.  If you have links to a format you love, please do share.