WHEN ASTERS BLOOM

WHEN ASTERS BLOOM

I really enjoy the period starting, now. The waning days of summer are some of the best days. Not too hot and not too cold; days and nights feel about right. The hints of fall are more frequent. Summers’ bounty is put away and cover crops are sown. It just feels good when leaves on the mountain begin to glow. I know what is in store; but that is two and a half months away. I don’t look forward to that. We will most likely pay for the previous mild winter. We will not get lucky two years in a row.

New England Asters are one of my favorite wildflowers; they tend to brighten your day when not much else is going on. These late bloomers are a sure sign that autumn is near. Flowers of purple or pink blowing in the breeze; often side by side. Pick a favorite color, it’s a hard choice; but both are prettier than goldenrods. Yes, they brighten the roadsides and fields as most other flowers fade away. We used to have a beautiful stand about a half of a mile away from my house. They were always a stunning sight against a cut stone wall. Purple and pink flowering plants were nicely intermixed. The state road cut them down a few years ago; just as they were beginning to bloom. They never came back, nothing there now but the cut stone wall. Yep, like I always say; can’t have nothing good around here. Oh, well; there are more out there. Just like everything else; you just have to go find them. Nothing stays the same; especially in these parts.

I have been getting that sick, deep in the gut feeling more and more. Every day I see more open space where trees once stood and critters actually lived. I am referring to the beginnings of the construction of Route 48 in Tucker County. Yes, it makes me nauseous to see the destruction in one of the few undeveloped regions we have left. I really don’t like to think about where I believe it may go once it crosses Rte. 72. Yep, every time I find an area to my liking; something happens to it. That something is never good. I’m really glad that I’m getting old enough to not let this stuff really bother me. I am also glad that I was able to enjoy the things the mountains had to offer; decades ago. I guess I’ve been there and done it. I’m grateful I did. I really do not see good things ahead. I only see a wind-swept road that will never be able to be maintained. That is it.

Truthfully, in the grand scheme of things ahead I do not worry much about what is going to happen. I just hate the destruction of reasonably pristine areas in the name of progress. I just ask who the progress will benefit. I still cannot see who benefitted from all of the windmill projects. I imagine if someone actually did; they live far, far away. They sure do not have to stare at the cluttered skyline every day.

Oh well, enough is enough. The way I figure it now; no matter if you are looking at a season in the year or a place in your life: When The Asters Bloom; is not a bad place to be.

This is my September 2017 article for Two-lane Livin (c)2017 High Virginia Outdoors All Rights Reserved Photo (c) High Virginia Images All Rights reserved