October in Oxford

Loving what cannot be seen or felt

All the subtleties of quirky neighbors, deed restrictions, and highway noise during those years were enough.

We moved five times over 25 years, looking for the right place to put our roots. Still, we weren't happy. Who says we can't feed the wildlife on our property? Why live 45 minutes from the kids? Time to move.

We looked forward to the change. Now it is more balanced, yet still only ten minutes from downtown, if you consider Oxford's tiny collection of 19th-century buildings to be a shopping district.

Some would call it country living. We call it a way to live without feeling stacked on top of neighbors. More land. More freedom. As John Keats said, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

We found our joy by building this little place of our dreams. Kay designed it. As long as our yard lights didn't incur the wrath of the township's "dark skies initiative," we could do whatever we liked. Put up a greenhouse. Let a few acres grow wild. Enjoy nature.

You get a special feeling visiting here this time of year. As the seasons change in Southeast Michigan, you do not want to miss October. But nature is improvising its usual plan. The changes came early this year.

All the subtleties and nuances of color are now unfolding. The warm summer months have ended abruptly. Now it is time to begin the next phase. You can never predict when or how quickly things will change.

Coming over the hill, you are met with sudden splashes of red across hundreds of trees so bright as if they were on fire. Oranges and subtle shades of yellow have suddenly taken the stage as well. Just two weeks earlier, it was all green.

Through the eyes of a businessman, I see that everything in the world moves in cycles. Birth, death, and financial markets come to mind. All we can do is react. We realize that nature's transformation is unstoppable. So inside goes the patio furniture, and out comes the driveway markers to guide the first snow plow truck. Too bad we planted this batch of microgreens so late.

With the weather change comes the end of some of the things we love, like the Farmer's Market. But we can instead take the grandkids to the Scarecrow Festival and vote for the best display. This weekend it’s time to find our costumes and prepare for Witches Night Out. And Halloween? We have so much fun being near them.

As Hellen Keller said, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart." We now feel them.