It’s the first day of fall, and the kids don’t have school, so we took a walk at Descanso Gardens and reveled in the change of seasons.

It’s the perfect place for rambling with kids. There are lots of paths through wooded areas, and the kids felt like adventurers, wandering down unmarked paths–and I didn’t have to worry about getting lost in the woods and becoming a story on the evening news. (Area Mom and two children last seen in Angeles Forest; hope wanes as rescuers call off their search for the night.)

(I would not do well if I ever got lost in the forest and had to spend the night sheltering beneath a tree with my kids.)

The leaves have not yet changed color, but I spotted early signs of summer’s decay. I renewed our membership at Descanso, which was a good choice, because within two minutes of our arrival, they were both begging to come back soon.

I have a pocket full of acorns, and my heart is full from our time in nature. Our walk at Descanso was the perfect way to welcome the first day of autumn and methinks this will become a lovely annual tradition.

After lunch, I read the kids a couple of fall poems. They humored me, and actually seemed to enjoy the poems; but after two, they were DONE. But I sat and quietly read one more poem by Keats, and man, I forgot how much I enjoy poetry. I loved it when I was in elementary school, but my high school teachers beat the joy out of it, and then my college creative writing professor took the mangled remains of my joy out into a dark alley and shot it in the head.

Okaaaaaay, maybe I’ve been listening to an unhealthy amount of true crime podcasts.

But to recap: nature is magical, and poetry is too, and I’m so glad we intentionally and consciously marked the autumn equinox. My inner Druid is satisfied.