Dispatch #9: The Valley Shimmers & Shines

Luminous Colors Sparkle Trees & Bushes

Ack! I wish I knew what species of tree this is! Sometimes labels are very helpful in describing life’s splendors.

The valley bursts yellow, orange, auburn, and red—like colors shot from a cannon. Their vibrancy suffuses the sunlight creating an ambience akin to fiery air. Dew drips from branches, berries, and leaves. Smoke from wood stoves floats like ghosts through the trees. Decaying sycamore, oak, and ginko leaves carpet the ground, offering themselves to the rich, dark humus. The sun sparkles on the creek like twin jewels. Red berries bunch like tiny tomatoes amid waxy, green spears. Persimmons dangle high on bare branches like forgotten Christmas balls—unadorned presents from Mother Nature.

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